In a move to reduce waste and warehousing costs under its Six Sigma plan, Pepsi Beverages Co. has installed an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and warehouse control system at its plant in Tampa, Fla., USA.

According to Pepsi, the new equipment includes two AS/RS storage and retrieval machines, a pallet conveyor system, five robotic vehicles, a pallet-squaring station, and packaging machines to apply shrink wrap and labeling. The new equipment uses a 30 percent smaller footprint than a conventional beverage processing facility, the company said.

Made by Westfalia Technologies Inc., the AS/RS system has allowed Pepsi to maximize storage space, reduce building construction costs, lower sustainable operating costs, increase inventory accuracy, and lower energy, labor and product waste costs for Pepsi. The system also gives Pepsi the flexibility to include buffers for handling peak production periods at its bottling plant.

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