TGW Automates UpFresh Warehouse in Ostend, Belgium

In the port city of Ostend, TGW is building a powerful fulfillment center for UpFresh by November 2023. The automation enables a high degree of flexibility and supports the ambitious growth goals of the Belgian food specialist.

(Marchtrenk/Ostend) UpFresh is one of Belgium’s leading food wholesalers, supplying more than 2,700 sales outlets with meat, cheese, salads, and convenience products. Speed plays a central role in the B2B specialist’s business model. Customers can order seven days a week: those who order by 6:00 PM will reliably receive their selected fresh products the next day.

Software Manages All Processes

The heart of the system is a three-aisle shuttle warehouse that covers a temperature range of two to four degrees Celsius. It serves both to store goods and to buffer empty or order containers. Orders are picked at three PickCenter One high-performance workstations.

Robots take over the fully automated assembly of pallets and the depalletizing of empty containers. The individual areas of the fulfillment center are connected by more than 1.5 kilometers of energy-efficient KingDrive^® conveyor technology. All processes are planned, controlled, and monitored by the TGW Warehouse Software – it acts as a Warehouse Control System (WCS) as well as a Material Flow Computer (MFC).

Powerful Intralogistics as a Foundation

The new distribution center supports UpFresh’s growth goals and forms the basis for fast, reliable service. The solution offers a high degree of flexibility, thus helping to sustainably reduce operating costs.

“In close collaboration with the customer, we have developed a solution tailored to UpFresh’s needs,” emphasizes Hans De Sutter, Managing Director at TGW Benelux. “The layout of the facility is designed to be future-proof: if necessary, performance can be quickly doubled through an expansion.”

Photo: © TGW