Large Pepsi bottling plant goes live with Infor WMS in Saudi Arabia

 

Underpinning MenaBev’s end-to-end operation, from raw material receipt through to the production, storage and shipping of finished goods, Infor WMS will increase automation across the organisation, optimising business processes to boost capacity and support continued growth.

 

The project was successfully managed by Infor alliance partner SNS, a leading provider of supply chain consultancy and software implementation.

 

With eight production lines and thousands of transactions daily between different systems, MenaBev’s facility is the largest operation of its kind in the world.

 

The automation at this MenaBev facility is state-of-the-art: LGVs (laser guided vehicles) manage raw materials putaway and replenishment to the lines while a High Bay AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system) has a capacity for more than 36,000 pallets.

 

The solution receives finished goods from the production lines via elevators and monorails; automatic truck loading platform delivers the goods to outbound vehicles.

 

MenaBev solicited the expertise of SNS consultants in WMS software to complement its offering for this green field project, drawing on the SNS team’s vast experience in managing such large, complex implementations to ensure the right solution to fulfil MenaBev’s specific needs.

 

The warehouse management solution integrates with seven different systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP – including Infor LN) , manufacturing execution system (MES), laboratory information management system (LIMS) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) systems, providing real-time integration and featuring monitoring screens to identify any integration issues. The full production module enables messages to be sent to LGVs to feed lines and notifies the high bay warehouse about finished goods pallets, and a customised yard management solution manages dock assignments and access to the facility.

 

“We can receive raw materials using supplier multi-field barcodes, trigger replenishment to production based on live consumption and load pallets onto trucks without a single paper printed,” comments Tamer Salem, MES and automation manager at MenaBev.

 

“Thanks to the new system, we have visibility over all our warehouse processes. We’ve worked very closely with the SNS team to ensure we implement the best solution for our extensive operation. We pride ourselves on our commitment to using state-of-the-art technology in manufacturing and sales & distribution, and this implementation certainly fits that brief. We look forward to this next chapter in our business, readily embracing the benefits this new way of working will bring.”

 

“Facilities of this scale rely on the very best digital capabilities to optimise operations and maximise performance,” comments Wael Mabsout, senior manager at SNS.

 

“Infor WMS will integrate with all of MenaBev’s key systems to facilitate end-to-end visibility, which is crucial in generating real-time insights, and enhancing decision-making to support future growth. Our team’s experience in setting up logistics processes of this scale was invaluable in making the right recommendations especially when it came to integrate with OEMs.” -- Tradearabia News Service