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Day: 18 May 2021

DHL reveals learnings from one year of COVID-19

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A recently published DHL white paper on Revisiting Pandemic Resilience  sheds light into what the logistics sector has learned from the race against COVID-19 to be best prepared to handle public health emergencies in the future.

It has been more than a year since the world woke up to the news of the new SARS-COV-2 virus. What followed was the largest global health crisis in 100 years. The disruptions to every aspect of society have been profound.

Logistics and supply chain management have played a vital role in pandemic management right from the start to ensure the availability and distribution of key pandemic management tools: medicines and medical supplies, such as vaccines, test kits, ancillary supplies, treatments, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

With over 200 million doses of all approved vaccines distributed to over 120 countries and 9,000 operated flights in which more than 350 DHL facilities were involved, DHL was part of the response strategy from the beginning. Over 50 bilateral and multilateral collaborations with partners in both the pharma and public sector and several new dedicated services were created to stem this task.

“Logistics and supply chain management play a key role in pandemic management. Keeping supply chains running and ensuring delivery for essential health supplies provided valuable lessons”, explains Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer DHL.

“We rolled out new dedicated services for the vaccine distribution at unprecedented speed. All sectors, industries, and nations must work together to successfully end the acute phase of this pandemic. Forming strong partnerships and leveraging data analytics will be key. We also need to remain prepared for high patient and vaccine volumes, maintain logistics infrastructure and capacity, while planning for seasonal fluctuations by providing a stable and well-equipped platform for the years to come.”

There are important achievements across research and development, production, and supply chain management as well as policy that will help us get through the crisis as a global community. The foundation of this was laid by research and development by developing a vaccine five times faster than any other vaccine in history and ramping up production in record time – quadrupling pre-COVID vaccine production capacities.

Together with logistics and supply chain, they were able to get the life-saving vaccines to patients worldwide. Although unprecedented cold chain requirements of up to -70°C had to be met, logistics were able to roll out the distribution three times faster than usual. Furthermore, multilateral action by public health and policy actors has provided a conducive framework for rapid vaccine development and deployment.

Collaboration key to global vaccine distribution

For high levels of immunisation, around 10 billion vaccine doses are required globally by end of 2021. However, only four countries have achieved vaccination rates >50% to date and many of the remaining countries and territories have less-developed infrastructure, making the rollout more difficult. To speed up vaccine distribution, the following areas need to be looked at:

  • Industries and nations must foster collaboration, paying special attention to building strong partnerships and a supportive data backbone
  • For safe inbound supply flows, proactive transport-capacity management and sustainable return flows for packaging are needed. This is particularly critical as more than 95% of global COVID-19 vaccine doses are produced in just eight countries and need to be delivered worldwide
  • Also locally tailored last-mile, ground distribution models should be put into place with a focus on strategic location of warehouses, the synchronisation of vaccines and ancillaries flow as well as the number and location of vaccination points

The set-up logistics infrastructure and capacity should be kept on that level as in the coming years further 7-9 billion doses of vaccines are necessary annually to keep (re-)infection rates low and slow down the pace of virus mutations – seasonal fluctuations not counted.

Planning for the future

Planning for the future it is essential to identify and prevent health crises early through active partnerships, expanded global warning systems, an integrated epidemic-preventions agenda and targeted R&D investments. It is also recommended to expand and institutionalise virus containment and countermeasures (e. g. digital contact tracing and national stockpiles) to ensure strategic preparedness and more efficient response times. To facilitate a speedy rollout of medication (i. e. diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines), governments and industries should employ “ever-warm” manufacturing capacity, blueprint research, production, and procurement plans, as well as expand local deployment capabilities.

To read the complete white paper, please click on the following link:
https://www.dhl.com/pandemic-resilience

DHL reveals learnings from one year of COVID-19

Posted on by David Priestman

A recently published DHL white paper on Revisiting Pandemic Resilience  sheds light into what the logistics sector has learned from the race against COVID-19 to be best prepared to handle public health emergencies in the future.

It has been more than a year since the world woke up to the news of the new SARS-COV-2 virus. What followed was the largest global health crisis in 100 years. The disruptions to every aspect of society have been profound.

Logistics and supply chain management have played a vital role in pandemic management right from the start to ensure the availability and distribution of key pandemic management tools: medicines and medical supplies, such as vaccines, test kits, ancillary supplies, treatments, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

With over 200 million doses of all approved vaccines distributed to over 120 countries and 9,000 operated flights in which more than 350 DHL facilities were involved, DHL was part of the response strategy from the beginning. Over 50 bilateral and multilateral collaborations with partners in both the pharma and public sector and several new dedicated services were created to stem this task.

“Logistics and supply chain management play a key role in pandemic management. Keeping supply chains running and ensuring delivery for essential health supplies provided valuable lessons”, explains Katja Busch, Chief Commercial Officer DHL.

“We rolled out new dedicated services for the vaccine distribution at unprecedented speed. All sectors, industries, and nations must work together to successfully end the acute phase of this pandemic. Forming strong partnerships and leveraging data analytics will be key. We also need to remain prepared for high patient and vaccine volumes, maintain logistics infrastructure and capacity, while planning for seasonal fluctuations by providing a stable and well-equipped platform for the years to come.”

There are important achievements across research and development, production, and supply chain management as well as policy that will help us get through the crisis as a global community. The foundation of this was laid by research and development by developing a vaccine five times faster than any other vaccine in history and ramping up production in record time – quadrupling pre-COVID vaccine production capacities.

Together with logistics and supply chain, they were able to get the life-saving vaccines to patients worldwide. Although unprecedented cold chain requirements of up to -70°C had to be met, logistics were able to roll out the distribution three times faster than usual. Furthermore, multilateral action by public health and policy actors has provided a conducive framework for rapid vaccine development and deployment.

Collaboration key to global vaccine distribution

For high levels of immunisation, around 10 billion vaccine doses are required globally by end of 2021. However, only four countries have achieved vaccination rates >50% to date and many of the remaining countries and territories have less-developed infrastructure, making the rollout more difficult. To speed up vaccine distribution, the following areas need to be looked at:

  • Industries and nations must foster collaboration, paying special attention to building strong partnerships and a supportive data backbone
  • For safe inbound supply flows, proactive transport-capacity management and sustainable return flows for packaging are needed. This is particularly critical as more than 95% of global COVID-19 vaccine doses are produced in just eight countries and need to be delivered worldwide
  • Also locally tailored last-mile, ground distribution models should be put into place with a focus on strategic location of warehouses, the synchronisation of vaccines and ancillaries flow as well as the number and location of vaccination points

The set-up logistics infrastructure and capacity should be kept on that level as in the coming years further 7-9 billion doses of vaccines are necessary annually to keep (re-)infection rates low and slow down the pace of virus mutations – seasonal fluctuations not counted.

Planning for the future

Planning for the future it is essential to identify and prevent health crises early through active partnerships, expanded global warning systems, an integrated epidemic-preventions agenda and targeted R&D investments. It is also recommended to expand and institutionalise virus containment and countermeasures (e. g. digital contact tracing and national stockpiles) to ensure strategic preparedness and more efficient response times. To facilitate a speedy rollout of medication (i. e. diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines), governments and industries should employ “ever-warm” manufacturing capacity, blueprint research, production, and procurement plans, as well as expand local deployment capabilities.

To read the complete white paper, please click on the following link:
https://www.dhl.com/pandemic-resilience

Universal Robots unveils enhanced cobot

Posted on by David Priestman

Universal Robots (UR) is launching an enhanced version of its best-selling robot – UR10e – with an increased payload of 12.5kg, creating new possibilities for applications such as palletising, machine tending, and packaging. The robot’s price remains unchanged. “Universal Robots is committed to continuous improvement based on meaningful conversations with customers and our ability to address critical market opportunities. Our customers have already deployed UR cobots on a wide variety of palletising applications. Over time, they have identified opportunities to utilise our UR10e cobot in handling tasks with heavier items,” says Kim Povlsen, President of Universal Robots.

“In response to this demand, we have enhanced the UR10e to support greater payloads, providing customers with exciting new deployment capabilities.

”The enhanced UR10e retains the small footprint, intuitive programming experience, uncompromising repeatability, commitment to quality, and trusted performance that Universal Robots customers have come to expect, but its increased payload capacity means that users can now do more:

  • The UR10e can now be used in palletising applications with cartons weighing up to 10kg and a 2.5kg gripper
  • The UR10e is now more versatile for other material handling tasks, too, such as loading and unloading heavier workpieces in machine tending deployments and packaging of heavy items
  • The enhanced UR10e’s greater payload takes more weight from the hands and shoulders of humans, leading to improved ergonomics and working conditions. With overexertion and repetitive motion accounting for an estimated 24% and 8% of workplace injuries respectively in the US alone, this provides significant relief to human workers

“Humans are not designed to lift heavy goods repeatedly, but our cobots handle these tasks with ease. By taking over unergonomic activities, UR cobots boost productivity, improve product quality, and help businesses rethink how to best use the creative and problem-solving abilities of their workforce –all while keeping people safe,” says Kim Povlsen.

Feedback from UR partners has been extremely positive; MBO Postpress Solutions in Germany has integrated the UR10e as part of its CoBo-Stack stacking cobot. “Increasing the payload of the UR10e will make our MBO CoBo-Stack much more profitable for our customers by expanding their application possibilities to include larger packages and heavier products, such as perfect bound or saddle stitched catalogues and brochures,” says Sebastian König, Head of Research & Development at MBO Postpress Solutions GmbH.

In addition, the updated UR10e also provides plug-and-play compatibility with products from Universal Robots’ UR+ ecosystem of hardware and software peripherals, ensuring that users can quickly and easily get started with collaborative applications.

Nicolas Lauzier, Senior Product Manager at Robotiq comments: “The greater payload of UR10e makes a big difference to palletising applications by enabling users to handle loads up to 12.5kg in weight. And with 25% greater automation potential, it also means that the UR10e can help whenever there is a single line that needs to palletise a wide range of products of different weights.”

Orders can be placed with UR distributors globally now, with shipments of the new UR10e scheduled to start in the second half of June 2021.

 

 

Universal Robots unveils enhanced cobot

Posted on by David Priestman

Universal Robots (UR) is launching an enhanced version of its best-selling robot – UR10e – with an increased payload of 12.5kg, creating new possibilities for applications such as palletising, machine tending, and packaging. The robot’s price remains unchanged. “Universal Robots is committed to continuous improvement based on meaningful conversations with customers and our ability to address critical market opportunities. Our customers have already deployed UR cobots on a wide variety of palletising applications. Over time, they have identified opportunities to utilise our UR10e cobot in handling tasks with heavier items,” says Kim Povlsen, President of Universal Robots.

“In response to this demand, we have enhanced the UR10e to support greater payloads, providing customers with exciting new deployment capabilities.

”The enhanced UR10e retains the small footprint, intuitive programming experience, uncompromising repeatability, commitment to quality, and trusted performance that Universal Robots customers have come to expect, but its increased payload capacity means that users can now do more:

  • The UR10e can now be used in palletising applications with cartons weighing up to 10kg and a 2.5kg gripper
  • The UR10e is now more versatile for other material handling tasks, too, such as loading and unloading heavier workpieces in machine tending deployments and packaging of heavy items
  • The enhanced UR10e’s greater payload takes more weight from the hands and shoulders of humans, leading to improved ergonomics and working conditions. With overexertion and repetitive motion accounting for an estimated 24% and 8% of workplace injuries respectively in the US alone, this provides significant relief to human workers

“Humans are not designed to lift heavy goods repeatedly, but our cobots handle these tasks with ease. By taking over unergonomic activities, UR cobots boost productivity, improve product quality, and help businesses rethink how to best use the creative and problem-solving abilities of their workforce –all while keeping people safe,” says Kim Povlsen.

Feedback from UR partners has been extremely positive; MBO Postpress Solutions in Germany has integrated the UR10e as part of its CoBo-Stack stacking cobot. “Increasing the payload of the UR10e will make our MBO CoBo-Stack much more profitable for our customers by expanding their application possibilities to include larger packages and heavier products, such as perfect bound or saddle stitched catalogues and brochures,” says Sebastian König, Head of Research & Development at MBO Postpress Solutions GmbH.

In addition, the updated UR10e also provides plug-and-play compatibility with products from Universal Robots’ UR+ ecosystem of hardware and software peripherals, ensuring that users can quickly and easily get started with collaborative applications.

Nicolas Lauzier, Senior Product Manager at Robotiq comments: “The greater payload of UR10e makes a big difference to palletising applications by enabling users to handle loads up to 12.5kg in weight. And with 25% greater automation potential, it also means that the UR10e can help whenever there is a single line that needs to palletise a wide range of products of different weights.”

Orders can be placed with UR distributors globally now, with shipments of the new UR10e scheduled to start in the second half of June 2021.

 

 

Panasonic introduces TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet

Posted on by David Priestman

Panasonic has introduced the TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet, which is describes as the ultimate rugged Android tablet for the truly mobile worker. This 7 inch screen device is easy to use in one hand, adaptable for a variety of tasks yet powerful and tough enough to cope with the busiest shift. It’s at its best when in the hands of security and police forces patrolling the streets, technicians monitoring production lines, field services engineers carrying out inspections and maintenance or construction workers on site.

“The modern mobile worker deserves a mobile computing device designed for their everyday needs – not just another consumer tablet in a hardcase with all the potential problems they bring,” said Baris Koc, European Product Manager for rugged mobile IT at Panasonic. “The TOUGHBOOK S1 is that professional mobile workforce device. It’s built without compromise to meet the very specific and practical everyday needs of both the users and the IT administrators deploying and maintaining them.”

The TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet is ergonomically designed and lightweight (426 g) and with or without a handstrap it fits conveniently and comfortably in one hand for use over long periods of time. Even in all weather conditions, the outdoor readable display is easy to use with a market-leading brightness of up to 500 cd/m² and enhanced anti-reflection technology ensuring clarity in the brightest sunlight. Rainy days and the need to remove safety gloves are also operational problems of the past when working with the TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet because of its effective rain-mode and glove-enabled touch screen.

For those needing to capture signatures or complete reports or forms, the optional stylus pen is accurate and easy to use.

The device is flexible for the different needs of mobile workers and can be optionally equipped using its configurable gadget port offering combinations of barcode reader or additional USB port. A 13MP rear camera with flashlight and a front 5MP camera are ideal for capturing images to attach to reports and for video conference calls with colleagues.

To ensure the rugged tablet can work as long as any shift, it is equipped with a simple click and switch design for warm-swapping batteries. It takes away the need to interrupt work, power down the device or remove fiddly panels to change batteries. With two options of battery size, the device can operate for up to 14 hours on a single charge.

Powerful enough to handle the application needs of any mobile worker, the device uses the Android 10 operating system and is equipped with a Qualcomm SDM660 Octa-Core CPU and 4GB of RAM memory and 64GB of storage.

Despite its ergonomic and lightweight design the tablet has all the protection expected of a fully rugged TOUGHBOOK device with a dust and water rating of IP65/67, MIL-STD-810H certification and tested to withstand drops of up to 150cm onto concrete. For effective utilisation of accessories, the TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet shares elements of the TOUGHBOOK L1 and A3 Android tablet ecosystem, such as batteries, cradles, docks and stylus pens. For ease of management and administrative peace of mind, the TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet is Android Enterprise-ready and comes bundled with the Panasonic COMPASS suite of Enterprise Management tools. The Complete Android Services and Security package offers everything a business needs to configure, deploy and manage its Panasonic rugged Android devices securely.

The TOUGHBOOK S1 tablet comes with a standard three-year warranty and is available immediately. Prices start from €1.110/£1.004 + VAT.

 

 

Avoiding capacity loss in forklift batteries

Posted on by David Priestman

The right battery charger plays an important role in preserving the capacity of traction batteries in the intralogistics sector. Austrian battery charger expert Fronius International GmbH looks at how its technology can be harnessed to ensure maximum forklift fleet availability and uptime.

Challenging times demand one thing above all from businesses: that they adapt quickly to new conditions and changes. The intralogistics sector is particularly feeling the effects of these expectations in the form of additional shifts, peaks in demand, and so on. For operators of electrically-powered forklift trucks, capacity and reliability are key factors because the availability of the forklift truck fleet is essential to smooth and efficient operation.

Lead-acid batteries have a standardised service life of around 1,500 charging cycles. However, particularly harsh conditions, high levels of utilisation and multi-shift operation can all have a negative impact on this. Permanent above-average usage and frequent opportunity charging in particular shorten the standardised service life of a traction battery.

Operators need to compensate for capacity losses through more frequent opportunity charging or by using back-up batteries. However, this results in longer downtime, higher running costs and reduced availability of forklift trucks. All of this has a negative impact on the total cost of ownership.

Extend battery life and reduce capital expenditure

The right battery charger makes an important contribution to ensuring maximum battery capacity for as long as possible as well as reliable operation of the fleet 24 hours a day. Thanks to the innovative Ri charging process of the Fronius Selectiva 4.0 devices, batteries receive ultra-cool and gentle charging. This extends usage and service life by as much as one year in moderate operation, without any impact on performance.

Fronius Selectiva 4.0 battery chargers are genuine all-rounders when it comes to day-to-day intralogistics activities. Conservation charging, preventing deep discharge as well as rapid and opportunity charging of lead-acid batteries are just some of the options offered by these devices. Special characteristics designed especially for charging lead-acid batteries ensure reliable, gentle and cost-effective charging to suit the condition of the battery. This enables maximum usability, even in the case of unexpected events.

For example, if a battery is not in use for an extended period of time, the Refresh characteristic ensures that its charging ability is preserved and prevents deep discharge. This guarantees that the charging level will not fall to zero and that the battery is ready for use at all times. If deep discharge nevertheless occurs, the battery can be returned to a normal state using a special characteristic. As a result, it will be usable again in no time.

If operators need extra capacity due to additional peaks in demand, for instance, this is where the Power Charging option comes in. With its help, short breaks can be used productively for rapid or opportunity charging. A lunch break of around 30 minutes can provide two additional hours of travel time.

Fronius technology thereby ensures high availability of the forklift truck fleet and also optimises operating costs. Forklift truck operators can also significantly reduce the risk of unplanned downtime in their forklift truck fleet.

Avoiding capacity loss in forklift batteries

Posted on by David Priestman

The right battery charger plays an important role in preserving the capacity of traction batteries in the intralogistics sector. Austrian battery charger expert Fronius International GmbH looks at how its technology can be harnessed to ensure maximum forklift fleet availability and uptime.

Challenging times demand one thing above all from businesses: that they adapt quickly to new conditions and changes. The intralogistics sector is particularly feeling the effects of these expectations in the form of additional shifts, peaks in demand, and so on. For operators of electrically-powered forklift trucks, capacity and reliability are key factors because the availability of the forklift truck fleet is essential to smooth and efficient operation.

Lead-acid batteries have a standardised service life of around 1,500 charging cycles. However, particularly harsh conditions, high levels of utilisation and multi-shift operation can all have a negative impact on this. Permanent above-average usage and frequent opportunity charging in particular shorten the standardised service life of a traction battery.

Operators need to compensate for capacity losses through more frequent opportunity charging or by using back-up batteries. However, this results in longer downtime, higher running costs and reduced availability of forklift trucks. All of this has a negative impact on the total cost of ownership.

Extend battery life and reduce capital expenditure

The right battery charger makes an important contribution to ensuring maximum battery capacity for as long as possible as well as reliable operation of the fleet 24 hours a day. Thanks to the innovative Ri charging process of the Fronius Selectiva 4.0 devices, batteries receive ultra-cool and gentle charging. This extends usage and service life by as much as one year in moderate operation, without any impact on performance.

Fronius Selectiva 4.0 battery chargers are genuine all-rounders when it comes to day-to-day intralogistics activities. Conservation charging, preventing deep discharge as well as rapid and opportunity charging of lead-acid batteries are just some of the options offered by these devices. Special characteristics designed especially for charging lead-acid batteries ensure reliable, gentle and cost-effective charging to suit the condition of the battery. This enables maximum usability, even in the case of unexpected events.

For example, if a battery is not in use for an extended period of time, the Refresh characteristic ensures that its charging ability is preserved and prevents deep discharge. This guarantees that the charging level will not fall to zero and that the battery is ready for use at all times. If deep discharge nevertheless occurs, the battery can be returned to a normal state using a special characteristic. As a result, it will be usable again in no time.

If operators need extra capacity due to additional peaks in demand, for instance, this is where the Power Charging option comes in. With its help, short breaks can be used productively for rapid or opportunity charging. A lunch break of around 30 minutes can provide two additional hours of travel time.

Fronius technology thereby ensures high availability of the forklift truck fleet and also optimises operating costs. Forklift truck operators can also significantly reduce the risk of unplanned downtime in their forklift truck fleet.

UniCarriers provides VNA solution to Delamode

Posted on by David Priestman

UniCarriers has delivered a state-of-the-art e-commerce storage concept comprising a long-term equipment strategy and an efficient material handling operation in a new very narrow aisle (VNA) warehouse for logistics provider Delamode.

An enormous boom in e-commerce over the past few years has led to the need for a new warehouse concept for Delamode PLC’s UK warehouse: The freight and logistics management provider’s double-deep storage system had become inefficient, and the ongoing short-term hire of industrial trucks was no longer up to date.

Delamode began looking for a suitable provider to restructure its warehouse in Braintree, Essex. Longstanding partner UniCarriers offered a VNA warehouse solution with matching material handling equipment. The global manufacturer of industrial trucks delivered not only a seamless logistics concept but also excellent service quality and a great understanding of Delamode’s needs. Altogether, Delamode benefits from a modern system with a high storage capacity, which is no longer at the expense of immediate selectivity. On top of that, the equipment provided is state-of-the-art and on point when it comes to safety.

Delamode is one of the largest companies of the International freight and logistics management group Xpediator PLC, which is listed on the London AIM Stock Exchange. The Xpediator group specialises in international freight transportation, warehousing and logistics services, ecommerce management solutions and specialist transport support services offered by its Affinity Transport Solutions business unit. The Delamode branch in Braintree, Essex, is a pick-and-pack warehouse covering almost 170,000 sq ft with around 150 full-time employees.

The focus is on distributing goods for retail and wholesale, fashion and especially e-commerce – a sector that in recent years increased and developed enormously for Delamode. After years of relying on double-deep storage in Braintree, the system’s limitations were no longer acceptable for Delamode. A high storage capacity due to double-deep storage is always at the expense of selectivity. A total of three pallet movements were necessary to reach a pallet in a back location: front pallet out, targeted pallet out, front pallet back in.

This is a time-consuming process that potentially results in the damage of valuable stock. Nevertheless, the double-deep system worked for years, as many of the pallets had duplicates which is why they were directly accessible at other storage locations. However, with a growing demand in e-commerce and rising throughput in the warehouse, the number of duplicate pallets decreased over time. Employees had to access the back pallets more often than before with increasing effort. Thus, the double-deep storage system had become unsuitable for Delamode.

The Braintree site encountered further difficulties: With-free moving trucks in use, Delamode reported a lot of facility damage causing issues in the racking. Also, the company had relied on short-term hire equipment from UniCarriers and other suppliers for years. As a result, this provided a high degree of flexibility, however, with regard to cost effectiveness, Delamode was looking for a coherent overall concept focussing on the long-term use of material handling equipment.

UniCarriers provided a complete solution

Delamode started to hold talks with three suppliers of industrial trucks. UniCarriers was in pole position according to Lauren Collins, Site Manager, Delamode. This is because the long-standing partner had already distinguished itself in the past with a high quality of service. In the event of potential vehicle breakdowns, UniCarriers can react quickly and reliably thanks to the modular vehicle design.

The service team responds to questions and difficulties, and the right people are immediately available: “UniCarriers’ response time and communication was top-draw in comparison to other suppliers, who struggled to understand the difficulties we had with their equipment,” says Lauren Collins, Site Manager, Delamode.

“UniCarriers, however, did not just offer one standard kit of material handling equipment, but perfectly understood what our specific needs were.”

John Clements, Regional Sales Manager at UniCarriers UK, describes the procedure: “We provided Delamode with several solutions to retain their capacity but to give them back immediate selectivity. We talked them through the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.”

The decision was made in favour of a VNA storage system completed with the appropriate material handling equipment. UniCarriers convinced Delamode with its consultative approach and flexible working methods: It brought additional partners on board – for example the racking provider System Store Solutions – and took charge of the coordination between all parties. As a result, Delamode received an overall package without having to negotiate between many different contractors.

“UniCarriers came prepared to offer more than just the trucks – they provided a complete solution. This made the process a lot easier and therefore convinced Delamode to work with UniCarriers,” Lauren Collins summarises.

Another advantage for Delamode became apparent when the project was already underway: At short notice, Delamode had to adjust its order of equipment – to which UniCarriers reacted without any complications.

New VNA warehouse with matching forklift fleet

For all warehouse tasks – from unloading incoming vehicles to pallet put away and pallet replenishment – Delamode in Braintree now uses a variety of UniCarriers trucks. The keystone of the fleet is the IFOY award-winning TERGO URS, a versatile very narrow aisle reach truck.

Thanks to its swivel fork design, it can work in aisles as small as 1800 mm. In-aisle steering is automated via a signal wire, and magnets indicate the proximity to the end of aisle bringing the truck to a controlled stop. As a result, this truck can operate safely at high speed without the risk of striking the racking. The URS also offers diagonal movement of pallets, thus providing simultaneous travel and lift functions, significantly reducing cycle times and improving productivity.

This machine is the workhorse of the operation, complementing the VNA layout and offering both space and handling efficiency. The remainder of the fleet consists of powered pallet trucks with fixed platform that offer more comfort and safety than conventional pedestrian stackers in confined environments and wire-guided EPH high-level order pickers, twice nominated for the prestigious International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) competition.

The new fleet by UniCarriers perfectly matches Delamode’s warehouse requirements and provides it with the highest degree of flexibility. But that is not the only advantage: “The trucks are spot-on in view of safety. UniCarriers has equipped them with a lot of valuable features, which provide a safer environment for us to work in,” says Lauren Collins enthusiastically.

The issues with free-moving trucks damaging the facility is now resolved by guided vehicles with defined movement. Special framework protects the batteries and charging systems of the electrically-powered trucks from damage. A light system brings additional safety for the warehouse employees: A blue spot LED light projects onto the floor in front of the moving forklift truck visually warning them of the approaching vehicle.

The inadequate storage system and the unnecessarily high effort in Braintree are now a thing of the past. Instead, Delamode benefits from a modern logistics concept. Thanks to adopting a long-term equipment strategy and an efficient material handling operation in the new very narrow aisle warehouse, the logistics provider is saving costs day after day. The fleet of forklift trucks, the racking, the storage safety, and the related installations are all cast from a single mould under the leadership of Delamode’s partner UniCarriers – well rounded off by a high quality of service.

https://www.unicarrierseurope.com/uk/case-studies/Delamode

UniCarriers provides VNA solution to Delamode

Posted on by David Priestman

UniCarriers has delivered a state-of-the-art e-commerce storage concept comprising a long-term equipment strategy and an efficient material handling operation in a new very narrow aisle (VNA) warehouse for logistics provider Delamode.

An enormous boom in e-commerce over the past few years has led to the need for a new warehouse concept for Delamode PLC’s UK warehouse: The freight and logistics management provider’s double-deep storage system had become inefficient, and the ongoing short-term hire of industrial trucks was no longer up to date.

Delamode began looking for a suitable provider to restructure its warehouse in Braintree, Essex. Longstanding partner UniCarriers offered a VNA warehouse solution with matching material handling equipment. The global manufacturer of industrial trucks delivered not only a seamless logistics concept but also excellent service quality and a great understanding of Delamode’s needs. Altogether, Delamode benefits from a modern system with a high storage capacity, which is no longer at the expense of immediate selectivity. On top of that, the equipment provided is state-of-the-art and on point when it comes to safety.

Delamode is one of the largest companies of the International freight and logistics management group Xpediator PLC, which is listed on the London AIM Stock Exchange. The Xpediator group specialises in international freight transportation, warehousing and logistics services, ecommerce management solutions and specialist transport support services offered by its Affinity Transport Solutions business unit. The Delamode branch in Braintree, Essex, is a pick-and-pack warehouse covering almost 170,000 sq ft with around 150 full-time employees.

The focus is on distributing goods for retail and wholesale, fashion and especially e-commerce – a sector that in recent years increased and developed enormously for Delamode. After years of relying on double-deep storage in Braintree, the system’s limitations were no longer acceptable for Delamode. A high storage capacity due to double-deep storage is always at the expense of selectivity. A total of three pallet movements were necessary to reach a pallet in a back location: front pallet out, targeted pallet out, front pallet back in.

This is a time-consuming process that potentially results in the damage of valuable stock. Nevertheless, the double-deep system worked for years, as many of the pallets had duplicates which is why they were directly accessible at other storage locations. However, with a growing demand in e-commerce and rising throughput in the warehouse, the number of duplicate pallets decreased over time. Employees had to access the back pallets more often than before with increasing effort. Thus, the double-deep storage system had become unsuitable for Delamode.

The Braintree site encountered further difficulties: With-free moving trucks in use, Delamode reported a lot of facility damage causing issues in the racking. Also, the company had relied on short-term hire equipment from UniCarriers and other suppliers for years. As a result, this provided a high degree of flexibility, however, with regard to cost effectiveness, Delamode was looking for a coherent overall concept focussing on the long-term use of material handling equipment.

UniCarriers provided a complete solution

Delamode started to hold talks with three suppliers of industrial trucks. UniCarriers was in pole position according to Lauren Collins, Site Manager, Delamode. This is because the long-standing partner had already distinguished itself in the past with a high quality of service. In the event of potential vehicle breakdowns, UniCarriers can react quickly and reliably thanks to the modular vehicle design.

The service team responds to questions and difficulties, and the right people are immediately available: “UniCarriers’ response time and communication was top-draw in comparison to other suppliers, who struggled to understand the difficulties we had with their equipment,” says Lauren Collins, Site Manager, Delamode.

“UniCarriers, however, did not just offer one standard kit of material handling equipment, but perfectly understood what our specific needs were.”

John Clements, Regional Sales Manager at UniCarriers UK, describes the procedure: “We provided Delamode with several solutions to retain their capacity but to give them back immediate selectivity. We talked them through the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.”

The decision was made in favour of a VNA storage system completed with the appropriate material handling equipment. UniCarriers convinced Delamode with its consultative approach and flexible working methods: It brought additional partners on board – for example the racking provider System Store Solutions – and took charge of the coordination between all parties. As a result, Delamode received an overall package without having to negotiate between many different contractors.

“UniCarriers came prepared to offer more than just the trucks – they provided a complete solution. This made the process a lot easier and therefore convinced Delamode to work with UniCarriers,” Lauren Collins summarises.

Another advantage for Delamode became apparent when the project was already underway: At short notice, Delamode had to adjust its order of equipment – to which UniCarriers reacted without any complications.

New VNA warehouse with matching forklift fleet

For all warehouse tasks – from unloading incoming vehicles to pallet put away and pallet replenishment – Delamode in Braintree now uses a variety of UniCarriers trucks. The keystone of the fleet is the IFOY award-winning TERGO URS, a versatile very narrow aisle reach truck.

Thanks to its swivel fork design, it can work in aisles as small as 1800 mm. In-aisle steering is automated via a signal wire, and magnets indicate the proximity to the end of aisle bringing the truck to a controlled stop. As a result, this truck can operate safely at high speed without the risk of striking the racking. The URS also offers diagonal movement of pallets, thus providing simultaneous travel and lift functions, significantly reducing cycle times and improving productivity.

This machine is the workhorse of the operation, complementing the VNA layout and offering both space and handling efficiency. The remainder of the fleet consists of powered pallet trucks with fixed platform that offer more comfort and safety than conventional pedestrian stackers in confined environments and wire-guided EPH high-level order pickers, twice nominated for the prestigious International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) competition.

The new fleet by UniCarriers perfectly matches Delamode’s warehouse requirements and provides it with the highest degree of flexibility. But that is not the only advantage: “The trucks are spot-on in view of safety. UniCarriers has equipped them with a lot of valuable features, which provide a safer environment for us to work in,” says Lauren Collins enthusiastically.

The issues with free-moving trucks damaging the facility is now resolved by guided vehicles with defined movement. Special framework protects the batteries and charging systems of the electrically-powered trucks from damage. A light system brings additional safety for the warehouse employees: A blue spot LED light projects onto the floor in front of the moving forklift truck visually warning them of the approaching vehicle.

The inadequate storage system and the unnecessarily high effort in Braintree are now a thing of the past. Instead, Delamode benefits from a modern logistics concept. Thanks to adopting a long-term equipment strategy and an efficient material handling operation in the new very narrow aisle warehouse, the logistics provider is saving costs day after day. The fleet of forklift trucks, the racking, the storage safety, and the related installations are all cast from a single mould under the leadership of Delamode’s partner UniCarriers – well rounded off by a high quality of service.

https://www.unicarrierseurope.com/uk/case-studies/Delamode

Clad-rack warehouse system for Spanish dairy company

Posted on by David Priestman

García Baquero, a well-known Spanish company with an international presence in more than 60 countries dedicated to the production and distribution of dairy products, has improved its intralogistics with a clad-rack warehouse for pallets installed by AR Racking in Ciudad Real, Spain.

The new warehouse has 36m-high racking which, apart from storing the load, is part of the structure of the building supporting the external enclosures. The main characteristic of clad-rack warehouses is that the racking is part of the building structure, thus fully exploiting the space. García Baquero’s new warehouse, covering 1,080 sq m, is equipped with a stacker crane to handle the goods.

AR Racking, a company that specialises in industrial storage systems, worked on this project with a European engineering company to integrate automated elements in the racking structure. The new centre is also designed to store refrigerated products so “the structure has AR Racking 100% galvanised racking that offers ideal corrosion resistance for this type of environmental conditions”, explained Juan Francisco Contreras, AR Racking Project Manager.

According to Diego Medina, Technical Manager at García Baquero, “this new automated warehouse will help us to improve our daily operating performance and our logistics efficiency. We are delighted to have a structure perfectly suited to the characteristics of our product and this large load capacity.”

“The clad-rack warehouse is the most suitable solution for high-bay storage. We worked painstakingly on the planning of the installation phases and carried out an exhaustive follow-up to ensure the project would be completed as planned and strictly meet the customer’s storage needs,” explained Bernardo Sopeña, AR Racking Sales Engineer.

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