Warehouse with earthquake-proof racks for Abarrotes La Y Griega in Mexico

About ‘Abarrotes La Y Griega’

Founded in 1991, Abarrotes La Y Griega is a family business that focuses on the sale of groceries. Its distribution company is located in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in Chipas State (Mexico). From when it started doing business more than 25 years ago, it has distributed products in the Chiapas and Oaxaca States, turning itself into one of the biggest grocery distribution companies in Mexico.

Abarrotes La Y Griega is ISO 9001/2015 certified to sell and distribute products. As such, this guarantees the highest quality standards are fulfilled and, also, that suppliers, manufacturers and customers enjoy profitable, secure transactions.

Currently, the company has 200 providers, and supplies around 3,000 wholesale and retail customers.

Pallet racks hold +100 product categories

Constructed on a two-hectare plot, the distribution centre measures 600 m² and is equipped with single- and double-depth pallet racks where more than 100 different product categories are housed. According to Juan Manuel Álvarez Mendoza, general manager of Abarrotes La Y Griega, “the occupancy rate of our warehouse is around 90% and we think it will hit 100% by the end of this year.”

The 7 m high racks supplied by Mecalux can hold 5,512 pallets of 1,000 x 1,200 mm on four storage levels. Each pallet unit can weigh up to 1,200 kg.

The general manager of the company is highly satisfied with this solution because “it has helped us improve storage processes and make the most of available surface area.”

Mixing and matching single- and double-depth racks mean SKUs can be organised according to their features and demand level. In the words of Álvarez Mendoza, “Double-deep pallet racks were chosen because they entail a space savings that requires fewer aisles to access the loads. Plus, this solution ensures maximum storage capacity.”

Earthquake-proof racking

Mexico is located in the Ring of Fire on the Pacific Rim, meaning it is very seismically active. Additionally, Chiapas, in particular, is one of the nation’s states which is most prone to tremors since it is set between two converging tectonic plates: the ‘Cocos’ and the Caribbean one.

Thus, the racks are reinforced to withstand seismic tremors and to prevent goods from falling. “We improved our safety levels and decreased the risks associated with accidents,” points out Álvarez Mendoza.

Elevated productivity

The distribution centre of Abarrotes La Y Griega stands out for being abuzz with activity. Daily, it receives 320 pallets from local manufacturers in distinct points of Mexico, such as Guadalajara, Monterrey or Puebla and sends another 320 pallets to customers in the Chiapas and Oaxaca States.

The pallet racks are the best solution to manage such a high number of pallets. The reason is this system provides direct access to the products, which translates into streamlined flows to insert and extract pallets from their locations and “they cut back loading and unloading times,” asserts the company’s general manager.

Pick tasks are one of the central operations: each day workers prepare between 250 and 300 orders. Operators move around the warehouse collecting the SKUs that comprise each order directly off pallets located on the lower racking levels.

Juan Manuel Álvarez Mendoza - General Manager of the “Distribuidora de Abarrotes La Y Griega”
“We chose Mecalux to equip our warehouse after doing a painstaking analysis of the costs and quality of its products. We also took into account the dependability, experience and professionality shown by our team of workers. The storage systems that they put together for us marked a turning point in Abarrotes La Y Griega’s growth.”.

Advantages for Distribuidora de Abarrotes La Y Griega

• High productivity: direct access guarantees higher agility in goods management, and facilitates picking of between 250 and 300 orders a day.
• Grand capacity: the distribution centre has a storage capacity for 5,512 pallets, suited to supplying Abarrotes La Y Griega’s products in the Chiapas State and part of Oaxaca.
• Earthquake proofing: the racks are calculated and reinforced specifically to withstand potential seismic tremors.