German grocery chain REWE has opened an automated fresh food fulfilment centre at its Oranienburg logistics facility.

The technology is designed to handle the distribution of fruit and vegetables to over 370 supermarkets and 580 shops in the greater Berlin area, processing around
29,000 units per day.

REWE has partnered with automation technology firm Cimcorp to install the new system.

Advanced software manages a range of processes including inbound barcode scanning, inventory, picking, and outbound labelling.

The supermarket said that the technology will transform its fruit and vegetable supply chain and ensure efficiency and reliability.

The technology integrates robotics, conveyors and detailed inventory management while dashboards and error-management tools give operators full visibility and rapid response capabilities to reduce the impact of errors, said the grocery chain.

REWE said that the automated picking area uses both FIFO (First In, First Out) and FEFO (First Expired, First Out) principles.

To ensure traceability each stack, crate and pallet is uniquely identified, scanned and monitored from arrival to departure.

Additionally, dual robot cells and transfer cars ensure continuous operation even in outages.

“In fresh food logistics, every minute counts and every delivery is critical - missing the delivery window means a significant financial loss,” said Matthias Menzel, general manager at REWE’s Oranienburg logistics centre. “That’s why we invested in automation that delivers absolute reliability, real-time control and the capacity to serve Berlin and the surrounding regions.”

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