A distribution centre able to store, manage and carry out the picking of thousands of pet supply items

About Petz

Petz, founded in 2002 by Sergio Zimerman under the name Pet Center Marginal, is one of the most recognized Brazilian companies in the pet care market. Its 49 stores in cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais or Goiás are proof enough.

Each store carries more than 20,000 pet care items, including food, accessories and toys, as well as veterinary medicinal products.

Petz has experienced strong growth in recent years with the opening of seven new stores in Brazil in 2015 and twelve more planned for 2020. In a short time, this growth has positioned it among the five most prominent companies of that segment worldwide.

The needs of the company

To supply all of its stores, Petz needed a warehouse capable of managing the large quantity of goods it handles and that would facilitate its picking operations. The company works with different sized products and those that require special handling. As a result, a particular storage solution was needed for each type of product.

On the other hand, the company also needed a space set aside to install new storage systems as required.

With all of these factors in mind, Petz chose Interlake Mecalux to supply them with the right storage systems and provide a highly competitive warehouse that would allow them to remain a benchmark brand in pet care.

A warehouse with multiple solutions

In a 2.61 acre space, different storage systems have been installed where a certain type of product is kept, and a specific operation is also carried out.

The solutions implemented to meet the requirements of Petz have prioritized picking agility over storage capacity.

Parts of the warehouse:

1. Selective pallet racking
2. Sensitive product zone
3. Mezzanine for picking
4. Consolidation area
5. Drive-in pallet racking
6. Preloading area
7. Area for future enlargement

Selective pallet racking

This system –known for its versatility and adaptability to any type of load, weight and volume– is suitable when storing pallets of different SKUs and consumer goods such as those Petz distributes. At the same time, the racks offer direct access, which helps to properly streamline storage work, while providing excellent stock control.

Operators place and remove goods from the racks with the help of reach trucks that work in a 9.8' wide aisle and are capable of reaching the top level. As a safety measure, the racking uprights have been protected to absorb possible impacts produced by the equipment during handling of the unit loads.

Most racks have five load levels, although some lower levels have been divided to store smaller product and optimize space. The bottom levels have been set up for picking to be done directly from the pallets, leaving the palletized reserve stock on the higher levels.

To carry out picking, operators work with ground level and high reaching order picking machines. Ground level order pickers deal with items located on the first level of the racks or the ground floor, while high reaching order pickers facilitate access to the goods deposited on the upper levels.

There is a transversal aisle enabled in the central area that crosses the storage aisles, facilitating the flow between the different zones in this area. The width of this aisle enables the circulation of two handling machines at the same time.

Beside the selective pallet racks, a medium- and heavy-duty racking area has been provided, designed for the picking of the most sensitive products and those that need to be protected and insulated.

This zone consists of three aisles with four-level high metal shelves and two five-level shelving units installed at one end. Two beams form these flat surfaces with shelves wedged between them, which ensure heavy-duty shelf performance.

Mezzanine for picking

At the opposite end of the loading docks, a mezzanine has been built to perform picking tasks right above the selective pallet racking.

This set of racks, with a capacity for 1,446 pallets of 39" x 48" and a maximum weight of 1.1 t each, creates ten aisles where lower consumption products are stored.

The mezzanine occupies a 15,575 ft² area and, just like the sensitive product zone, there are medium- and heavy-duty racks with shelves. Throughout the 18 aisles, smaller products are picked, such as accessories and components.

In the mezzanine, an access ladder for the operators also functions as an emergency exit. On the other hand, three hinged safety doors create a loading and unloading area for palletized goods that are handled by forklifts.

One of them has been allocated to incoming pallets and the other two for outgoing ones. In addition, the safety of the mezzanine is rounded out by protective railing placed around open areas.

Consolidation area

Orders are moved to the consolidation area, where the packaging, labeling and issuing of the required shipping documentation take place.

Bearing the needs of Petz in mind, and due to the large number of orders put together daily, 24 stations were enabled to prepare and consolidate orders, as well as three fully automated scales, sealers and labeling machines.

Each station is also equipped with the necessary computer equipment and printers to complete the operation.

Drive-in pallet racking

Next to the consolidation zone, a block of drive-in racks has been arranged to store consumer goods.

This 28' high block consists of three or four levels (depending on the merchandise) where pallets can be deposited six deep, holding a total of 408 pallets.

Reception and dispatches

Advantages for Petz

• Optimal logistics care: the available space is used intelligently, taking advantage of every square foot with efficient operations that contribute to top installation throughput.
• Diversification: the distinct solutions allow the storage of a great variety of products of differing sizes and weights.
• Cost effectiveness: the Petz warehouse is a model of profitability and efficiency that will help the company manage its continuous growth in a flexible way.