RFID application of European logistics service company Luik Native cold storage

European logistics services company Luik Native has built an 8,000-square-meter (86,100-square-foot) ultra-low temperature storage area for frozen food in and out of Europe. The Belgium-based company, which has expanded its existing base in the Port of Antwerp, can now Store 22,000 Europallets on racks 16 meters (52.5 feet) high, using automation to ensure goods are stored in the correct location for easy access. Pick up shipping.

Johan Cailliez, Luik Native's chief financial officer, said refrigerated and frozen food that the company imports and exports could be stored at the factory for up to 30 days during the transition period. These products often include fish from Asia, meat from South America and fruit from Africa, all of which arrive frozen. The plant also exports frozen French fries from Belgium and frozen bread from France and Belgium to North America. Through RFID technology combined with product identification and tracking solutions, the identity and location information of each vacuum-packed pallet product can be captured and stored.

In a complex supply chain environment, the company faced numerous challenges in importing and exporting goods. The new ultra-low temperature storage area is designed to serve the growing business of producing and transporting frozen products to and from Northern Europe via the port of Antwerp. Before this warehouse was built, most products were stored far from ports, so large quantities of goods had to travel long distances, often during unfavorable times, such as rush hour.

Luik Natie's warehouses allow goods to be stored closer to the container terminals, while delivering goods to the port at the most convenient time, such as around peak hours, or at night. However, Cailliez said, managing the location and identity of high-bay items in large warehouses requires automation.

Typically, 2,640 pallets of goods are loaded and unloaded during each eight-hour shift. While the company previously used barcode scanning to identify goods, that was not practical in a warehouse where goods had to be quickly identified from a distance.

Currently, there are 12 loading and unloading points in the new cold storage area. Combining RFID technology with product identification and tracking solutions, Luik Native staff printed out RFID tags and attached them to the corresponding receiving pallets. The pallets are then vacuum packed, weighed on a conveyor belt, and transferred to a storage area. When the pallet moves, the antenna of the RFID Reader on the conveyor belt will capture the tag ID number, which is unique and associated with the product information on the software, and the collected information will be forwarded to its warehouse management system.

Each forklift that lifts goods to its corresponding rack is equipped with a tablet displaying data about those products, including where they are stored. These forklifts are equipped with RFID readers and height sensors. When storing goods, the driver will first use the tablet computer to view the storage location of the item before going to that location. A forklift lifts the pallet onto the designated rack, using sensors to confirm the height and placing the pallet on the correct rack.

At this point, the RFID reader on the forklift will scan the RFID tag again. A "location tag" is attached to the bottom of each shelf, and the app associates that location with the pallet ID, which is then forwarded to the warehouse management system. After checking and confirming that the location is correct on the tablet computer, the driver proceeds to process the next pallet. When a product needs to be picked from the shelf, the warehouse management system will display the storage location, and the driver only needs to walk to the corresponding shelf, take out the product and load it into the truck. Multiple fixed RFID readers will capture the pallet's tag ID to confirm that it is moving in place.

For example, Cailliez said, there have been no positioning errors since, because by capturing the RFID location information, “the system can continuously check that the pallets are in place.” Stress is also greatly reduced. They now receive orders directly and continuously from the warehouse management system without having to find pallets themselves. They pick out pallets upon request and can confirm that the correct pallet is being pulled. He pointed out that when the pallet is loaded onto the truck or container, the RFID reader on the door will confirm the information again.

“Pallet location was a challenge,” he recalls. “By combining RFID tags and forklift software to track where the forklift was and determine the forklift's operating height. This combination solved the pallet location problem. The biggest challenge, in my opinion, was finding The right combination."

Cailliez pointed out that the system was put into operation around the end of last year, adding: "Work can be done in peace, without the stress of hunting around for pallets and making drivers wait impatiently. Our daily work now It's going smoothly and everything is under control."

In the longer term, the company plans to equip its other 16,000 square meters (172,220 feet) of refrigerated warehouses with RFID technology as well. Cailliez said: “We chose to install the RFID system first in the cold storage area (used to store frozen goods) because this is the toughest environment to work in. Due to the short shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetable products such as bananas, pineapples, avocados and mangoes, the warehouse has an annual Commodity rotations up to 52 times. If the RFID tags and access points can work at a temperature of minus 22 degrees Celsius (that is, minus 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and all integrated parts and interfaces can work stably, then it is easier to operate on this platform. It’s much less of a challenge to have more fresh produce that rotates faster.”