Global spirits company Amber Beverage Group (ABG) has signed an agreement with Jungheinrich to purchase EUR15.5 million (USD18.5 million) worth of equipment needed to build a new automated high-bay warehouse in the Latvian capital, Riga.

Artist's impression of the new ABG facility

"It is very important for us to ensure efficient cargo and pallet management for our partners in over 185 countries and to maintain the development speed of investment projects characteristic of our company," says Jekaterina Stuge, CEO of Amber Beverage Group. "The biggest part of our investment will be in high-tech equipment for our new warehousing, once again confirming Amber Beverage Group's ambitious plans to become one of the 10 most influential and modern spirits industry players globally."

Maris Supe, sales manager at Jungheinrich Lift Truck in the Baltics, says: "Due to its size, complexity and level of automation, this project is significant on a Baltic level and also throughout Europe. We will install modern pallet and small goods stacking cranes, pallet and small goods conveyors, Pick-By-Light and Put-By-Light automatic picking systems and fully automated loaders, and will connect them with a powerful warehouse management system."

In the first stage of construction, more than 24,000 sqm will be converted into automated warehouse order storage, assembly and issuance areas, as well as the administrative area.

The high-bay area of the automated warehouse does not require the presence of employees and all processes will be automated. The total height of the warehouse will reach 24 m, with pallets placed on top of each other on shelves over nine floors.

The company's current warehouse capacity is 25,000 pallet sites, while the new warehouse will be able to store 35,000 pallets at a time, expanding the warehouse capacity to 45,000 pallet sites, if necessary.

With the establishment of the new warehouse, the three existing Amber Beverage Group warehouses will be merged and the planned flow of the new warehouse will reach 360,000 processed pallets or approximately 33,000 TEUs per year.

Amber Beverage Group is a leading beverage producer, distributor, logistics provider and retailer, with over 600 brands from premium vodka and sparkling wines to specialty Mexican tequilas.