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Day: 16 March 2021

Solar Panels on Refrigerated Trailers offer Benefits

Posted on by David Priestman

Solar panels have been installed on 76 new refrigerated trailers of ECS, a leading European logistics supplier of intermodal transport and integrated supply chain services. The solar panels will contribute to ECS’ vision of Creating Sustainable and Reliable logistics significantly reducing the refrigeration units’ fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

“Thermo King ThermoLite™ solar panels provide a sustainable power management solution for reefer units, increasing the battery life while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” said Samer Hawat, area sales and service manager Belgium and Luxembourg at Thermo King.  “Equipped with solar panels, ECS’ refrigeration units will have a source of sustainable power on the road, which will increase the company’s operational efficiency, reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to the strategic sustainability goals.”

“As a Logistics service provider, ECS recognizes the environmental impact of our business and takes the responsibility to reduce this impact as much as possible. Focus and improvement in environmental sustainability has always been part of our daily operations and business decisions,” said Jonas Van Den Broucke, technical fleet manager at ECS. “Our relationship with Thermo King goes back over 20 years and they have always excelled in providing us with reliable, cost efficient products and experienced service. When they advised us to consider the solar panels for our refrigerated trailer fleet, we had to give it a try.”

Before committing, ECS performed a six months field test, monitoring four Thermo King refrigerated trailers with ThermoLite™ solar panels on four different routes across Europe. The Thermo King TracKing system allowed for remote tracking of battery charge levels and fuel consumption. ECS compared the results with the performance of four other units in their fleet, on similar routes but without the solar panel. The field trial proved that the installation of ThermoLite™ solar panels can allow ECS to save even 1 000 liters of fuel per year, on one trailer unit.

Following the test, ECS decided to install ThermoLite™ solar panels on their 76 new refrigerated trailers. ECS expects the solar panels to improve uptime of their new fleet and estimates to save 76 000 liters of diesel per year. ECS also calculated that the installation of the solar panels will reduce their CO2 emissions by 2 000 tons in 10 years.

ThermoLite solar panels ensure that the refrigeration unit’s battery remains continuously charged, extending the battery life and preventing its deterioration. By reducing the operation hours of the unit’s engine the solar panels also contribute to extending the maintenance intervals. Paired with telematics, they allow the fleet managers to be in constant contact with their trailers and access critical unit data at any time to ensure that the load is protected and the unit is running efficiently.

Thermo King ThermoLIte™ solar panels contribute to Trane Technologies 2030 sustainability aspirations, and the commitment to reduce customers’ carbon emissions by one gigaton – equivalent to the annual emissions of Italy, France and the United Kingdom combine

Solar Panels on Refrigerated Trailers offer Benefits

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Solar panels have been installed on 76 new refrigerated trailers of ECS, a leading European logistics supplier of intermodal transport and integrated supply chain services. The solar panels will contribute to ECS’ vision of Creating Sustainable and Reliable logistics significantly reducing the refrigeration units’ fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

“Thermo King ThermoLite™ solar panels provide a sustainable power management solution for reefer units, increasing the battery life while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” said Samer Hawat, area sales and service manager Belgium and Luxembourg at Thermo King.  “Equipped with solar panels, ECS’ refrigeration units will have a source of sustainable power on the road, which will increase the company’s operational efficiency, reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to the strategic sustainability goals.”

“As a Logistics service provider, ECS recognizes the environmental impact of our business and takes the responsibility to reduce this impact as much as possible. Focus and improvement in environmental sustainability has always been part of our daily operations and business decisions,” said Jonas Van Den Broucke, technical fleet manager at ECS. “Our relationship with Thermo King goes back over 20 years and they have always excelled in providing us with reliable, cost efficient products and experienced service. When they advised us to consider the solar panels for our refrigerated trailer fleet, we had to give it a try.”

Before committing, ECS performed a six months field test, monitoring four Thermo King refrigerated trailers with ThermoLite™ solar panels on four different routes across Europe. The Thermo King TracKing system allowed for remote tracking of battery charge levels and fuel consumption. ECS compared the results with the performance of four other units in their fleet, on similar routes but without the solar panel. The field trial proved that the installation of ThermoLite™ solar panels can allow ECS to save even 1 000 liters of fuel per year, on one trailer unit.

Following the test, ECS decided to install ThermoLite™ solar panels on their 76 new refrigerated trailers. ECS expects the solar panels to improve uptime of their new fleet and estimates to save 76 000 liters of diesel per year. ECS also calculated that the installation of the solar panels will reduce their CO2 emissions by 2 000 tons in 10 years.

ThermoLite solar panels ensure that the refrigeration unit’s battery remains continuously charged, extending the battery life and preventing its deterioration. By reducing the operation hours of the unit’s engine the solar panels also contribute to extending the maintenance intervals. Paired with telematics, they allow the fleet managers to be in constant contact with their trailers and access critical unit data at any time to ensure that the load is protected and the unit is running efficiently.

Thermo King ThermoLIte™ solar panels contribute to Trane Technologies 2030 sustainability aspirations, and the commitment to reduce customers’ carbon emissions by one gigaton – equivalent to the annual emissions of Italy, France and the United Kingdom combine

Tugger Train Launched for More Efficient Production Logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

Tugger trains and a synchronized material supply are an important component of value-added and customer-oriented production logistics – this has long been recognized by the automotive industry. For this reason, Clark has launched a tugger train system that specifically addresses the specific requirements of industrial customers.

The tugger train consists of the Clark CTX40-70 towing tractor with a towing capacity of 4 or 7 t and the CTR01 and CTR02 trailers. The CTR01 trailer, designed as a single U-frame, is built for customers who mainly have to transport Euro pallets. It can accommodate a mobile trolley on which Euro pallets (1200 x 800 mm) with a maximum load capacity of 1200 kg can be transported.

The CTR02 Double U-Frame trailer can accommodate both Euro pallets and other types of pallets commonly used in industry. Via a sliding inner carrier, the operator can flexibly choose between a trolley measuring 1600 x 1000 mm with a load capacity of up to 1600 kg or two trolleys for transporting Euro pallets with a load weight of 800 kg each.

Loading from both sides

The Clark trailers allow ergonomic loading from both sides up to a total height of 1400 mm per trolley. From either side the operator can push the smooth-running trolleys into the lifting system of the frame without much effort, which then automatically locks into place. Another advantage is that the operator can walk through the frame to get to the other side of the trailer. The trailer’s electric lift system requires little maintenance and has a lift height of 60 mm. A latching mechanism ensures that the trolleys are securely fixed in the frame. An immobilizer prevents the tugger train from starting up when the lift is lowered.

For coupling and uncoupling the trailers, a coupling with remote release is available in addition to the standard trailer coupling without remote release. This has the advantage that the tractors can automatically couple and uncouple additional trailers: The towing tractor can, for example, after delivering materials to the destination, uncouple the trailers and automatically couple empty trailers waiting there for the next “milk-run”. The tugger train can thus be flexibly integrated into other production processes.

Precise tracking during all driving maneuvers

The Clark trailers are designed to be slim and robust, making the tugger train extremely compact and the operator has a good overview. However, the perfect directional stability of the tugger train is particularly noteworthy. This is guaranteed by the electrically steered wheels in the rear axle module: One trailer follows the other exactly in one lane both on a straight track and when cornering. As a result, the tugger train requires a small traffic area and can be used safely even in the tightest of spaces.

Flexibility in trailer selection

The heart of the modular tugger train system is the autonomous electric steering system. This is not only maintenance-free, but also offers the advantage that it uses sensor information measured directly at the axle. Mechanical, hydraulic or electric steering information is not routed via the trailers and therefore does not have to be taken into account in the design of the load modules. The modular system allows free configurability with virtually no design restrictions. This means that individual customer requirements can be taken into account. The customer can easily exchange trailers via a standardized interface. This has the advantage that different trailers can also be combined to form a tugger train.

Powerful and agile draft horses

The tugger train is led by the Clark towing tractors of the CTX series. Thanks to their compact design and good maneuverability, they are the ideal towing vehicles for tugger train systems. The robust tow tractors have very good pulling power and, thanks to powerful 48-volt AC traction motors, high thrust. The low-maintenance drive system has been designed for the toughest applications with quiet operation. The ergonomic driver’s workplace leaves nothing to be desired. The driver can easily get on and off this truck from both sides. The workplace itself offers plenty of legroom, an automotive-style pedal arrangement and generous storage compartments. Low vibration levels and a minimal noise level during operation guarantee comfortable and safe driving. Up to 20 performance parameters are individually programmable on the CTX, including acceleration, creep function, and regenerative braking, to tailor driving performance to the operator’s requirements. Numerous options, such as a bracket with warning light, a comfortable driver’s cab or the coupling/uncoupling aid ensure that the vehicle can be optimally adapted to the requirement profile of the operation.

Focus on the requirements of the customer

The idea for the Clark tugger train was born after the successful completion of a customer project and the knowledge gained from it. A large automobile manufacturer in the Russian Federation required a tugger train for more efficient material supply to production, which is equally designed for the transport of Euro pallets and other pallet sizes. At the plant, large heavy engines weighing 1600 kg as well as other vendor parts were to be delivered to the production line just-in-time. Since the traffic area there is space-critical, it was desired that the trailers could be loaded from both sides. In addition, the tugger train had to be able to keep exactly to the specified lane. This requirement profile gave rise to the CTR02 double U-frame trailer. Today, the customer can transport parts of different sizes and weights to the assembly stations with a “milk-run” and thereby increase added value.

Tugger Train Launched for More Efficient Production Logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

Tugger trains and a synchronized material supply are an important component of value-added and customer-oriented production logistics – this has long been recognized by the automotive industry. For this reason, Clark has launched a tugger train system that specifically addresses the specific requirements of industrial customers.

The tugger train consists of the Clark CTX40-70 towing tractor with a towing capacity of 4 or 7 t and the CTR01 and CTR02 trailers. The CTR01 trailer, designed as a single U-frame, is built for customers who mainly have to transport Euro pallets. It can accommodate a mobile trolley on which Euro pallets (1200 x 800 mm) with a maximum load capacity of 1200 kg can be transported.

The CTR02 Double U-Frame trailer can accommodate both Euro pallets and other types of pallets commonly used in industry. Via a sliding inner carrier, the operator can flexibly choose between a trolley measuring 1600 x 1000 mm with a load capacity of up to 1600 kg or two trolleys for transporting Euro pallets with a load weight of 800 kg each.

Loading from both sides

The Clark trailers allow ergonomic loading from both sides up to a total height of 1400 mm per trolley. From either side the operator can push the smooth-running trolleys into the lifting system of the frame without much effort, which then automatically locks into place. Another advantage is that the operator can walk through the frame to get to the other side of the trailer. The trailer’s electric lift system requires little maintenance and has a lift height of 60 mm. A latching mechanism ensures that the trolleys are securely fixed in the frame. An immobilizer prevents the tugger train from starting up when the lift is lowered.

For coupling and uncoupling the trailers, a coupling with remote release is available in addition to the standard trailer coupling without remote release. This has the advantage that the tractors can automatically couple and uncouple additional trailers: The towing tractor can, for example, after delivering materials to the destination, uncouple the trailers and automatically couple empty trailers waiting there for the next “milk-run”. The tugger train can thus be flexibly integrated into other production processes.

Precise tracking during all driving maneuvers

The Clark trailers are designed to be slim and robust, making the tugger train extremely compact and the operator has a good overview. However, the perfect directional stability of the tugger train is particularly noteworthy. This is guaranteed by the electrically steered wheels in the rear axle module: One trailer follows the other exactly in one lane both on a straight track and when cornering. As a result, the tugger train requires a small traffic area and can be used safely even in the tightest of spaces.

Flexibility in trailer selection

The heart of the modular tugger train system is the autonomous electric steering system. This is not only maintenance-free, but also offers the advantage that it uses sensor information measured directly at the axle. Mechanical, hydraulic or electric steering information is not routed via the trailers and therefore does not have to be taken into account in the design of the load modules. The modular system allows free configurability with virtually no design restrictions. This means that individual customer requirements can be taken into account. The customer can easily exchange trailers via a standardized interface. This has the advantage that different trailers can also be combined to form a tugger train.

Powerful and agile draft horses

The tugger train is led by the Clark towing tractors of the CTX series. Thanks to their compact design and good maneuverability, they are the ideal towing vehicles for tugger train systems. The robust tow tractors have very good pulling power and, thanks to powerful 48-volt AC traction motors, high thrust. The low-maintenance drive system has been designed for the toughest applications with quiet operation. The ergonomic driver’s workplace leaves nothing to be desired. The driver can easily get on and off this truck from both sides. The workplace itself offers plenty of legroom, an automotive-style pedal arrangement and generous storage compartments. Low vibration levels and a minimal noise level during operation guarantee comfortable and safe driving. Up to 20 performance parameters are individually programmable on the CTX, including acceleration, creep function, and regenerative braking, to tailor driving performance to the operator’s requirements. Numerous options, such as a bracket with warning light, a comfortable driver’s cab or the coupling/uncoupling aid ensure that the vehicle can be optimally adapted to the requirement profile of the operation.

Focus on the requirements of the customer

The idea for the Clark tugger train was born after the successful completion of a customer project and the knowledge gained from it. A large automobile manufacturer in the Russian Federation required a tugger train for more efficient material supply to production, which is equally designed for the transport of Euro pallets and other pallet sizes. At the plant, large heavy engines weighing 1600 kg as well as other vendor parts were to be delivered to the production line just-in-time. Since the traffic area there is space-critical, it was desired that the trailers could be loaded from both sides. In addition, the tugger train had to be able to keep exactly to the specified lane. This requirement profile gave rise to the CTR02 double U-frame trailer. Today, the customer can transport parts of different sizes and weights to the assembly stations with a “milk-run” and thereby increase added value.

Warehouse Processes Optimised in the Cloud

Posted on by David Priestman

The reifen.com GmbH handles up to 60,000 tires and rims daily. With the EPG | LFS warehouse management system from EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group), reifen.com has been optimizing its logistics processes in the warehouse for over seven years. After all, perfectly functioning logistics are a key prerequisite for the company’s success. Apart from the reifen.com online store, the multi-channel specialist has 37 stores in Germany and around 8,000 fitting partners internationally for additional services. reifen.com uses the EPG | LFS warehouse management system to automate processes, speed up shipping, minimize the number of returns and reduce costs. Currently, reifen.com has switched the hosting of its warehouse management system to EPG’s EPX cloud offering.

With order lists speed up shipping

reifen.com uses a dynamic batch formation function in EPG | LFS to bundle orders of the same type so that fast processing is possible. In this process, different customer orders are sorted according to a shipping type, for example, and combined into a picking tour in the outbound warehouse. This means that instead of labor-intensive piece picking, complete loading units can be removed and made available during packing, so that many different orders can then be processed quickly. The orders can then be processed without interruptions. The employees at reifen.com can define the batch lists very flexibly, e.g., according to shipping types, product groups or even destination countries. This significantly speeds up the shipping process.

Reduce costs for KEP service providers:By optimizing the shipping method for KEP service providers, reifen.com reduces shipping costs. Together with EPG, the existing shipping type determination was improved to automatically determine the most cost-effective KEP service provider in each case in the LFS.

Using simple controls to minimize the number of returns:
reifen.com uses a simple EAN check in the LFS for customer-specific quick packaging. Here, the employee in the shipping department additionally scans an EAN label, e.g. to check the correct goods or the correct quantity. This reduces sources of error and minimizes the number of returns.

For assembly stations, provide individual parts on time:
For delivery to end customers, individual parts such as tires, rims and valves must be picked and made available at assembly stations on schedule. EPG | LFS also ensures that employees are guided via walkways and that shipping is optimized. “With EPG, we have a very powerful software partner for managing our warehouse resources, picking and efficient shipping. The EPG helps us to further optimize processes and become even better for our customers,” says Jens Müller, Head of Logistics at reifen.com, summarizing the experience gained from seven years of cooperation with the EPG.

EPX-Cloud-Solution “Infrastructure as a Service”

reifen.com has switched the hosting of its warehouse management system to the EPX- cloud-solution “Infrastructure as a Service” offering. EPG takes over iSeries/AS-400 hosting and all IT services for EPG products as part of defined managed services. This includes operation, support and active monitoring of the systems, including data backup. The migration of the data to the EPX cloud was implemented over a weekend in less than 24 hours. “Thanks to the cloud solution, we can now flexibly scale the IT structures to ensure high performance and permanent availability,” says Hans Lechner, Head of IT, explaining the objective of the project.

Warehouse Processes Optimised in the Cloud

Posted on by David Priestman

The reifen.com GmbH handles up to 60,000 tires and rims daily. With the EPG | LFS warehouse management system from EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group), reifen.com has been optimizing its logistics processes in the warehouse for over seven years. After all, perfectly functioning logistics are a key prerequisite for the company’s success. Apart from the reifen.com online store, the multi-channel specialist has 37 stores in Germany and around 8,000 fitting partners internationally for additional services. reifen.com uses the EPG | LFS warehouse management system to automate processes, speed up shipping, minimize the number of returns and reduce costs. Currently, reifen.com has switched the hosting of its warehouse management system to EPG’s EPX cloud offering.

With order lists speed up shipping

reifen.com uses a dynamic batch formation function in EPG | LFS to bundle orders of the same type so that fast processing is possible. In this process, different customer orders are sorted according to a shipping type, for example, and combined into a picking tour in the outbound warehouse. This means that instead of labor-intensive piece picking, complete loading units can be removed and made available during packing, so that many different orders can then be processed quickly. The orders can then be processed without interruptions. The employees at reifen.com can define the batch lists very flexibly, e.g., according to shipping types, product groups or even destination countries. This significantly speeds up the shipping process.

Reduce costs for KEP service providers:By optimizing the shipping method for KEP service providers, reifen.com reduces shipping costs. Together with EPG, the existing shipping type determination was improved to automatically determine the most cost-effective KEP service provider in each case in the LFS.

Using simple controls to minimize the number of returns:
reifen.com uses a simple EAN check in the LFS for customer-specific quick packaging. Here, the employee in the shipping department additionally scans an EAN label, e.g. to check the correct goods or the correct quantity. This reduces sources of error and minimizes the number of returns.

For assembly stations, provide individual parts on time:
For delivery to end customers, individual parts such as tires, rims and valves must be picked and made available at assembly stations on schedule. EPG | LFS also ensures that employees are guided via walkways and that shipping is optimized. “With EPG, we have a very powerful software partner for managing our warehouse resources, picking and efficient shipping. The EPG helps us to further optimize processes and become even better for our customers,” says Jens Müller, Head of Logistics at reifen.com, summarizing the experience gained from seven years of cooperation with the EPG.

EPX-Cloud-Solution “Infrastructure as a Service”

reifen.com has switched the hosting of its warehouse management system to the EPX- cloud-solution “Infrastructure as a Service” offering. EPG takes over iSeries/AS-400 hosting and all IT services for EPG products as part of defined managed services. This includes operation, support and active monitoring of the systems, including data backup. The migration of the data to the EPX cloud was implemented over a weekend in less than 24 hours. “Thanks to the cloud solution, we can now flexibly scale the IT structures to ensure high performance and permanent availability,” says Hans Lechner, Head of IT, explaining the objective of the project.

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