Month: March 2020

Austrian systems integrator TGW has opened a state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Lodz, Poland for online fashion retailer Zalando. Three 130,000 m² facilities with highly automated warehouse and logistics space equate to 54 football fields.

It is the third greenfield facility in a row with highly automated conveying and sorting technology TGW has opened for Zalando. In another project for Europe´s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle in Northern Italy, acceptance is planned for mid-2020.

“TGW´s intralogistics expertise in the fashion sector and our high-performance, future-oriented e-commerce solutions have won Zalando over,” emphasizes Johann Steinkellner, CEO Central Europe at TGW. “We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to expand the existing partnership by handing over of the fulfillment center in Lodz.”

The Lodz distribution centre fulfills e-commerce orders. Logistics processes are supported by 13 kilometres of energy-efficient and low-maintenance KingDrive® conveyor systems and the high-performance shuttle system. Furthermore, four large item sorters (each 80 meters long with 160 destinations) and a 240-meter long outbound sorter with 66 destinations are available. The TGW Commander control system monitors all processes and visualizes the current state of the system.

 

Supply chain solutions specialist, Oakland International, has completed a key investment in a unique warehouse racking safety system which removes the risk of racking collapse across its UK and Ireland business operations.

Oakland International General Manager, Jamie Robinson, commented: “We wanted a solution which would provide the safest possible working environment for our team members and also protect the business from the potential risks associated with a full-scale rack collapse.”

Rack Collapse Prevention’s (RCP) Rhino racking safety system protects the complete rack following leg impact damage and stops any potential domino effect happening within a storage facility. RCP utilises a unique patented safety system which is suspended from a building’s steel structure, which is then attached to each individual racking support leg. In the case of a building’s structure not being suitable, then a secondary steel structure is installed which then supports the suspension system.

Taking the decision to install RCP’s racking safety system throughout their Redditch, Corby and Dublin operations, the business is more than satisfied with the results.

Installing RCP ranged from one week to three weeks depending on the size of the building, with Oakland’s storage facilities reaching heights of twelve to seventeen meters and racking run lengths anywhere from sixty meters and covering a total of seventy runs across all three sites.

RCP’s Managing Director, Craig Attwell, commented: “Oakland International understood the potential risks posed from racking collapse, to its staff and to its business security. Despite every effort and systems put in place, accidents will and do happen.

“Safety should always be paramount and any and all measures that reduce the potential risks associated with warehouse racking should be taken but regrettably many precautions against rack collapse appear to be led by cost rather than by good practice. RCP has valued partnering with Oakland International on this project.”

Oakland International is a BRC AA accredited business, a double Queen’s Award for Enterprise recipient for International Trade and Sustainable Development and is a specialist contract packing, storage, picking, food distribution and brand development support provider for ambient, chilled and frozen food to the retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK, Ireland and via their partner in Spain.

Supply chain solutions specialist, Oakland International, has completed a key investment in a unique warehouse racking safety system which removes the risk of racking collapse across its UK and Ireland business operations.

Oakland International General Manager, Jamie Robinson, commented: “We wanted a solution which would provide the safest possible working environment for our team members and also protect the business from the potential risks associated with a full-scale rack collapse.”

Rack Collapse Prevention’s (RCP) Rhino racking safety system protects the complete rack following leg impact damage and stops any potential domino effect happening within a storage facility. RCP utilises a unique patented safety system which is suspended from a building’s steel structure, which is then attached to each individual racking support leg. In the case of a building’s structure not being suitable, then a secondary steel structure is installed which then supports the suspension system.

Taking the decision to install RCP’s racking safety system throughout their Redditch, Corby and Dublin operations, the business is more than satisfied with the results.

Installing RCP ranged from one week to three weeks depending on the size of the building, with Oakland’s storage facilities reaching heights of twelve to seventeen meters and racking run lengths anywhere from sixty meters and covering a total of seventy runs across all three sites.

RCP’s Managing Director, Craig Attwell, commented: “Oakland International understood the potential risks posed from racking collapse, to its staff and to its business security. Despite every effort and systems put in place, accidents will and do happen.

“Safety should always be paramount and any and all measures that reduce the potential risks associated with warehouse racking should be taken but regrettably many precautions against rack collapse appear to be led by cost rather than by good practice. RCP has valued partnering with Oakland International on this project.”

Oakland International is a BRC AA accredited business, a double Queen’s Award for Enterprise recipient for International Trade and Sustainable Development and is a specialist contract packing, storage, picking, food distribution and brand development support provider for ambient, chilled and frozen food to the retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK, Ireland and via their partner in Spain.

Stöcklin Logistik AG has developed what it claims is the world’s first lithium-ion battery for use in explosion-protected areas. Now warehouse trucks for zones 1 (2G) and 21 (2D) can be equipped with these LiTex while they can be charged in Ex Zone 1/21 without danger.

Lithium-ion batteries have long been considered dangerous and liable to trigger fires, which has thus far made their use in explosion-protected areas unthinkable, despite their considerable advantages over conventional batteries. In the development of the LiTex battery, safety was therefore paramount.

“Safety is the overriding directive,” stresses Jörg Backhaus, ATEX representative at Stöcklin Logistik AG and developer of the explosion-protected battery. “From the selection of the battery cells (LiFePO4) and their arrangement to the active balancing and the high level of thermal safety, numerous factors were taken into account in order to guarantee flawless functionality.”

Following the type approval test in December 2019, authorization is now in place for the patented battery, which is guaranteed for problem-free use in gas (zone 1) and dusty atmospheres (zone 21). Thanks to both the flameproof battery housing and the pressurized enclosure in which the charger is housed, the battery can be charged in hazardous areas, which optimizes the use of vehicles powered by the LiTex battery.

Stöcklin Logistik AG has already spent seven years working on the development of lithium-ion batteries, which are in ever greater demand given the technology’s success. Since 2017, every fifth vehicle has left the Stöcklin Logistik AG plant equipped with a lithium battery. A stable trend is also emerging for the still young 2020. Other areas in which the battery may be used are primarily mining, cleanroom technology and offshore platforms, where the lithium-ion battery eliminates the problem of the inevitable “decompression” for battery changes and the risks of lead-acid batteries “degassing”.

Vehicle refrigeration specialist Thermo King says that its new, fully electric E-200 multi temperature refrigeration units are now available to meet customer needs and deliver hold-over capacity on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans.

This makes the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with the E-200 unit an all-in-one transport refrigeration solution that allows customers to maintain up to two cooling zones in the vehicle and keep the refrigeration unit running without any emissions while the driver stops for delivery, break or needs to turn off the vehicle for longer.

“For us, as an innovator, the ultimate goal is to provide our customers with breakthrough, sustainable and business-sound solutions that future-proof their everyday operations,” said Eneko Fernandez, product management leader at Thermo King. “We take pride in our reputation for collaborating with industry leaders to bring in new technologies. Receiving the Letter of Non-Objection from Mercedes-Benz AG proves strong collaboration between our companies and enables our customers to benefit from the best combination of distribution and refrigeration technologies.”

The E-200 represents the next generation of fully electric, zero-emissions refrigeration units and is the latest addition to Thermo King’s growing portfolio of non-diesel solutions. Unlike typical direct drive solutions designed for diesel combustion engines, E-200 delivers constant capacity independently from the vehicles’ engines and associated moving parts, and can work with both electric and engine-powered vehicles.

With no road compressor or drive kit, the E-200 is a plug and play solution and features patented power management, which contributes to lower energy consumption, increased vehicle autonomy and higher efficiency and reliability. The unit is also compatible with vehicle’s start-stop features contributing to additional fuel savings.

The hold-over capacity is secured thanks to the vehicle’s auxiliary battery, which can power the unit during stops for deliveries or breaks. This gives the driver the peace of mind and flexibility to stop at any time without the need to keep the vehicle running on idle to keep the transported goods cooled.

Being fully-electric, the E-200 allows the vehicles to comply with PIEK standards and Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs) for sound levels in urban environments, and enables them to enter low emission zones, and run quiet to complete nighttime deliveries.