Case Study: H.J. Heinz achieves 90%+ automated dispatch with Körber AG Layer Picker® Flex-R

H.J.Heinz - Customer Case Study

H.J.Heinz asked Wincanton, operating its National Distribution Centre in Wigan, UK, to significantly increase the amount of pallet layers picked automatically without changing existing product configurations. Körber AG was selected to provide the solution, supplying the K.Handle Layer Picker® Flex‑R (Layer Picker®) to handle more difficult product mixes and expand automated layer‑picking capability.

Körber AG implemented a Layer Picker® Flex‑R with conveyors, tested in 2013–14 and commissioned in April 2015, delivering up to 180 layers per hour and enabling mixed “sandwich/rainbow” pallets. The installation substantially increased automated layer picking — up from roughly 45% previously and moving toward the site’s target of over 90% of dispatched volume untouched by hand — improving throughput and loading flexibility at the 12,000 pallets/week DC.

H.J.Heinz

Stuart Alldridge

Senior Logistics Execution Manager