Snackbrands

View the details behind our VLM Case Study

Snackbrands are makers of Australia’s favourite snacks including CC’s, Cheezels, Chickadees, French Fries, Jumpy’s, Kettle, Natural Chip Company, Samboy and Thins Chips

Project Background

Snackbrands, a major player in food production, embarked on an ambitious consolidation project—merging multiple warehouse sites into a single “mega-hub” in Western Sydney. This centralized facility would serve as the backbone of their national operations, demanding exceptional efficiency and control. A critical component of this transformation involved managing maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) spares for large-scale production lines. With thousands of essential parts requiring rapid access to minimize downtime, an automated storage solution became fundamental to the mega-hub’s success.

Project Details

Constraints

The project carried significant operational constraints with zero margin for error. Critical MRO spares needed to be accessible around the clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week—to prevent costly production line downtime that could ripple across the entire food manufacturing operation. Adding complexity, the sheer volume of different SKUs demanded a high-density storage solution capable of housing thousands of parts within a manageable footprint. Smart inventory tracking was essential to maintain visibility, prevent stock-outs, and enable rapid retrieval at any hour.

Implementation

The implementation delivered a purpose-built solution tailored to the demands of engineering and maintenance teams. Two Vertical Lift Modules were installed, creating a dedicated high-density storage hub exclusively for MRO spares. To maximize responsiveness during critical moments, seamless software integration was incorporated throughout the system. This provided maintenance personnel with instant “find-and-pick” capabilities—allowing technicians to locate and retrieve urgent repair components in seconds rather than minutes. The result: faster response times, reduced production interruptions, and a maintenance team empowered to keep operations running.