RAJA offers the largest packaging assortment in the Benelux, as well as a complete range of warehouse equipment, office supplies and furniture, personal protection, hygiene and maintenance products. RAJA Benelux is part of the larger Raja group, European leader in the distribution of office supplies and equipment for professionals.
At the moment RAJA has 50,000m² of storage space including 53,000 pallet slots.
Towards the end of 2022, an additional 20,000m² will be added.
This will allow them to better support their customers such as H&M, Balmain, Pfizer, Duvel, Bpost, … and their growth (over 10% per year).
Fact: On Tuesday 07/12/22, RAJA set a new record of 3000 shipments per day!
The mezzanine required an efficient solution
When RAJA put their newest DC into operation they stumbled upon a poisoned gift: the mezzanine. There was enough space to work with block stacking, but they had to find a way to get their pallets up in an efficient and fast way. The operators had to be able to work together without disturbing each other during the entire process.
To find the right solution, they counted on the help of Westover bv, an industrial automation company from the Netherlands. Westover was quick to respond and wanted to offer the most efficient solution that would not take up too much space either.
From RAJA to Westover and so to Easy Systems
The decision on how they were going to solve the problem was made. A pallet buffer conveyor would be used on the mezzanine. For these solutions, Westover had to find a partner who could think along about the whole process and on top of that could offer conveyors that could handle RAJA’s uncommon sizes. In packaging, there are quickly large sizes, especially in cardboard. It was therefore important that pallets with dimensions up to 1400x1400mm could be handled.
Easy Systems was the party who thought along and could deliver these conveyors. Every Conveyor project is different, because we always have to deal with different products. The sizes of their packages were therefore no problem and so Easy Systems went to work for Westover and RAJA.
A pallet buffer conveyor was the right solution
Westover and Easy Systems went to work together for RAJA and installed a pallet buffer conveyor where 2 turntables are integrated. By means of a green or red light, the operator can see on the ground floor where he can or cannot drop off or pick pallets. This guarantees that all operators can work continuously without disturbing each other. The rotary tables ensure that the pallets rotate correctly for scanning and are correctly positioned for re-picking.
The system consists of a short and a longer lane, each leading to a rotary table. Both lanes serve for both the supply and removal of pallets, depending on the needs of the day they can easily be switched.
An efficient solution and a great view of the future
Our installation was not only efficient, we also thought about the future. Due to their strong growth, there is a chance that expansion is needed and our system offers the possibility of this.
In terms of cooperation, we also like to look to the future. RAJA had already called on Westover in the past, the cooperation was already good and this installation has confirmed that. They thought along with the customer’s question and what was needed now to help RAJA. The collaboration between Westover and Easy Systems ran smoothly. “The added value of Easy Systems is that they think along with projects, they don’t think of purely selling products, but finding a solution” confirmed Roy Ziermans, Sales Manager at Westover.
Thanks to Westover and RAJA for their trust, we look forward to the future!