Alfamidi, one of Indonesia’s largest food retailers, is growing by leaps and bounds. Supporting the company’s steady growth with a highly efficient and flexible material-flow system is PT. Interroller Packaging Solusindo (IPS), a Rolling On Interroll Approved Partner.
In just 14 years PT Midi Utama Tbk, popularly known as Alfamidi, has grown from one convenience store in central Jakarta to a network of more than 1,820 stores today. With bold plans for future growth, the food retailer offers customers a supermarket shopping experience in a sales area ranging from 200 to 500 square meters (2,153 to 5,382 square feet).
Alfamidi stores differ from rivals first and foremost in their offering of fresh food, processed meats and frozen foods. But to further differentiate themselves, they have added in recent years ready-to-eat food and beverages as well as a variety of Japanese specialties and other foods like bento, fried, rice, pasta, coffee and ice cream. In May 2021 the company announced plans to open 200 new stores across Indonesia.
Keeping its growing network of stores supplied with goods requires robust, efficient and flexible material-flow processes. In 2020 Alfamidi sought an energy-efficient, easy-to-maintain conveyor system for its distribution center in Tangerang Regency on the island of Java. The company had a formidable list of requirements for the new system that would be positioned at the very heart of its logistics processes, including picking, packing and truck delivery. For expert help, Alfamidi turned to PT. Interroller Packaging Solusindo (IPS) in Bekasi, Indonesia, a Rolling On Interroll Approved Partner.
Today, Alfamidi has a secure, headache-free material-flow solution that not only meets all its requirements but offers additional benefits as well. Noise emissions, for example, are significantly lower than those of its previous conveying systems. The solution is clean and easy to maintain, and system uptime has improved due to minimal interruptions during operation.
Alfamidi is equipped to grow and meet customer demands for top-quality service thanks to the solution’s overall design, simulation and high-quality components – and to the seamless execution by the expert local IPS team and a three-year service warranty. Alfamidi is well prepared to continue with its ambitious growth plans as part of its vision of being a retail network that integrates with the community, meets customer expectations and needs, and provides best-quality service.
At the same time, the successful implementation of the solution — now over a year in use — proves that IPS is realizing its vision of being a highly trusted and reliable company in providing solutions of automation, packaging machinery and conveyor systems in Indonesia.
IPS was founded in 2019 by two engineers with more than 17 years of experience in the conveying and packaging equipment as well as process automation industries. The company was asked by the customer to supply a material-flow solution that would not only keep the number of barcoded plastic totes below 3 percent but also deliver at least 30 percent more energy efficiency than existing systems. The ROI partner implemented Interroll’s smart, economical and flexible Modular Conveyor Platform (MCP), including roller and belt modules as well as the RM 8712 Interroll High Performance Divert (HPD).
The MCP roller module allowed IPS to easily develop a zero- pressure-accumulation (ZPA) concept and, by using a single- release mode, to minimize energy consumption at the same time. The roller conveyor automatically starts and stops depending on whether a product is available to be conveyed, thus consuming less energy. The HPD was installed to ensure perfect synchronization with the MCP, barcode reader and programmable logic controller (PLC).
The PLC programming approach also makes for more effective reading of each tote’s barcode – a key benefit when totes are running at conveyor speeds of 90 meters per minute. Additional components included spirals and a special belt to ensure smooth system operation and easy long-term maintenance and a user-friendly human-machine interface (HMI) display concept.
The company, based in Bekasi, Indonesia, is a Rolling On Interroll Approved Partner that offers certified know-how in Interroll MCP modules such as diverts and transfers for light goods. With dedicated mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as support by software simulation (visual components), IPS is an experienced partner for all automation requirements, especially in conveyor systems and end-of-line equipment.
Interroll conveyor modules offer enormous versatility with straight lines, curves, merges and transfers. A wide range of modules, consisting of roller conveyors, belt conveyors, lifters, High Performance Diverts and spiral lifts, covers all material flow requirements. With the modular conveyor platform MCP, whose modules are matched to each other and can be combined with each other, all common materials can be reliably transported.
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