New Vertical Automated Warehouse Products

Modula, a leading company in the field of vertical automated warehouses, ideal for saving time, space, and reducing picking errors, introduces two new products with lift features but new applications.

The first is Modula Pallet, groundbreaking automatic vertical solution, revolutionizing the way businesses handle 1200×800 mm pallets. Designed to operate seamlessly without the need for traditional forklifts, this innovative system streamlines warehouse operations and enhances efficiency.

The key feature of Modula Pallet is its ability to handle pallets directly from the ground, eliminating the reliance on forklifts for elevation. The load is smoothly transported on the ground and then efficiently loaded into the warehouse responsible for the lifting process. This not only ensures a more straightforward workflow but also relieves operators from the challenges associated with handling materials at heights.

Moreover, Modula Pallet enables the strategic storage of pallets at elevated positions while ensuring convenient ground-level delivery. The use of a pallet jack or manual forklift suffices for internal warehouse movements, simplifying the overall logistics process. This makes it the optimal solution for businesses dealing with a moderate number of pallets, ranging from a few tens to a few hundred, aiming to maximize warehouse organization by capitalizing on vertical storage space.

A notable feature of Modula Pallet is its facilitation of piece picking, allowing operators to access individual items directly through the picking window without the need to move the entire pallet. This represents a significant innovation, enhancing speed, precision, and ergonomic considerations in the picking process.

In the ever-evolving landscape of warehouse automation, Modula also developed Modula Next emerges as a game-changer, not just as a conventional lift system, but as a versatile vending machine catering to diverse industry needs.

Modula Next (pictured below) operates like a lift but thinks like a vending machine. Thanks to a system of movable windows, managed by dedicated software, only the compartment where the operation needs to be performed becomes available to the picking operator.

This has two advantages:
1. the operator cannot make a mistake in retrieval even among similar items,
2. every movement is tracked, and it is known exactly who took what and when, with no margin for error.

One innovative application of Modula Next is its capability to function as a vending machine, facilitating the one-to-one distribution of personal protective equipment or personal effects. This feature makes it an invaluable asset for companies keen on optimizing the management of individualized items.

Consider the scenario of companies supplying parts or components to other businesses. By strategically placing a fully stocked Modula Next unit at the client’s facility, the client can efficiently retrieve spare parts or components only when necessary and in the required quantities. This approach brings numerous advantages, including the elimination of time wasted on excess inventory, meticulous inventory control, and the ability to trace every withdrawal. Most notably, for the supplying company, it becomes a guarantee that the client exclusively purchases its products, eliminating the need to explore alternatives from competitors.

The utilization of Modula Next in this manner represents a paradigm shift in inventory management, providing businesses with a level of precision and efficiency that was previously hard to achieve. As industries continue to seek innovative solutions for their logistical challenges, Modula stands out as a reliable and adaptable tool, reshaping the way companies approach inventory distribution and ensuring a seamless and streamlined process for clients and suppliers alike.

read more

Bonfiglioli and System Logistics S.p.A partner on Modula

 

Carousel awarded John Deere Hall of Fame status

Carousel, the European Critical Service Logistics specialist, has been awarded the Hall of Fame status as part of the global John Deere Achieving Excellence Program.

Suppliers who participate in the Achieving Excellence Program are evaluated annually in several key performance categories, including quality, cost management, delivery, technical support and wavelength, which is a measure of responsiveness. The John Deere Partner Status is the highest rating that can be awarded to suppliers by the internationally distinguished brand.

John Deere commended Carousel for consistently providing outstanding end-to-end logistics solutions, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and for its ongoing commitment to continuous improvement. In addition, Carousel was recognised for pro-actively managing a fully integrated customs brokerage solution in the UK – supported by its digital platform Gateway, in preparation for a smooth Brexit transition for John Deere.

Tim Deniz, Business Development Director, commented: “We are proud to partner with John Deere and we are honoured to receive this recognition. We look forward to supporting the world-leading manufacturer in its wider European strategy and to build on what we have collectively achieved over the past 10 years.”

John Deere Award

A spokesperson at John Deere said: “I would like to thank Carousel for their ongoing commitment to contributing to the John Deere business and congratulate the team on achieving the Partner Status Award from Achieving Excellence once again. Only two logistics companies have been awarded the Hall of Fame status, which is a truly tremendous achievement.”

read more

John Deere in New Three-Year Deal With Carousel

 

Increase Efficiency of Storage and Production Processes

FAUN Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG is one of the leading manufacturers of waste collection vehicles and sweepers in Europe. The medium-sized company operates eleven plants in which around 2,000 employees produce a wide variety of special vehicles. At the company headquarters in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, production takes place on a total of 15 assembly lines, which are supplied with components from an indoor warehouse and an outdoor warehouse. In order to optimise the logistical processes between production and warehouse, FAUN decided to introduce a professional warehouse management system with EPG | LFS. LFS has been in use since October 2020 and already ensured an increase in picking performance at the Kardex towers after a very short time.

From huge steel sheets to tanks and pumps to the smallest screws – FAUN Umwelttechnik requires a wide range of individual parts for the production of waste collection containers. They are kept at the Osterholz-Scharmbeck site on a total of 6,500 square metres of storage space so that the assembly lines can access them at the right moment. In 2019, the company decided to introduce a professional warehouse management system to better organise the items. The new solution should above all bring more transparency with regard to the inventory and warehouse processes – as a basis for subsequently being able to optimise them.

Online research and online training

The company researched suitable warehouse management systems with the help of an online tool from the Fraunhofer Institute. During the subsequent discussions with system providers, it quickly became apparent that EPG, with more than 30 years of experience, best met the client’s desire for a professionally positioned provider. FAUN particularly appreciates the modular design of the LFS warehouse management system, which promises plenty of scope for future expansions. Another decisive factor was the innovative training offered by EPG | ACADEMY, which teaches users how to use the system correctly. “We were very pleased with the fast and professional organisation of the online training in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic,” says Ronny Lößner, who was responsible for the implementation at FAUN Umwelttechnik. “So despite the circumstances there was no delay in our project and we were able to start with LFS as planned.”

Simon Reininghaus, project manager at EPG, praises the constructive cooperation during the implementation: “The project team has excellent process knowledge and was thus able to integrate the processes into the LFS quickly during customising. “ As a result, FAUN was able to record positive effects on employee performance just two weeks after the system was introduced: The picking performance was already higher than before the introduction.

More efficiency through new picking strategy

A large part of the increased efficiency was due to the conversion of order picking to multi-order picking. This allows FAUN employees to process several individual orders in parallel. This saves distances and significantly increases the picking performance. “Picking at the four towers used to be our bottleneck,” explains Katharina Beck, Head of Logistics at FAUN. “The employees could only process orders one after the other and had to go from tower to tower. With LFS, it is now possible to combine several individual orders that are intelligently controlled. In this way, the employees manage more orders in the same amount of time.” In order to make the best possible use of this potential, FAUN has installed two new Kardex towers in which the trays can be controlled automatically by telegram exchange and manual input at the panel is no longer necessary.

Further projects already planned

Beck assumes that performance will continue to increase as FAUN exploits all the possibilities of the warehouse management system. For example, new dashboards will soon be added to make it easier to evaluate key figures. This enables staff to identify weak points in processes and optimisation potential more quickly. In the area of inventory management, transparency has increased significantly: The storage location of individual components can now be determined precisely. In addition, short-term orders from the assembly lines are immediately visible in the system due to the real-time bookings. For the future, FAUN would like to see this transparency in other areas as well. An additional module has already been acquired to map not only the warehouse processes but also the flow of goods between the machine groups. The transport control system is to be implemented as early as next year.

New Automatic Vertical Lift Module

More ergonomic. More functional. More innovative. The Italian Ferretto Group takes a further step forward in warehouse automation by launching the new generation of Vertimag; already chosen as a vertical storage system by leading companies globally, now comes in an updated version to respond even more effectively to the needs of the most varied markets and sectors.

The ongoing work of the Research and Development center has made it possible to further highlight the benefits of Vertimag, leading to concrete advantages in terms of efficiency and productivity: space optimization creates a 90% reduction in the footprint compared to a traditional warehouse, ergonomics and flexibility are complemented by the versatility offered thanks to the widest range of tray combinations in the market. Innovation is not limited to the efficiency of goods storage, it also benefits the operators: the user-friendly interface, the ergonomic bay, the simplicity of management, the safety elements all permit a better user experience.

Vertimag combines more than 60 years of experience, continuous investment in research and development, and the quality of a solution designed and built entirely in-house. The new VLM brings all this together and allows Ferretto Group to offer companies a truly cost effective, innovative and functional solution to provide concrete advantages in terms of productivity and process optimization.

Available in versions from 3 to 12 meters in height, the VLM has a maximum capacity of 70,000 kg and can store materials of any format, weight and size up to a height of 695 mm. The new Vertimag stands out primarily for its flexible solutions: 15 models, 6 types of picking bay (Ergo-Tech, single internal, double internal, single external, double external, removable) and 120 combinations of tray sizes allow this outstanding product to meet the demands of the most diverse production sectors.

Special attention has been paid to safety: barriers for operators, full compliance with anti-seismic standards, and a quieter operating system. The push for innovation has also made it possible to strengthen the equipment supplied with the system, resulting in a more efficient management software designed in-house with a new generation graphic interface and an easy integration with external management software. Vertimag has been designed and tested for robustness; furthermore, the management software includes preventive maintenance algorithms which, in combination with the design, improves the system uptime.

The software has a user friendly and customizable dashboard through which it is possible to quickly check the status of all the machines, dynamically manage the compartments of the trays, and monitor in real time the stock levels and the position of items in the trays. To optimize the operator’s working conditions, a wide range of accessories is also available sliding console, a trolley for tray removal, laser pointer, alphanumeric LED bar, barcode reader, piece counting scale and label printer.

Subscribe

Get notified about New Episodes of our Podcast, New Magazine Issues and stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter.