Wilhelm Brandenburg WMS Retrofit Case Study: Cold Storage Modernization
Case study of Körber's multi-stage WMS and conveyor retrofit in a German meat processor's temperature-controlled warehouse under hygiene and production constraints.
Details a one-year retrofit of Wilhelm Brandenburg's Frankfurt facility that integrated a 7,500-position tote buffer, automated incoming goods with robot depalletizing, added a stainless-steel SRM for 1,400 flow-rack positions, and upgraded controls on 23 existing SRMs and two kilometers of conveyor. All work occurred in +2°C cold storage while maintaining food-safety compliance and ongoing operations.
Modern S7 PLC controls replaced legacy systems across 23 SRMs and four roll-container loaders, raising long-term equipment availability.
Robot layer depalletizer at incoming goods increased throughput to 1,000 containers per hour.
Stainless-steel SRM with plastic-chain load handling achieved 380 cycles per hour in a +2°C hygiene-critical environment.
Weekend-only installation phases allowed continuous meat production during the retrofit.
24,350 tote positions now supported by updated WMS, visualization, and hotline-service contract.
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