SAVOYE Supports La GFF in Its Logistics Industrialization with Haipick Mobile Robots

La Générale Frigorifique France (GFF), a major player in the distribution of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and a subsidiary of the Swedish group Beijer Ref, is industrializing its logistics processes alongside SAVOYE to support its growth and that of its customers.

For nearly 90 years, La Générale Frigorifique France (GFF), a subsidiary of the Swedish group Beijer Ref, has been distributing refrigeration and air conditioning equipment to its professional customers throughout mainland France as well as in La Réunion and La Martinique. To ensure efficient service, La GFF has a total storage area of 30,000 m², spread over a central warehouse in France, in the Lyon region and three regional sites in Paris, Toulouse, and Nantes.

These warehouses allow the distributor to supply its 47 agencies and thus ensure delivery as close as possible to its customers. On-site, various types of products are stored, representing 9,000 references, prepared manually.

With a constantly increasing turnover – 160 million euros in 2022 – La GFF initiated a project to expand its central warehouse three years ago: “We wanted to cope with the increase in our volume of activities, but not only that. Our major challenge was to improve our customer service. We operate in a mature market where the difference is made in service. At the same time, like many players in the sector, we are experiencing recruitment difficulties. We therefore decided, in addition to the expansion, to modernize our logistics tool to gain attractiveness, through new value-added, more ergonomic positions,” introduces Sabrina GUEDRI, Logistics and QHSE Director at La GFF.

Photo credit LA GFF
Sabrina GUEDRI, Logistics and QHSE Director at la GFF.
Jean-Francois Stoqui, Director of Industrial Strategy at la GFF.

Towards More Industrial Logistics

As part of this transformation, the distributor decided to equip its warehouse with a comprehensive solution designed and integrated by SAVOYE to ensure robotic order preparation of its small components and thus supply the 47 agencies even more quickly.

The solution consists of 7 Haipick by SAVOYE mobile robots, a storage rack with 15,000 bin locations, a conveyor system, a Goods to Person operator station, a carton erector, labelling machine, and a height reduction packing machine, Jivaro®, all controlled by a WCS software.

“Through this set of tools, we intend to enable our client to densify its storage over the 10 meters of height that its building has, to increase its preparation volume while offering more ergonomics and flexibility to its operators,” emphasizes Lucas Pinto, sales engineer at SAVOYE.

The solution, which is scheduled to start at the end of 2025, will allow La GFF to multiply its production capacity by more than three and drastically reduce its preparation error rate: “Through its analysis and expertise, SAVOYE was able to offer us a tailor-made and highly scalable preparation solution, adapted to our growth. It will also allow us to reduce our transport issues through more compact and professional packaging. We thus meet our objective of moving towards more industrial, sustainable, and always more optimal logistics for our customers,” supports Jean-Francois Stoqui, Director of Industrial Strategy at La GFF.

In the future, the distributor of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment is considering continuing the automation of its logistics processes in other activities, alongside SAVOYE.