Bunzl, supplier of consumables, has commissioned a new distribution centre in Arnhem. The listed company was looking for space to continue growing over the next ten years.
Bunzl supplies packaging and disposables to companies in non-food. Due to its rapid growth, Bunzl has been handling part of its logistics at an external location in recent years. However, delivering from different distribution centres proved inefficient. Therefore, a new distribution centre was built last year for the Retail & Industry branch.
Reesink Logistic Solutions
Bunzl bet on new construction and had Reesink Logistic Solutions provide much of the fit-out. According to Reesink Logistic Solutions, the warehouse, which was completed in June, is "smarter and more efficient". Wide aisles and larger racking spaces make it easy to handle pallets of different sizes. A new layout shortens walking times and leads to less internal transport.
"We have set up mobile workstations and part of the order picking process has been automated by purchasing paternosters," says Wilbert van Wachtendonk, Managing Director at Bunzl. "This has drastically reduced the number of manual operations in order picking. You have to imagine that, for supermarkets, we sort orders per shop on a roll container. Think of a pallet full of bread bags but also a cleaning brush or chamois. Automation helps us work faster and error-free." The building has 27,000 pallet spaces, 19,000 of which are now in use.
Extend order times
Bunzl does not yet have to deliver day and night, but it sees the business-to-business market increasingly shifting towards 24-7 delivery. "We will extend our order times to increase the ease of ordering for our customers," Wachtendonk said.
