Durable Containers over Decades
For over 25 years, the drugstore chain dm has trusted in the plastic boxes from SSI SCHAEFER and has set up a closed reusable cycle to supply its more than 3,500 stores.
SSI SCHAEFER delivered the first containers to dm in Austria as early as the mid-1990s and some of them are still in use. Since then, the drugstore chain has continuously expanded the system via its European subsidiaries.
The robust containers, which are precisely matched to the Euro pallet dimensions, are used by dm for storage, order picking, and transport for the partly sensitive drugstore articles and can be folded together to save space when returning empties. The use of returnable containers opens numerous advantages and potential savings for dm and also supports the company’s concept of sustainability. The sustained growth and dm’s expansion led to continuous expansion and optimization of the processes. The first fundamental expansion of the logistics center took place in 1995. In 2009, a fully automated pallet and container high-bay warehouse was set up in preparation for future Logistics 4.0 requirements. After positive experiences in dm’s previous projects, SSI SCHAEFER was awarded the order for the steel construction of the plant with 57,400 container storage locations and 3,200 pallet storage locations. To ensure continuous processes for order handling, SSI SCHAEFER integrated the controls of all components located in the warehouse into the logistics software WAMAS® . In addition to the basic equipment of the warehouse, dm ordered another 60,000 plastic containers.
The FKE 6320s act as both source and target container for storage and picking at the Enns distribution center. Conveyor technology automatically guides the source container from the miniload to the respective work stations according to the goods-to-person principle. Up to 3,500 order positions per hour are removed there and picked directly into the target containers, which also serve as transport containers. Automatic container erectors upstream ensure that the employee receives ready-to-use containers.
“Their extensive container product line, production flexibility, and punctual delivery of large quantities in addition to the quality of their plastic bins make SSI SCHAEFER a reliable partner at our side.”
Herbert Scheiblauer
Manager of Transport and Warehouse Organization
at dm Austria
