Grupo Clazamar automates internal transport of frozen products

Grupo Clazamar: from sea to table

Grupo Clazamar is a distributor of frozen products such as fish, seafood, ice cream, ice and vegetables, among others. Based in Ciudad Real and with offices in Toledo, Jaén and Córdoba, the organisation is a national benchmark in the sale of frozen food for central Spain’s food and hospitality sectors. Founded in 1992, the company has over 100 employees, a fleet of 80 refrigerated lorries and more than 15,000 SKUs, which it manages in a storage area spanning more than 80,000 m³.

Grupo Clazamar specialises in storing, managing and distributing frozen products. In recent years, the company has experienced steady growth. Cold-chain logistics businesses face challenges such as maximising storage space, properly handling stock at controlled temperatures and reducing energy consumption.

Logistics is a fundamental part of Grupo Clazamar’s supply chain. “We have over 80,000 m³ dedicated to storing frozen food and we ensure that our cold chain remains intact at all times. Additionally, we have 80 refrigerated vehicles that maintain the required temperatures. They enable us to supply the provinces of Ciudad Real, Toledo, Jaén, Córdoba, Ávila, Albacete and southern Madrid in less than 24 hours,” says Claudio Vacas, Manager at Grupo Clazamar.

The organisation’s wide variety of SKUs are distributed across three warehouses: “Our catalogue includes over 15,000 refrigerated and deep-frozen products. Grupo Clazamar’s specialities are fish and seafood, but we also market vegetables, beans, meat, ice cream and ice. We work with the best national and international suppliers to guarantee the quality of our services on a daily basis.”

Given Grupo Clazamar’s consistent growth, the company turned to Mecalux to enhance its logistics operations. The organisation has expanded its logistics centre in Ciudad Real with a mezzanine floor operating at -25 °C, an automatic transport system connecting three levels and pallet racking.

“Thanks to our clients’ confidence in us, over the past few years, we’ve seen business growth that has led us to expand our facilities in Ciudad Real. We’ve allocated approximately 3,000 m² to picking on three floors and storing 1,800 pallets,” says Vacas.

Two of Grupo Clazamar’s priorities were to improve the efficiency of its logistics processes and speed up product putaway and shipping tasks. “The Mecalux storage and internal transport solutions optimise our delivery times and help us meet our clients’ needs,” says Vacas.

Clazamar incorporates a three-storey sub-zero mezzanine

Pivotal in tripling the useful storage area was the installation of a three-level mezzanine dedicated to picking frozen products such as fish, seafood, ice cream and bags of ice.

Automatic conveyors and a pallet lift connect the mezzanine’s three storeys. Their operation is straightforward: pallets are placed on the conveyors and the lift moves them to the corresponding level. With this internal transport system, Grupo Clazamar has limited the time operators are exposed to the cold and maximised flows of goods between the different levels.

On the 9-metre-tall mezzanine, a specific number of operators perform picking on each of the 1,000 m² levels. Employees travel up and down the aisles, retrieving products to put together orders. The mezzanine’s design and the direct access to goods make these operators faster, which is essential when fulfilling orders with high-turnover merchandise.

How to raise throughput in less space

“We use our cold-storage and freezer warehouses to fulfil orders, which includes the picking, selection, preparation, packaging and packing processes,” says Vacas.

To manage goods in these spaces, Grupo Clazamar has installed Movirack mobile racking. This is the only high-density storage solution that offers direct access to all frozen products. How so? The racks are installed on mobile bases that move laterally on rails. When an operator uses a remote control device to select the racking they need to access, the rest of the racks cascade open, leaving only that working aisle accessible. The movement of the racking is completely safe: the system is equipped with sliding mechanisms, electronic equipment and safety devices.

How Mecalux optimised cold-chain storage and internal transport

While the mezzanine has tripled Grupo Clazamar’s surface area, automated transport systems have expedited internal movements of goods and streamlined order picking. Moreover, Movirack mobile racking has maximised storage space, offering direct access and maintaining the cold chain.

The various Mecalux storage and internal transport solutions have enhanced the efficiency of Grupo Clazamar’s supply chain. The company can now deliver its 15,000 SKUs in under 24 h and boost its rate of expansion.

Mecalux’s internal transport and storage solutions enable us to effectively tackle all our logistics challenges. They allow us to ensure the quality and preservation of the products in our cold chain, from the port to customers’ tables.