Information about the company and the project
Muszynianka is a mineral water brand born at the heart of the Poprad Landscape Park, where immaculate nature coexists with the heritage of the health resort tradition. This is not just mineral water; it also wields the force of magnesium, the power of calcium and provides a daily dose of vitality, while its purity is guaranteed by the most advanced technologies. Apart from outstanding quality of its products, the key to the company’s success also lies in advanced production and logistic processes. The Muszynianka company has three bottling plants at its disposal, including their own warehousing facilities. Today, we have been invited to visit one of them, located in Muszyna.
In 2017, the company launched considerable modernization of its production plant and warehouses. Another bottling line – one of the most modern in Europe – has been launched in Muszyna. Thanks to this investment, the plant’s total production capacity has increased to 42,000 1.5-liter bottles per hour. In this location, the company also has a line-side storage warehouse and a new distribution warehouse. The Muszynianka company entrusted Quantum with the management of logistic processes and chose the Qguar WMS system, proven in hundreds of installation instances, to be implemented in all its locations. Regular investments in new technologies constitute a permanent element of its corporate strategy.
Dariusz Dobrzański – Director of IT and Automation
As one of the leaders on the bottling market of mineral waters, we strive to improve the process-related technology, in order to meet the market demand, as well as the consumer needs.
Water production
Before our mineral water reaches consumers’ tables, it covers a long and fast route of production and logistics. The process begins on the PET line with the production of bottles that are made of preforms in the stretch blow moulding section. After cooling, they are used to bottle mineral water, and then they are directed via a system of conveyors to a labelling machine. Bottles with applied product labels are transported to the next machine that binds them into multi-packs. Finished multi-packs are arranged by robots into distribution pallets, whose dimensions are adapted to clients’ requirements. The size of a pallet determines the way multi-packs are arranged on it by robots, so as to ensure stable pallet structure during transport.
Before a pallet prepared for shipment is sent to the line-side storage warehouse, an automatic applicator fits it with a logistic label, the quality of which is additionally verified by a scanner. In order to considerably enhance the quality of scanning, the Muszynianka company implemented an advanced fixed camera with an integrated display that operates on the basis of advanced decoding algorithms. Both the label applicator and the camera are integrated with the Qguar WMS system. Once labels are scanned, the WMS system takes pallets into stock, in order to ensure the following logistic processes are accurately managed. Commitment to the satisfaction of clients of such a renowned brand as Muszynianka requires very efficient and fast logistics.
Dariusz Dobrzański – Director of IT and Automation
Introduction of the WMS-class system resulted in increasing the efficiency, ensured supervision of delivery processes and enhanced comfort of our operators’ work.
Production warehouse
The line-side storage warehouse functions as a dynamic hub, from which finished goods are transported directly to consignees or to a distribution warehouse that receives mineral water from other plants as well. Due to small number of articles, their specific character and exceptionally high turnover dynamics, there is no need to store the products on racks. Block storage managed by Qguar WMS ensures a high level of stock rotation.
Pallets received from the production department are transported with a fork-lift truck, according to WMS system guidelines, either directly onto a semitrailer, or to the assigned block on the warehouse floor, where they will be waiting for other means of transport. Successive process stages are confirmed by operators by means of wireless terminals that are also managed by the Qguar system. Thanks to efficient procedures combined with an effective system, bottled water can leave the warehouse after just a few hours of storage. High level of synchronization of logistics with production lines allows the Muszynianka company to continuously supply the market with its products.
Distribution warehouse
The distribution warehouse increases the total storage capacity of the Muszynianka plant and functions as a goods picking and shipment consolidation warehouse. This is the destination of bottled water delivered from the production plant and from other company branches, oftentimes in different packaging units. The course of the processes in this warehouse is also supervised by Qguar WMS that supports the operators’ work with wireless radio terminals. Crucial tasks performed by the WMS system in this facility consist in optimum distribution of goods in the warehouse and preparation of picked and consolidated articles for fast loading onto means of transport.
Requirements concerning distribution are determined by a variety of conditioning factors, technical and related to particular line of trade. In the case of mineral water production, logistics involves primarily high efficiency and huge volumes of goods. As the work rate is high, it requires accurate integration of the WMS system with production processes and with efficient devices ensuring automatic product identification. Wherever it was necessary, Quantum customized the WMS system implemented in the Muszynianka company to meet individual needs of the client. Commitment to precise understanding of the implementation objective constituted the foundation for launching an efficient solution.
Dariusz Dobrzański – Director of IT and Automation
Having decided to implement a WMS system, we picked the Quantum company due to their experience, know-how, commitment and flexibility in adapting to the needs of individual clients.
Technology in mineral water production
Due to regular streamlining of supply chains and to variability of consumer preferences, no company can forgo dynamic development. Food products are subject to particularly exacting requirements in this respect. The need to adapt to ever more demanding food-related norms and industry standards and to meet ever increasing distribution regimes translates into the need for ever more technology.
Dariusz Dobrzański – Director of IT and Automation
As Muszynianka strives to be a symbol of quality and modernity for our clients, we keep investing in innovations and new technologies to meet market demands.
Summary
As the company is aware of the need to implement state-of-the-art and efficient technologies, Muszynianka finds itself among the leaders in the branch of bottling mineral waters.
Outstanding quality of our mineral water combined with innovative and fast logistics undoubtedly opens the road to clients’ hearts and constitutes a formula ensuring further success. We are pleased that Quantum can also support the company in this development. We wish Muszynianka mineral water that it will never disappear from consumers’ tables.