Day: 14 May 2019

Temperature control specialist Thermo King has launched the TK BlueBox connectivity technology to its T-Series range of self-powered transport refrigeration units.

Part of the Thermo King TracKing telematics offering, the TK BlueBox communication device can be accessed through the TracKing web portal, or through the TK Reefer and TK Notify mobile apps on a smartphone or Bluetooth-enabled device. This allows fleet managers and drivers to remotely access vital unit data and get real-time notifications to ensure that the load is protected at all times and the unit is running at its most efficient. Drivers can monitor cargo temperatures and the reefer even when they are away from the vehicle during deliveries or on a break.

TK BlueBox communication device and Bluetooth connectivity provides full, 24/7 visibility of the unit and load condition.

DHL Parcel is investing £6.7m in an upgrade to its fleet of trucks and trailers. The investment includes 45 Volvo Tractor Units, 24 Volvo Rigid trucks and 29 Don-Bur double deck trailers.

The double deck trailers from manufacturer, Don-Bur, offer twice the capacity of traditional trailers, enabling more parcels to be transported without having additional vehicles on the road.

In addition to greater cubic capacity, the Don-Bur Lifting Decks are also fitted with “EcoStream” aerodynamic front curved roof sections which have been reported to save up to 16% in fuel compared to standard flat roofs.

The new vehicles from Volvo come fitted with the latest safety technology including auto braking, Lane Keeping Support, Lane Changing Support and driver Alert Support, which tracks driver behaviour to identify indicators of tiredness and warns the driver to take a break.

Volvo’s rigid chassis, which will largely operate in urban areas, were selected for their additional lower passenger door glazing panels and a second side window behind the passenger door, which gives better visibility of pedestrians and cyclists.

Scott Laird, Vice President of Operations, DHL Parcel, says: “The investment in our fleet is part of the infrastructure upgrade the business requires to support growth. However this is also an opportunity to ensure drivers are equipped with the latest technology to ensure their safety and that of the public.”

CS Parts Logistics GmbH, a joint venture of CLAAS Service and Parts GmbH with STUTE Logistics GmbH, has signed a long-term service contract with Aberle GmbH, Leingarten, covering extensive services for mechanical and electric facility maintenance as well as a Service-Hotline for the CLAAS Parts Logistics Centre at Hamm-Uentrop.

The Hamm-Uentrop site covers spare parts logistics for CLAAS Group worldwide. The 13-aisle mini-load, supported by Aberle Service, stocks roughly half of the spare parts assortment of CLAAS in approximately 200,000 bin storing positions. Two connected high performance accumulation buffers, commissioners, as well as seven picking stations, supplied via picking loop and complex conveyors, form the core of the system enabling rapid order production in the DC. The mini-load part of the system, alone, generates a daily volume of shipments with approximately 10,000 order positions.

Aberle’s S24 Live Cycle Service will look after facility service and support. The contract covers the entire scope of maintenance planning and servicing as well as performing and reporting of all required safety-checks of the conveyor system and facility equipment currently installed for automated storing and order processing. Aberle also provides regular on-site workshops at Hamm-Uentrop on facility and system maintenance topics.

Manufacturer and integrator of turnkey robotic handling solutions, Cimcorp, has received its largest ever order in the intralogistics market from Mercadona, one of Spain’s leading grocery retailers. Under the deal, worth over €120 million, Cimcorp will automate the distribution of fresh food at Mercadona’s new DCs located in Huévar (Seville), Sagunto (Valencia), San Isidro (Alicante) and Zaragoza.

The four DCs will serve over 600 of the retailer’s 1630 supermarkets, so Cimcorp’s automated systems will ensure that fresh foods are available to some 2 million of the 5 million+ households that shop at Mercadona. “The main objective of these four centres,” explained Javier Blasco, Warehouse Purchasing Coordinator for Mercadona, “will be to meet the demands of our stores, secure growth in perishable product sales and eliminate the over-exertion that results from the manual handling of orders.”

Cimcorp previously supplied automation to Mercadona back in 2013, when it implemented a fully automated order picking system for fresh produce at the retailer’s DC in Guadix, near Granada. However the new order will be the first time that Cimcorp has acted as system integrator. Commented Javier Blasco, “Our previous experience with Cimcorp was positive, and the company’s professionalism – along with the support of a strong parent company like Murata Machinery – has led us to put our trust in Cimcorp as a partner for a project of this scale.”

Kai Tuomisaari, Cimcorp’s Vice President, Sales, said: “We provide reliable intralogistics solutions for rapid order fulfillment, and thereby optimize product shelf life. This means that customers get their fruit, vegetables and other fresh products faster, ensuring they stay fresh for longer in the home. We are delighted to be working with Mercadona again,” he continued. “There is an excellent spirit of partnership, open communication and mutual trust between our two companies.”

All four of the new logistics facilities will have two climate zones for fresh food: +3°C for packed meat products and +12°C for fruit and vegetables. “This order will cover several independent automation modules within each DC,” added Kai Tuomisaari, “and all the automation will be controlled by Cimcorp software, which integrates various technologies into a seamless system. If one module is out of operation for a while – such as when cleaning is performed – the others continue in operation to take care of the material flow.”

Started in 2002, Highlander International Recycling is a highly successful paper recycling and shredding business based in the town of East Kilbride, Scotland.

By far the most significant part of Highlander’s business involves processing waste paper on behalf of, and selling recycled material directly to, paper mills and packaging companies.

Highlander processes over 22 grades of waste paper and currently recycles some 1000 tonnes of fibre per week – although the weekly average is expected to hit 1200 tonnes in the near future.

To keep pace with this growth, newer and better ways of carrying out operations and increasing capacity are constantly sought. The company’s founder, Brian Bingham, says: “The efficiency of the materials handling equipment that we use across our East Kilbride facility plays an essential role in helping Highlander reach current and future throughput targets.”

A fleet of eight JCB Teletruks is in operation at the site. The Teletruks – all diesel-powered and predominantly 3.5 tonne capacity models – are used to unload incoming curtainsiders and other vehicles and deliver raw materials directly to six dedicated waste paper processing units.
The same machines are used to collect 700kg blocks finished goods from Highlander’s storage facility and deliver them to vehicles for onward shipment to mills and packaging manufacturers.

The layout of Highlander’s East Kilbride site means that yard space is at a premium: incoming lorries have no room to turn at the facility and once unloaded they have no choice but to reverse out the way they came.

The site’s squeezed dimensions means that there is not sufficient room to allow curtainsided trailers to be unloaded from both sides by conventional counterbalanced forklifts trucks. However, using Teletruk technology, Highlander is able to load and unload up to four vehicles every hour.

Unlike a conventional forklift, which features a front-mounted vertical mast, JCB’s Teletruk has a side-mounted telescopic boom that can extend forwards and upwards, enabling curtainsiders to be loaded and unloaded quickly and efficiently from a single side of the vehicle.

To allow paper reels as well as palletised loads and blocks to be handled, Highlander’s Teletruks are supplied with various attachments – including clamps, rotatable grips and forks of different lengths – all of which can be safely interchanged in a matter of moments.

Paul Murray, JCB’s Teletruk General Manager, said: “The Teletruk is perfect for Highlander. Its high capacity at reach allows single side loading or unloading of curtainsided trailers or flat-bed trucks – functionality that, effectively, means that less trucks are required, the yard space required to carry out the loading/unloading task is halved and the time taken to perform the process is reduced.”