Community Food Bank Partners with Shoppa's & Advanced Intralogistics
CFB partners with Shoppa’s and Advanced Intralogistics to optimize warehouse and feed 30% more families.
Overview
Community Food Bank (CFB) of Fort Worth, Texas fights hunger and poverty by providing food to families in a dignified, personal, and timely manner. However, a spike in demand coupled with an outdated distribution model and unoptimized warehouse space led CFB to struggle to deliver its much-needed community assistance.
In Their Words
‟ My experience was fantastic. I would highly recommend Shoppa’s. Every person, from sales to service to trainers, were all equally wonderful to work with. They are a company near and dear to my heart. If we ever need anything else, we are dedicated to them.”
Regena Taylor
Client, Executive Director
Challenge
During the COVID pandemic, countless people lost their jobs and steady income. Demand for family meals spiked, and CFB could not keep pace.
Serving that increased demand was a challenge. CFB’s warehouse layout was not ideal, with many rooms and lots of tight doorways. An inefficient pallet racking system caused perishable food to be unreachable and unaccounted for, leading to vital family meals going bad. Finally, additional storage was required to accommodate the additional food products needed to meet demand.
Solution
Shoppa’s and Advanced Intralogistics quickly assessed the situation. The companies collaborated to design an optimization plan to enhance the warehouse and pallet racking system, secure the right equipment, and maximize storage capacity.
In less than four weeks, with minimal disruption to operations, the plan was implemented. The solution included an ePicker ES15-128 Walkie stacker for use in the refrigerator/freezer, allowing for operation in tighter aisles and accommodation of more products. Toyota Electric Pallet Jacks increased productivity and safety, and Motor Driven Roller (MDR) conveyor systems decreased the time and volunteers needed to assemble family meals.
Results
The warehouse optimization for CFB was a game changer. Pick line efficiency increased capacity and improved material flow, enabling the agency to feed 30% more families per day. Productivity increased dramatically, as the number of required food line volunteers decreased from 14 to six, who were then free to attend to other important tasks and areas of need.
Optimizing the pallet racking system gave CFB much-needed access to perishable products and significantly cut down on waste. Finally, a 30% increase in storage capacity allowed CFB to increase the number of available meals onsite and reduce hunger in the community.
Statistics
INCREASED CAPACITY TO FEED FAMILIES BY 30%
INCREASED STORAGE CAPACITY BY 30%