A. Kempf Getränkegrosshandel, a wholesale distributor of beer, wine, bottled water, soft drinks and other beverages, has implemented a radio frequency identification system at its warehouse in Balingen, Germany. The technology is being used to identify pallets loaded with customer-ordered goods as they are delivered to conveyors controlled by an automated warehouse system. The RFID solution was built into the company's automation technology in November 2013, according to Dominik Kampf, head of contracting customer service and support at SSI Schäfer, the firm that provided A. Kempf's automation system and installed the RFID technology. The solution was taken live last December.

A. Kempf operates two distribution centers, one in Balingen and another in Offenburg. At the Balingen site, the company ships beverage products to 125 of its 600 customers daily. Each afternoon, the trucks are loaded for the next day's delivery, and afternoons and evening are thus a busy time at the warehouse. During peak season, 174,000 or more crates and boxes of beverages leave the Balingen warehouse each day. Between 3 PM and 8 PM, the company's peak shipping time, employees load up to 60 trucks at five shipping docks.