Day: 5 May 2020

HAVI Logistics is switching all its Austrian locations over to Fronius charging technology.

From burgers to brooms, HAVI Logistics stores and delivers practically every day-to-day item its customers could need. The company is one of the biggest logistics service providers for the food and drinks industry in Europe, specialising in fresh food and cold-chain logistics and has three sites in Austria alone. From here, HAVI supplies household-name companies throughout the country – including McDonald’s, Nordsee, Vapiano and BackWerk. The logistics specialist has now switched to reliable Fronius charging technology for its internal goods handling.

HAVI is experiencing significant growth. The distributor, which already has locations in the Lower Austrian town of Korneuburg and Vomp in Tyrol, opened another warehouse in Großebersdorf, Vienna in April 2019. Items are stored here in three temperature zones: dry, fresh and deep-freeze sections in a space totalling just 9,000 square meters. Alongside fresh, highly perishable foods, the logistics provider also supplies household-name restaurants such as McDonald’s, Vapiano, Nordsee and BackWerk with frozen products and non-food items. “From fresh fish and salad through to tomatoes and burger buns to frozen meat patties, plus food packaging, serviettes and hygiene and cleaning products,” explains Stefan Janoschek, Special Projects Manager DACH at HAVI. The company also develops highly innovative and sustainable packaging solutions and helps its customers optimise their supply chains. HAVI draws upon big data analysis to forecast sales volumes in real time and adjusts the stores’ delivery quantities – so that restaurants receive the right number of chilled and fresh goods on time.

McDonald’s is HAVI Logistics’ biggest customer by far. In Austria alone, the logistics specialist currently delivers to over 195 of the world-famous chain’s restaurants – up to three times a week. “You can imagine just how much planning this takes and the level of logistics required,” emphasises Christoph Riedel, who is responsible for Facility Management at HAVI in Korneuburg. “Provisioning operations need to run smoothly and, most importantly, there cannot be any interruption to the cold chain.” Quality and customer satisfaction are the company’s top priorities.

Demanding requirements on charging technology
When goods arrive at HAVI, they are checked and registered by employees and then temporarily stored and prepared for subsequent transport. HAVI uses electric forklift trucks for goods handling. The mixed fleet comes from a variety of manufacturers such as Linde and Jungheinrich and has steadily grown over the years. And the same is true of the batteries, which are made by manufacturers such as Banner and Hawker and in some cases are charged onboard or externally. HAVI used to use chargers with 50 Hz transformer technology at its warehouses in Korneuburg and Vomp. “The energy losses when using this technology were very high,” remembers Riedel. “And the bulky chargers took up valuable space.” Before the third site in Großebersdorf was complete, HAVI took the decision to replace the outdated charging infrastructure. “The requirements for the technology were very demanding. In addition to different manufacturers and performance requirements, several generations of batteries were also in use,” recalls Janoschek. “We wanted to ensure even utilisation of the battery pool and install reliable, efficient charging technology which is suitable for all of our batteries and helps us to achieve our sustainability goals,” adds Christoph Riedel.

The forklift trucks are also used in different temperature zones – another challenge that should not be overlooked. “The devices and back-up batteries have to work perfectly, even in our deep-freeze warehouses at temperatures of less than 20 degrees Celsius,” explains Riedel in regard to his expectations.

Taking it to the next level – the sustainable charging solution from Fronius
HAVI finally found a suitable partner for this project in battery-charging specialist Fronius. And the results speak for themselves: The charging process takes the temperature in the battery into account so the batteries last longer and do not need to be replaced as often. This has a significant cost advantage and is a step in the right direction when it comes to sustainability. Riedel is very impressed with the new charging technology: “We are able to save a considerable amount of energy during charging. The devices and also the batteries are reliable.” Energy consumption is not all about costs. Sustainability is part of both the lead logistics provider’s and its customers’ corporate strategy. The intelligent Ri charging process makes chargers from the Selectiva range ideal for gently and efficiently charging batteries of different ages and in different conditions. To show how efficient the system is Fronius has calculated the long-term potential savings, such as cost savings and electricity costs, which can be achieved with the new technology. CO2 savings and reductions in other areas relating to sustainability can also be demonstrated.

Everything from a single source
The charging experts also assisted HAVI with the planning, analysis and project design phases for all three locations and ensured that service and installation, including compliance with all relevant safety aspects, ran smoothly. On top of the increase in efficiency and reliability, HAVI is also pleased that this solution requires less space and is easy to use. “The compact design of the chargers means the layout of our charging station is much clearer than before.” Employees can replace batteries in just a few minutes, with the help of the Cool Battery Guide Easy information and management system. This shows HAVI employees which battery needs to be removed next. “This saves even more time,” adds Christoph Riedel.

Summary of the challenges faced:
– A range of forklift trucks with batteries from different manufacturers and with various power categories – the Ri charging process determines the condition of each battery based on the effective inner resistance (Ri) and adapts the charging characteristic accordingly.
– Three temperature zones – thanks to the “temperature-controlled charging” feature, the Selectiva chargers adapt the final charging voltage to the temperature inside the battery, improving performance and extending service life.
– Achieving HAVI Logistics’ high safety standards and sustainability goals

Moving forward with Fronius
The planners at the latest site in Großebersdorf have benefited from the positive experiences in Vomp and Korneuburg. “We made a conscious decision to bring in Fronius as our partner for charging solutions again,” affirms Stefan Janoschek. “We benefit from being able to work on an equal footing with a charging partner who produces the best solution, takes a holistic approach, identifies potential for improvement and impresses with excellent service and expert consultancy skills.”

“Fronius technology gives us the flexibility to charge our batteries and forklift trucks from various manufacturers with different voltages and capacities. In terms of what we needed, this solution goes above and beyond and, for us, represents the ultimate in added value.” summarises Janoschek. “We are so pleased with the charging technology and service we received from Fronius that we will go straight to them when we need to expand our system.” “Fronius shares our sustainability strategy which makes expansion possible at any point and so we can look to the future together,” believes Riedel.

With the new Memor™ 20, Datalogic is launching a PDA that it says empowers users in retail, field services, logistic environments, and healthcare, with a device that “combines the best features of a smartphone with the highest standards of enterprise level devices”.

The Memor™ 20 PDA offers a large 5.7’’ full HD touch screen and a dual IP65 & IP67 protection in a smartphone form factor design. It delivers everything workers need to ensure utmost efficiency whether inside a store, a warehouse, a hospital, or outside in the field. The embedded Datalogic 2D ultra-slim imager – with Datalogic patented “Green Spot” technology for good-read confirmation, speeds up any kind of barcode reading.

“We designed the Memor 20 for enterprises that have the most demanding mobile requirements, such as: transportation/logistics drivers out on the road who are required to log each package during long delivery days; retail distribution where employees who are up and down aisles and using forklifts; retail stores for assisted shopping, mobile POS, inventory management and price verification,” said Tom Burke, Vice President of Mobile Product Marketing at Datalogic.

The Memor™ 20, has been validated by Google as an “Android Enterprise Recommended” rugged device, and offers operators the familiar AndroidTM 9 user interface to simplify and expedite deployment. For improved productivity in hands-free environments and multitasking, the PDA is equipped with a secondary notification display on the top of the device. This allows users to immediately see a preview of incoming notifications, and immediately choose whether to interrupt or finish a current task before responding. Thanks to the front and rear hi-resolution auto-focus cameras, the Memor™ 20 enables versatile image and video capture for demanding multi-media applications.

To guarantee constant 24/7 operation and eliminate maintenance caused by dirty or defective contacts, the Memor™ 20 comes with wireless charging technology. This technology also ensures fast and easy charging and reduces downtime. Additionally, Datalogic is the only manufacturer to pair contactless charging with a one-piece battery that can be swapped by users in field.

To avoid unauthorized use, loss, or theft, securing the use of the devices while making each employee accountable, the accessories include a newly developed connected smart dock with a locking function. In addition to its robust design, for guaranteeing a superior and long-lasting performance, the user-friendly Memor™ 20 mobile computer comes with a powerful Qualcomm processor, a superior battery management, and ultimate connectivity capabilities.

All the Memor 20 models are disinfectant-ready, specifically designed to resist to the more aggressive chemicals and cleaners typically used for sanitization of devices by hospitals and healthcare providers, and which may be in use in other businesses encountering new sanitizing rules around the current covid-19 outbreak.

Learn more: https://www.datalogic.com/memor-20

CMC Srl, the Italian manufacturer of automated packaging solutions, has officially launched its CMC Genesys. The company says it is keeping pace with their innovation promise made in 2013 when it engineered the first 3D packaging concept that creates right sized packaging leading to reducing volumes, materials and shipping costs. Since then, their game-changing creativity has driven the way to a wider portfolio of packaging solutions that look beyond any e-fulfilment boundaries.

At this year CID20 on May 28, the company’s day devoted to innovation, CMC will officially unveil the new CMC Genesys, the only auto-packer that can be directly connected to a warehouse storage through the CMC Patented Vary-Tote system. This innovative concept allows you to feed and pack multi-line orders without the requirement to be strapped or wrapped together. CMC Genesys is the ultimate digital solution for packaging automation. By using lasers to cut and crease the exact box template, CMC Genesys creates a unique box structure that holds items in position removing the need for void fill.

The end customer experience is enhanced through the box’s “easy open” and “resealable strip”, allowing the same box can also be used for returns.

As any other CMC auto packing solutions, the machine dramatically saves labour costs and reduces freight/box volumes and cardboard consumption. Just in time consolidation in the Vary-Tote eliminates completely needless offline operations and allows you to keep pace with the machine speed thus improving productivity. This new fully automated technology eliminates any loading and human operations and improves the customer experience, delivering orders in fit to size, sustainable boxes.

“CMC Genesys is the result of a multiyear study aimed at improving the parcel fulfilment process. One of the major challenges was the ability to pack multi line orders without any offline pre-consolidation process.” said Francesco Ponti, CMC CEO “Not only have we optimised the process, but also improved the ROI with an unprecedented speed for complex, multi-line jobs as high as 900 boxes an hour”. “The word Genesys means beginning, creation and we have chosen this name for a machine that surely redefines 3D Packaging”.

To adapt to the current situation with travel restrictions and stringent physical distancing, CID20 will be a live streaming event this year “The organisation will be different, but the content and communication will be relevant, qualitative and innovative as always. The unveiling of the CMC Genesys will be complimented with other new solutions: the CMC EasyBox and CMC Paper-Pro. A rich program for a fast-changing market” explained Tania Torcolacci, CMC Marketing Manager.

The new CMC Genesys will be soon operational at one of the largest retailers in the USA and will be exhibited at Deliver in Amsterdam in October.

With the inclusion of the new stacker crane and transfer cars in its planning software, Interroll has once again expanded the range of applications of the its Layouter Tool. With this application, which can be seamlessly integrated into the AutoCAD design program, planners and system integrators can now visualize even complex conveyor systems end-to-end at the click of a mouse and make them available for quotation and ordering processes. By digitalizing the necessary process chain, planning times for customers can be dramatically reduced—by up to 90 percent, depending on the initial situation.

The ability to visualize technical planning has always been one of the central requirements in the project business with modern material flow solutions. But even today, the path from the first plant design to the detailed technical project planning, which leads to the preparation of a quotation and the concrete award of the contract, is in most cases still characterized by time-consuming breaks in the work processes. For example, initial visualizations of the overall solution must later be broken down to all the required individual components of the desired plants. The fact that this process step can be avoided is demonstrated by the Layouter Tool that Interroll makes available free of charge to enable customers worldwide to shorten their planning phase significantly.

“With our application, which can be seamlessly integrated into AutoCAD as a plug-in, planners and system integrators can not only visualize the planned conveyor solution based on the desired parameters,” explains Marcus Dörr, Global Product Manager for the Modular Pallet Conveyer Platform (MPP) at Interroll. “The Layouter Tool also simultaneously specifies all the necessary technical components of the respective solution. In addition, the plug-and-play modularity of Interroll’s conveyor platforms ensures that the engineering effort required to put together the overall solution is eliminated”.

The advantages of this approach are impressive: Already with his first design, the AutoCAD user has all the technical information for the desired conveyor solution and, in the case of special framework agreements, even the necessary price information. This means that the planning data can easily be reused for the subsequent quotation or ordering process.

The Interroll Layouter Tool can be used for Interroll’s modular platform offers, such as the Modular Conveyor Platform (MCP), the MPP, or the company’s flow storage solutions. The free application is available as a plug-in for a full version of AutoCAD from version 2014. The Layouter Tool is compatible with Windows 7 to Windows 10; Microsoft Excel is required on the workstation computer.