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Monday, July 18, 2005

The Finnish meat processing company ATRIA OY invests in the expansion of

its logistics activities, continuing the business partnership with the

German logistics design and realization specialist, WITRON. After great

success with the WITRON warehouse and picking module, "Order Picking

System" (OPS), ATRIA will now integrate as the first user of WITRON's new

"high speed picking" system, E-DPS, in its distribution center in Nurmo.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- With the modular and scaleable storage and picking solution, "Ergonomic-Dynamic Picking System" (E-DPS) from WITRON, it is possible to handle up to 1,000 orderlines per module per hour. Highly dynamic cranes called "Picking Mini Loads" (PMLs) drive simultaneously to storage locations on three tiers of an automated tote warehouse, while forward-looking ergonomic picking workstations make this extraordinarily high pick performance possible.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030826/WITRONLOGO )

Realizing logistics goals ideally

As a long-standing WITRON customer, ATRIA will be the first to install the new E-DPS logistics solution to be realized in combination with the well- proven "Order Picking System" (OPS), and thus provides a significant increase of its logistics capacities. "E-DPS's performance and ergonomics convinced me at first sight," says Jaakko Takala, Logistics Director of ATRIA. Delivery to and from the workstations guarantees that the order picker is always supplied with work. "Because of it, we are realizing our logistics goals ideally in regard to order-picking quality, cost effectiveness and flexibility. Our benchmark has shown, that E-DPS enables significantly higher effectiveness with minimal staff and space compared with common traditional picking methods." This compact warehouse module wins you over through high performance and through its decoupling of all system elements. With more than 70,000 additional order lines per day, which corresponds to a significant increase in additional order cases, the new E-DPS system enables ATRIA to handle the enormous increase in daily shipped goods from Nurmo.

With a strong increase in sales during the recent years -- a turnover of well over 900 million Euro is expected for 2005 -- ATRIA has to adjust its logistical processes to the increasing demands. The centralized Nurmo logistics center currently delivers about 500,000 kilos of meat products every day. By 2007, ATRIA will have expanded the footprint by an additional 118,000 square feet and 3,300,000 cubic feet of storage space, essentially doubling the total capacity. The demands of ATRIA's trade and catering customers for increasing individual and more frequent deliveries have created an environment of permanent serviceability. This, in effect, requires smaller delivery lots and larger numbers of shipments involving circulating plastic packaging boxes.

Highest pick performance and best ergonomics

This demanded flexibility has to be met by the new E-DPS system as well. "The work stations themselves are designed so ergonomically and progressively that the highest levels of pick performance are possible without great exertions," adds ATRIA's Logistics Director Takala. "And as an operator, E-DPS offers me the absolute advantage of being able to control work stations and employees flexibly, in accordance with work load." The pickers at the workstations are standing, but it is also possible for them to sit down. The employee turns a maximum of 90 degrees to pick the products while order picking paths are essentially eliminated. In E-DPS, it is possible to optimize the ability to handle the articles; totes are tilted forward when presented at the picking station. Light grids serve to automate confirmation. It is no longer necessary to count the picked units. All these parameters lead to an increased pick performance with maximized ergonomic benefits for the employee at the picking workstation.

One system module consists in its basic set-up of a three-aisle automated tote warehouse, which integrates storage, replenishment and consolidation functions in one. While replenishment orders for articles stored on the two outer storage aisles, three highly dynamic vehicles, known as Picking Mini Loads (PMLs), pick stored goods from the middle aisle at high speeds and provide them right in sequence at the picking stations using an integrated lift. In total, WITRON will realize five of these modules for ATRIA. The warehouse capacity is 103,500 tote locations. A specialty of this solution that will be realized for ATRIA is the subdivision of each single module into two sub-modules. Therefore, picking stations will be integrated on both fronts of the warehouse. That means two picking workstations for each sub-module, 20 picking workstations in total. These picking workstations are provided with totes in an optimized way via 30 PMLs and in total ten lifts. 20 cranes ensure the replenishment for the PMLs. The software controls and optimizes the processes. Because of the installed mechanical architecture, storage and transportation processes are separated from the order picking. Finished totes are consolidated in the automated tote warehouse and sequentially made available for shipment after stacking and palletizing.

ATRIA's requirement to be able to expand the system without interrupting operations can also be met without a problem due to the system's modular structure. "All in all, E-DPS offers us the ideal pre-conditions for supplying over four thousand customers every day with over 500 different articles at top quality and freshness," says Takala. The WITRON system solution OPS has run successfully since 2001. In 2003, ATRIA was awarded as Finland's Logistics Company of the Year.

Author: Thomas Woehrle, journalist, Bonn/Germany.

     Key Figures E-DPS System Solution

     Tote storage locations:            103,500
     Replenishment cranes:              20
     Picking Mini Load cranes:          30
     Ergonomic picking workstations:    20
     Vertical lifts:                    10

ATRIA OY

ATRIA Group plc is a leading company of the food processing industry in Finland and concentrates more and more on international business. The appendant brand names are ATRIA, Duke's, Forssan, Lithells, Sibylla, Fyrkanten, Grillkoket, Vilniaus Mesa and Maks & Moorits. The ATRIA Group's turnover is 834 million Euros, of which Sweden accounts for about 310 million Euros. In total the company employs about 4,100 people. The largest production companies of the ATRIA Group are ATRIA OY, Lithells AB, Liha ja Sailyke OY, UAB Vilniaus Mesa and AS Valga Lihatoostus. ATRIA Group is the biggest company in the meat business in Finland and the largest manufacturer of meat products in the Baltic Sea area.

WITRON Integrated Logistics Corp.

WITRON Integrated Logistics Corp. with its headquarter in Parkstein, Bavaria, ranks among the international leading planning and realization companies of automated logistics solution for retail and industry companies. 35 years of know how within the mechanization of warehouse, picking and distribution centers prove the company's competence that employs about 720 staff members and that gained a yearly turnover of about $260 Million in 2004. As general contractor, WITRON takes over the functional responsibility for all project phases starting with the logistics planning over the realization and the system ramp-up to the customer support after project completion. Further subsidiaries of the company are located in the US, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

     Editorial requests address to:

     WITRON
     Integrated Logistics Corp
     Mr. Brian Sherman
     Manager Business Development
     3721 Ventura Drive
     Arlington Heights, IL 60004
     Tel.: 847-385-6000
     bsherman@witron.com

SOURCE WITRON Integrated Logistics Corp.

CONTACT: Mr. Brian Sherman, Manager Business Development of WITRON Integrated Logistics Corp., +1-847-385-6000, bsherman@witron.com

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