Day: 14 April 2020

Crate-rental provider phs Teacrate has geared up to support organisations who are continuing to supply essential services to the public and seeking to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Some sectors of the food industry are being put under pressure with demand for home delivery in particular rising sharply. This has created unique logistical demands that the food industry and key suppliers to the sector are overcoming together. As a result, Teacrate, which provides crate rental services to food suppliers and retailers among others, is operating at full capacity to meet this need. Supplying crates for online supermarket deliveries and the distribution of fruit and vegetables in store is not just about having the appropriate number of crates held and distributed across the UK from a network of depots, it is also important to ensure that the crates are hygienically distributed and thoroughly cleaned. Teacrate has therefore introduced new infection-control measures which include stringent product sanitisation, contactless delivery and collection, full use of PPE and rigorous hand-washing procedures and cleaning protocols.

In the office market, Teacrate has been busy supplying crates for businesses to transport essential work items for home workers. It has launched a new, homeworking bundle and has officially become a government-approved supplier via the Crown Commercial Service to supply crates and packaging materials to central government and across the public and third sector. In addition, Teacrate’s products are being used by companies providing care packages to the vulnerable ‘at home’ community and by charity organisations providing food banks.

Dan Lee, managing director of phs Teacrate, said: “Across the UK many essential services are doing a fantastic job of supporting the nation through these unprecedented times. As an essential services supplier, we understand our role in delivering an efficient and effective service our dedicated staff and our wide range of products and services mean that we can be relied upon throughout these tough times as well as when things get better for us all.”

Integrator Witron is to design and implement a new automated logistics centre for German food retailer REWE. The Henstedt-Ulzburg site will supply more than 350 stores from August 2022.

Implementing Witron’s OPM (Order Picking Machinery), DPS (Dynamic Picking System), CPS (Car Picking System), and DPP (Display Pallet Picking) solutions, will enable REWE to pick up to 165,000 cases on a peak day in a store-friendly manner at the automated logistics centre. The 86,500 square metres / 931,100 square feet site will store more than 12,000 different items from a dry and fresh food assortment.

“The most important reasons for this investment decision were both ecological and economic factors”, says REWE’s Business Unit Manager Logistics National / Supply Chain Management, Matthias Bähr. “This includes a high level of cost-efficiency along the supply chain as well as a long-term guarantee of an excellent supply of our markets, even in times of crisis. Our sustainability strategy also includes other aspects such as ergonomic workstations, the reduction of CO2 emissions through optimally packed load carriers and, as a result, the reduction of trailer tours. And last but not least, the construction of the warehouse and administration site in accordance with the DGNB Gold Standards (DGNB = German Sustainable Building Council).”