alia Elektrn will build a new modern Rimi logistics center

Our main strategic direction is to grow and expand geographically. It is very important to ensure the necessary infrastructure for successful development, and now we already have more, it is becoming more and more difficult to achieve the level of efficiency we are trying to achieve. A new logistics center, equipped with the most advanced technologies, will help us not only to deliver large quantities of goods to the stores, but also to organize the supply chain much more efficiently and with higher quality, and the saved money will be passed on to the buyers in one form or another, says Vaidas Lukoeviius, CEO of Rimi Lietuva.

New performance quality

The location for the logistics center, to which all Rimi stores would be served the fastest, covering the least number of kilometers and saving costs, was chosen with the help of artificial intelligence programs and digital modeling. It turned out that we have and are planning a Rimi store in the network emlap that best responds to Elektrna, conveniently located on the VilniusKaunas highway.

According to V. Lukoeviius, other expansion options were also considered: increasing the area of ​​the current central warehouse near Vievis or relying on the supply to the Rimi Baltic warehouse in Riga. However, it is decided that a modern logistics center, where both Rimi production and product storage and distribution will be concentrated, best meets the needs of network development.

More than 40,000 sq. m. In the center of the area, zones of all categories and temperature regimes will be prepared: groceries, fruits and vegetables, non-food products, food products and ice cream, the quantities of which have been increasing recently. In part of the premises, there will be an office for warehouse employees and visitors. Esmin’s innovative logistics center will also host an extremely advanced, automated Rimi central production site, for which even 75,000 square meters are planned. m. One of the largest chain kitchens in the Baltic states will not be inferior to the most advanced food production companies in its modernity and will allow Rimi’s customers to enjoy an even wider and innovative range of food products.

When planning the logistics center, we think about long-term and future needs. In order to maintain and increase efficiency, it is necessary to adapt to the changing circumstances and anticipate several steps ahead. So it won’t just be a bigger warehouse in a new location, we pay a lot of attention to more efficient processes, more advanced technologies and a new level of quality. The biggest improvement in the efficiency of processes, where a new logistics center is brought, is the consolidation of several areas, which are currently divided into separate objects. In the new logistics center, not only warehouses and all the necessary infrastructure for the reception and distribution of goods will be located, but also the entire production of Rimi will be concentrated, which is a solid part of the company’s operations. We will also move the store to the new center, which is currently stored in separate warehouses. If all of this is concentrated in one place, there will be operational synergy and significant savings in logistics, says Vilmantas Dargis, head of Rimi Lietuva’s supply department.

Technologies for efficiency and sustainability

The most modern technologies will be installed to ensure maximum efficiency. An automated product assembly line is already installed in the logistics center, the purpose of which is to increase the efficiency of product preparation for shopping centers. Generally speaking, it will no longer be necessary for the pickers to move around the warehouse when picking up the goods, and the goods will be brought to the employees on an automated line, who will only have to put them in the containers for the shopping centers.

The i line will allow employees to work more safely and easily, as the path of moving around the warehouse will be significantly shortened and there will be much less physical effort when moving goods. In addition, the amount reduces the probability of confusion or damage, so work productivity will increase, comments V. Dargis.

We are also thinking about other automation solutions, for example, automatic loaders, transported goods, or trade container packing lines, which facilitate work that requires a lot of physical strength and time. The company is currently analyzing various improvements, monitoring technological innovations and assessing which ones best meet essential needs. Some solutions will be implemented immediately, others will appear over time. According to V. Dargis, who has worked in the company for ten years, development at Rimi is a continuous process: there is not a single year when a new process or technological improvement is not implemented.

He emphasized that the new solutions will help to solve the other pressing issue of the ever-increasing and expensive labor force. The new logistics center will allow to almost double both logistics and production capacities while maintaining the same number of employees.

Technologies will also be used in order to verify the highest criteria for the sustainability of the new building. The center is planned to be equipped with modern heating, cooling and ventilation solutions, for example, the energy released by the aluminum production system will be used to fill the building. It is planned to build a solar power plant on the roof, which will produce electricity not only for the logistics center, but also for several more Rimi stores.

Sustainability issues are very important to Rimi, we develop our activities taking into account the United Nations sustainable development agenda and its goals. We want the new logistics center to be maximally energy efficient and meet the highest sustainability standards, so it will be certified according to the advanced BREEAM system. The most modern technological solutions implemented in it will contribute to environmental conservation, V. Lukoeviius says.

modern workplace

The logistics center will have about 70 unloading ramps, 50 places for heavy transport and 200 places for light car parking for employees and guests. The project is implemented by the company in cooperation with the project developer Darnu Group, which won the competition. Construction works are planned to start in the middle of next year and be completed in 2025. Investments by Rimi Lithuania alone built-to-suit type project in Elektrnai will amount to more than 20 million euro

We are happy that when we come to the smaller regions, we have new employment alternatives for the local community. we create jobs very responsibly, we ensure not only basic security requirements, but also welfare requirements. In the modern logistics center, we will create and maintain a comfortable working environment with rest areas, a spacious terrace, artificial ventilation and lighting systems, assures the manager of Rimi.