Until 2005, Agropur was renting
warehouse space for storing
cheese products from third-party
suppliers in Laval, according to
Michael Simoneau, Vice-President of
Supply Chain for Agropur. “We decided
that with our growth, we needed to centralize
operations.”
The result was a new 120,000 sq. ft.
warehouse facility on Montreal’s South
Shore, complete with 40-foot-high, double
deep racking. The refrigerated warehouse is
now the central supply for Agropur’s Fine
Cheese and Cheese & Functional Products
divisions, which operate as separate entities
within the same building.
The Cheese & Functional Products division
occupies a majority of the space
(80,000 sq. ft.) and is mainly responsible
for the receiving, storing and distribution
of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. These
two types of cheeses, in fact, account for
75% of Canadian cheese consumption. The
new site is the focal point for receiving
product from producers in Bon-Conseil and
Granby, Quebec, as well as to and from
processors in Beauceville, Quebec, and
Woodstock, Ontario.
Up to 40 truckloads of product leave
the distribution facility each week, destined
for grocery chain distribution centres
across Canada and the U.S. (Agropur also
ships to customers in the UK.)
When dealing with a perishable product
that in some cases requires long-term storage,
Simoneau says that moving to a centralized
model was integral to maintaining
quality control. “Some cheeses need to age
for five years, so we felt it would make better
sense to manage that internally – especially
since that part of the business is not
very labour-intensive. In having it under
one roof, we can also ensure that the right
temperature controls and handling procedures
are followed at all times.”
Temperature control in the cheese
industry is critical at all stages, including
the loading and unloading of products to and from the trucks entering and leaving
the facility. On summer days especially, it
is important that the cheese is not exposed
to heat, insects or other vermin in the storage
and transfer processes.
To ensure product integrity from door
to door, the warehouse has created specially
designed drive-in bays that allow the
truck’s trailer doors to be opened from
inside the facility for loading and unloading.
This allows Agropur to maintain the
cold chain and eliminate exposure of product
to the outside temperatures.
“Maintaining the cold chain is one of
the major factors in our industry,” says
Simoneau. “This was an important consideration
when designing our docks. If we
couldn’t open the doors inside the warehouse,
the first two or three pallets off a
truck would get hit by heat.”
A key part of the new docking system
design was the implementation of vertical
hydraulic dock levellers from Canado/
Nacan in Montreal. Unlike traditional levellers
that have external parts, these can be
engaged internally and then raised for storage
when not in use. Agropur has 16 levellers
at the site.
According to Daniel Rolo, Logistics
Manager, the levellers are key to keeping
the cold chain intact. “We don’t have problems
with sealing of door cracks, or the
threat of insect or pest infestations that
you would have with a traditional leveller.
And you don’t lose any of your cold air
from exposure to warm weather. This type
of quality control is particularly important
in this new age of legislation. Now we can
control everything about the product from
A to Z.”
With the levellers and internal bays,
drivers no longer have to open their doors
a few metres away from the dock. Normally
a driver stops, gets out, opens the trailer
doors and then backs up. “That can take 15
minutes or more,” says Rolo. “All that time
we would be exposing a product that is
sensitive to warm air. Now the van doors
stay closed until they are in the warehouse
and the entrance is sealed.”
Safety is, of course, paramount on the
loading dock and throughout the facility. To
ensure that trucks are safely secured during
loading and unloading, Agropur has opted to
include special restraints from Canado/
Nacan that can be activated to hook onto the
ICC bar of the truck when it is parked in the
loading dock. This keeps the van from shifting
while the dock workers are entering and exiting. |
“One of the biggest places for accidents in a warehouse is when a worker is on a lift and the van creeps forward or back,” says Rolo.
Lights on the leveller also indicate whether the van is locked. A green light on the inside of the warehouse lets workers know it is okay to load, while a red indicates that the van is not secured. On the outside the opposite holds true. A red light
notifies the driver that the truck is secure,
while a green light gives them the goahead
to drive away.
Since the levellers can be stored vertically,
Rolo says cleanup is much easier in
the dock area. Maintenance is also simplified,
since technicians can easily work on
the devices inside the warehouse rather
than having to crawl underneath them.
The plates are also programmed to stop if
there is a power outage, and will not
engage if a door is open.
With the luxury of having a brand-new
facility to work with (the facility will be
celebrating its first anniversary in May
2008), Simoneau says the company has
been able to implement a whole range of
the latest technologies and security measures
beyond the loading area itself.
Electronic controls and computerized
alarm systems monitor temperatures,
detect ammonia leaks, and track facility
entries and exits. “Access to the site is
very, very secure,” says Simoneau.
New lift trucks have cameras to help
drivers position the forks while moving
and are all speed controlled and G-force
rated for added protection. Wiring meshing
in all tunnels eliminates the risk of
injury from cases falling and a special
colour coding system in the tunnel zones
provides faster access for workers and
emergency crews.
Agropur also brought in consultants to
draw up emergency planning procedures
and train all warehouse employees.
Specific training was also needed for staff
working with the new docking technology.
Simoneau adds that moving the warehouse
from Laval to a centralized location
on the South Shore has also helped reduce
traffic requirements considerably. “With
not having to cross to Laval for every trip,
we’ve managed to eliminate a lot of travel
time and mileage. “We’re very proud of
what we’ve done here.
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