European Logistics Consultants Carry Out Baltic Project
05/10/2007
European supply chain consultancy Total Logistics is carrying out a major project for Finnish meat business, HK Ruokatalo, advising on its relocation to a centralised facility at Vantaa, near Helsinki.
As a result of plant closures at Tampere and Petikko, the remaining site in Vantaa must double in capacity, while adopting best practice in terms of health and safety. Total Logistics developed a highly automated plant design that reduces the need for heavy lifting.
One of the largest food companies in the Baltic Sea region, HK Ruokatalo manufactures and markets fresh meat, poultry, meat products and convenience foods and is the market-leading retailer of processed meats in the region. Consultants from Total Logistics have been involved in helping the HK Ruokatalo management team to develop a complete strategic design specification for the new plant, as well as offering advice on key supplier selection.
Rene Wolters, senior consultant at Total Logistics’ Dutch office, said: “Competition in this sector is fierce, with cost control being a major contributor to continued success. Increasingly, we are seeing businesses such as HK Ruokatalo turning to experienced consultants to help them through major change projects of this kind. We can bring a great deal of relevant experience to this type of complex challenge while allowing the core management team to continue focusing on their business.”
Having undertaken an initial design study, using modelling techniques to predict product movements, Total Logistics has been retained to support HK Ruokatalo in the vendor selection process, which involved the final choice of specialist systems integrator Dematic on the project. Currently TL is acting in a technical advisory role overseeing installation, testing, commissioning and ramp-up of the new operation.
It is expected that live operation of the renewed distribution centre at Vantaa will commence in January 2008.
Pasi Hiltunen, development director of HK Ruokatalo, said: “Total Logistics has clearly proved its expertise in this field of business. Its sound analytical approach, combined with a really strong practical appreciation of an effective supply chain operation, has added greatly to the value of this project. We are confident that Total Logistics is the right consulting partner for this strategically important project that will help us to stay at the top of our industry sector.”
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