Subscribe

Tag: logistics

Multimodal Specialist Appoints new Directors

Posted on by David Priestman

KRL, a UK and Ireland based multimodal freight-forwarding business, move into 2023 by announcing two highly significant appointments to support its exciting development plans. David Flaherty becomes Operations Director UK & IE, and Greig Allan becomes Commercial Director UK and IE.

Both are internal promotions of longstanding highly valued employees who have shown clear dedication to the company and its mission, and bring great experience into their important new roles.
“We are thrilled to have David and Greig join the leadership team at KRL,” said Peter Phythian, -KRL Managing Director, “Their dedication to the company and their industry expertise make them invaluable assets, and we have no doubt that they will continue to drive the success of the business in their new roles.”

Greig Allan began his career in logistics at P&O Nedlloyd in Southampton as a transport planner. He then moved to the export desk at P&O in Glasgow before joining JH Hillebrand, a company specializing in the drinks and beverage sector. From there, he worked for DHL Global Forwarding managing a control tower before transitioning to sales with Expeditors. He then joined Kingscote Rojay Limited (KRL) as a sales executive, later becoming the Regional Manager for the north and then the Commercial Manager for the UK. Greig has been instrumental in the growth of KRL’s Scottish branch and has contributed to several milestones and achievements within the company.

David Flaherty began his career in the aviation industry, starting with Aer Lingus in the ground operations department at Dublin Airport. He then moved into the freight world, working in both the import and export departments for Aer Lingus Cargo, before transitioning to the sales department. In this role, David was responsible for supporting all Aer Lingus customers, both big and small, within the Dublin-based freight forwarding community. After a few years, David became the Branch Manager of GeoLogistics Shannon, where he learned to become a multi-modal freight forwarder. In 2008, he opened his own business, Air Aqua Forwarding, which was purchased by the KRL Group five years later. Since joining KRL, David has held several positions within the company, including Ireland Manager, Facilities and Purchasing Manager, Operations Manager UK & IE, and now his current role as Operations Director UK & IE.

KRL is committed to providing opportunities for career progression and development within the company, as demonstrated by the promotions of David and Greig. These promotions not only demonstrate the trust and confidence in the abilities of these individuals, but also serve as a reminder that progression is available at all levels within the organization. From entry-level positions to the highest level of management, KRL encourages employees to take ownership of their professional development and grow within the company. This dedication to internal advancement is key to KRL’s continued success and growth. We look forward to seeing the impact both Greig and David will make as Directors.

Based out of Crawley for over 30 years, KRL provides Multimodal capabilities to it’s client base from its 7 locations across the UK and Ireland, through its team of dedicated freight forwarders customers have access to the full suite of Air, Ocean, Road, Logistics and Customs expertise on a daily basis.

For more than 25 years, KRL has been providing multi-modal and logistics services to clients importing and exporting goods across the borders of the UK and Ireland. KRL have steadily built up an extensive network of partners at over 400 facilities and 13,000 locations across the world that works with KRL to make timely and cost-efficient delivery, collection, and transfer of cargo. Within the UK and Ireland, KRL operate 10 hubs and a modern road haulage fleet. This allows KRL to easily facilitate the pick-up and delivery of consignments to client premises or its hubs, as desired. KRL also offer warehousing facilities, custom packing, and pick and pack services. These value-added services help KRL to better support its specialist supply chain solutions.

China Zero Covid: Supply Chain Impact

Posted on by David Priestman

What supply chain impact will there be from China’s ending of Covid restrictions? Jochen Freese, Chief Commercial Officer, Forto, comments:

“While it is undeniable that the supply chain will be affected if Covid rates continue to grow in China, it is important to remember that the current period – between Christmas and the Chinese New Year – is a quiet time for Asia-Europe trade. Covid is hitting China at a time of low demand which means that even if companies lack workers, they can still fulfill orders.

“I also believe that it might not turn out as bad as everyone is predicting. Despite the high incidence rate in China and the seasonal factors mentioned, Forto has moved more volumes from Asia to Europe in December 2022 and January 2023 than we did for the same period a year before. We moved 17% more volume from China and 50% more from Vietnam.

“However, there is no doubt that now is the time for companies to diversify their supply chain. They can do so by adding production sites within or outside of China, as Apple has done, or try out different trade lanes or transport modes so as to avoid the negative effect of possible port closures. We have had customers, for example, adding rail to their usual sea freight and realizing the advantages of fast, reliable and reasonably priced transport.”

Forto is the first European digital freight forwarder specializing on the Asia-Europe trade lane. Forto has 5 offices in Greater China (Hong Kong, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin), 2 offices in Vietnam (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh) and one office in Singapore. Forto employs more than 150 people in Asia and around 800 people globally.

ISO certification for Customs4trade

Posted on by David Priestman

In a bid to continuously monitor and maximise security for customers and employees, Customs4Trade (C4T) has received ISO 27001:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 certification, the internationally recognised standard for security and compliance, specifying requirements for an organisation’s quality management system (QMS) and information security management system (ISMS).

Receiving the ISO certifications demonstrates that C4T has invested in its people, processes, technology, and quality.

ISO standards

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and committed to maintaining the highest available security standards to protect our customers and employees. Being accredited with the ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certification is a vital step in this process and further validates our commitment to good governance and information security and quality, and we look forward to continuing to serve our clients and employees with the highest security and quality standards,” says Rupert Spiegelberg, CEO of Customs4Trade.

ISO 9001 is a national standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS) to help businesses become more efficient to improve customer satisfaction. ISO 27001 certification for information security and privacy best practices.

read more

UK Attachment Supplier Celebrates ISO Quality Management Status

 

Hines acquires six Dutch logistics assets

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Hines, the global real estate investment, development, and property manager, has advised its Hines European Core Fund (HECF) on the acquisition of six fully occupied logistics assets in the Randstad area in Aalsmeer, Honselersdijk and Rijnsburg in The Netherlands.

The business parks, on which the assets are located, are majority owned and managed by Royal FloraHolland (RFH), the world’s largest floricultural marketplace and a major contributor to The Netherlands’ world-renowned role within the flower industry. In 2021, the value of The Netherlands’ flower and plant import and export market reached €7.3bn, with a further €865m of flowers imported and distributed through business parks such as those operated by RFH.

The acquired buildings, spanning 92,000 sq m, are fully leased to six occupiers operating within The Netherlands’ floricultural trade market, each on a long-term lease. The properties are in the heart of the densely populated Randstad area, the economic heartland of The Netherlands, which accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s GDP and has a population of over 8.4m. The assets are clustered near the three major Dutch flower auction sites, giving occupiers excellent access to high concentrations of wholesale and retail flower vendors and purchasers.

Hines builds on investment

Andy Smith, managing director and country head – The Netherlands at Hines, commented: “The portfolio aggregation of these fully leased properties builds on our investment, development and management platform in Dutch logistics. The agricultural and floricultural logistics market is undergoing substantial consolidation, transformation and modernisation while remaining among the most resilient segments of a turbulent economy.

“We are proud to support our tenants in their continued success and we look forward to maintaining and improving the quality of these business critical assets through long term value creation via our property management initiatives.”

Simone Pozzato, managing director and HECF fund manager, added: “Our European core-fund,  HECF, completed the first phase of its aggregation of six fully occupied last-mile logistics assets in the highly sought-after Randstad area in The Netherlands, via four off-market and one direct market acquisitions, achieving a considerable portfolio size, at an attractive entry yield.

“Our ability to source and aggregate opportunities off market through our strong local teams has enabled us to decisively spot value and quickly close in prime occupier locations. To add further value on behalf of our investors, we will also seek to provide property management services and implement strategic ESG improvements aiming to reduce carbon emissions and increase efficiency.”

In 2022, Hines has completed €797m of logistics transactions across Europe, in markets including Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, The UK and The Netherlands. Hines’ European logistics AUM now stands at €3bn.

 

Dachser appoints new COO

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Dachser is setting the course for future growth in its Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) business field through long-term succession planning. Dr. Tobias Burger (45 – pictured) will succeed Edoardo Podestà (60) as COO Air & Sea Logistics and member of the Executive Board, effective 1st January, 2024. After a Dachser career spanning 20 years, a little over four of them at the helm of ASL, Podestà will step down from active working life at the end of 2023.

“Dr. Tobias Burger is an experienced logistics strategist and we are helping him prepare to take his seat on Dachser’s Executive Board. With his holistic, forward-thinking logistics outlook, he will prove a valuable addition to our Executive Board team,” says Bernhard Simon, Chairman of the Dachser Supervisory Board. “Dr. Burger will also be in charge of all of Dachser’s marketing activities. This means we will be best placed to proactively address complex market changes, particularly in air and sea freight, and to position ourselves accordingly.”

A former management consultant, Dr. Burger joined Dachser in 2009. He worked in controlling and strategy development before being given responsibility for Corporate Governance. At that time, he was already overseeing the development of air and sea operations toward a seamless global network. As Deputy Director Air & Sea Logistics, Dr. Burger has served as Podestà’s right-hand man since 2019. During this period, he was first put in charge of ASL global sales, a position whose responsibilities currently include strategic development for the entire business field. Since 2021, he has also been leading the ASL EMEA business unit.

Dachser appoints Meier to replace Burger

Effective 1st January, 2023, Dr. Burger will hand over the role of Managing Director ASL EMEA to Marc Meier. To prepare himself for managing the regional business unit, Meier (53) joined Dachser already on 1st October, 2022. As a logistics manager whose expertise includes air and sea freight, overland transport, and warehousing, he has built up more than 30 years of international experience in the logistics industry.

Together with the owner, he served as CEO of Hamburg-based air freight forwarder Senator International until that company was acquired by Maersk in 2021. Prior to that, he spent over five years as CEO of Fr. Meyer’s Sohn, a forwarding agency specialising in sea freight. He began his career at Kühne + Nagel, where he held various management positions, lastly as President of the Canada country organisation.

“In Marc Meier we have gained a seasoned air and sea freight manager with an international reputation. He is the ideal person to guide our ASL business in the EMEA region to a successful future,” says Dachser CEO Burkhard Eling. “And dovetailing this business with our European overland transportation network will lead the way to further growth.”

Müller to take over in ASL APAC

Dachser has also already planned the succession in its ASL APAC business unit. Effective 1st January, 2024, Roman Müller (41) will succeed Edoardo Podestà, who has led the regional business unit with great success since 2014, and in conjunction with his other role of COO ASL since 2019. Swiss-born Müller has worked in Asia his entire career. Over the past 15 years, his management positions at Dachser include Manager of the Korea country organisation and Senior Sales Manager for the entire APAC region. Since July 2021, he has served as Deputy Director Asia Pacific in the ASL APAC business unit, reporting to Podestà.

“Roman Müller knows the Asian markets and their requirements inside out. In all his previous positions – especially those in sales – he achieved outstanding success and helped advance our presence in Asia,” Eling says. “So he is ideally placed not only to continue the stellar development of the ASL APAC business unit but also to take it to a whole new level by focusing even more on offering integrated services. In 2023, he will work closely with Edoardo Podestà to chart a course for this success.”

Dachser’s Air & Sea Logistics business field employed more than 4,300 people and generated €2.1bn in revenue in 2021. It operates 139 branches in 36 countries. Dachser’s ASL 3 EMEA business unit comprises 21 country organisations with 71 locations and employs more than 2,100 people. The company’s ASL APAC business unit is represented in 11 countries, with more than 1,500 employees working across 43 locations.

 

Amazon enables more sustainable deliveries to Sweden

Posted on by Keith McKinley

As much of Europe is connected by sea, Amazon is taking advantage of this unique geography to leverage waterborne transportation. Amazon is moving inventory and customer packages by sea as it provides a more efficient, lower emission and faster mode of freight transport.

By using sea transportation rather than traditional trucks, Amazon is avoiding roughly a quarter of the carbon emissions for next day delivery trips on average in Sweden.

Partnering with Stena Line in Sweden, Amazon is operating more than 25 sea routes between Sweden, Germany and Poland, transporting inventory between its buildings in those countries. This is achieved through partnerships with sea carriers, like Stena Line, that operate more than 25 different sea routes that link buildings in Germany and Poland to the ports of Helsingborg, Nynasham and Trelleborg in Sweden.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to transport packages for customers through less carbon intensive methods. In a water-surrounded country like Sweden, we are excited to announce our most recent transportation mode – Amazon Sea – that enables next day delivery to Swedish customers while avoiding roughly a quarter of the carbon emissions,” says Gulfem Toygar, Country Manager, Amazon Sweden.

Amazon developing robust maritime network

“At Stena Line we are proud to partner with Amazon as we work together in developing a robust maritime network that allows faster and more sustainable deliveries to Sweden,” says Stena Line Head of Freight, Jacob Koch-Nielsen.

When a Swedish customer clicks ‘order’, Amazon locates the product within one of its European fulfilment centres – picks it, packs it, and ships it to one of its sortation centres in Germany or Poland to consolidate orders. From there, it is routed to one of the ports where a truck rolls on board one of the Stena Line ferries to cover the sea route.

Once the truck arrives at a Swedish port, it rolls off the ferry and goes to one of Amazon’s partners’ hubs in Sweden, like Airmee, prior to final delivery to the customer. Airmee is an innovative Swedish logistics company founded in 2018, also a signatory of The Climate Pledge, that focuses on fast and net-zero carbon deliveries via bike.

“As a technological logistics platform powering environmentally sustainable delivery solutions, we are happy to be working side by side with Amazon. We aim to lead the shift in logistics sustainability in Sweden and already now we provide 100% carbon neutral deliveries by using a combination of technology and electrical vehicles,” says Julian Lee, Founder and CEO of Airmee.

As part of Amazon´s effort to offer broader selection and faster delivery to customers across Europe, it is increasing the use of short trips by sea, taking advantage of Europe’s geographic peculiarities. Amazon currently operates more than 170 sea routes across Europe and this year alone has added over 60 short sea and waterways routes. It will continue innovating and using various transport modes to enable fast, efficient, and reliable deliveries to customers.

Carbon reduction

Amazon is working with numerous maritime carriers across Europe to move inventory and parcels replacing the existing more carbon intensive routes with waterborne transport that provides carbon reduction, efficiency and speed to customer between its buildings. These include European Partners like DFDS, Grimaldi, and many others.

This initiative is an integral part of Amazon’s goal of decarbonising its operations and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, 10 years before the Paris Agreement, and for this it has partners such as European shipping companies such as Stena Line that are at the forefront of sustainable maritime transport.

Sea routes provide a more sustainable, efficient, and in some cases faster mode of freight transport in comparison to other land-based alternatives. Amazon is using Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off) method, which means that its existing road carriers are bringing loads to the ports and drive directly on and off the vessels of its maritime partners.

SEKO and GreyOrange form strategic partnership

Posted on by David Priestman

SEKO Logistics, a leading global logistics provider, has formed a strategic partnership with GreyOrange, a global leader in automated robotic fulfilment and inventory optimisation software, to help scale-up its warehouse operations.

The partnership, which will involve SEKO using a fleet of GreyOrange’s Ranger Assist Bots and GreyMatter fulfilment orchestration platform, will enable the company to both increase available capacity and throughput across its warehouse while also reducing operating costs. GreyOrange’s solution will empower SEKO to scale its warehouse operations to meet changing demand without having to source additional labour.

“In our industry, building a scalable logistics solution to meet the ever-changing demand cycles, whilst controlling an increasing cost base, is critical in our customer offering,” said Paul Lockwood, Group Managing Director UK & I for SEKO. “This new partnership with GreyOrange allows our fulfilment centres, starting in the UK, to manage those fluctuations seamlessly and empower our clients to turn their supply chains into a competitive differentiator. GreyOrange’s AI-driven software and automation serves as a powerful tool to ensure we’re always delivering high-velocity ecommerce solutions for our clients no matter the season.”

GreyMatter from GreyOrange

GreyOrange’s GreyMatter fulfilment orchestration platform coordinates and assigns the work activities of warehouse robots such as Ranger Assist to maximise productivity, speed, accuracy and safety in distribution operations. GreyMatter matches robot agents according to work needs, including capacity and demand peaks, for seamless inventory orchestration.

“We are honoured to be partnering with SEKO, one of the premier retail and e-commerce logistic providers – to help provide a way for warehouses to operate more efficiently during peak times”, said Samay Kohli, Co-Founder and CEO of GreyOrange. “Together with our AI software and smart robots, we will be able to solve some of the most pressing issues facing logistics operations currently.”

GreyOrange will be working with Zebra Fetch Robotics, to provide the Ranger Assist bots. The Ranger Assist is an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that supports a variety of e-commerce fulfilment and wholesale picking workflows, including each and batch picking, as well as interleaving replenishment and putaway. Industry-leading on-board robot safety software and sensors enable the AMR system to be ANSI/RIA R15.08 conforming and carry the CE mark.

“Robotics automation provides an outstanding range of scalable solutions for warehouse challenges in today’s on-demand economy,” said Marcel Kars, VP Robotics Automation, Zebra Technologies. “AMRs can deliver greater workflow efficiencies and improved worker productivity gains by streamlining e-commerce orders, automating the movement of goods and assisting workers with picking.”

 

 

C4T appoints new CEO

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Customs4trade, one of Europe’s leading SaaS platforms for customs management solutions, has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Rupert Spiegelberg as its new CEO. Chief Revenue Officer Jo Buvens, ex-Salesforce and Chief Product and Technology Officer Oliver Conze, ex SAP join Spiegelberg to drive C4T management and its digital platform CAS in a new direction to accelerate growth in 2023.

Spiegelberg succeeds Pieter Haesaert, who founded C4T together with Ilse Vermeersch as a customs consultancy in 2004 before developing the CAS platform ten years later. Founders Haesaert and Vermeersch will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operational management and strategy of C4T, but remain invested in the company as shareholders together with 83North, Hi Inov, 42CAP and 10x Group. Werner Koninckx will represent the founders on the board. Werner is chairman of 3E and DeltaQ and has extensive experience in scaling SaaS businesses.

“We are extremely proud of all the C4T’ers and our partners who have been relentlessly contributing to the progress we made at C4T the last years,” Haesaert and Vermeersch said. “We thank our clients and partners for the trust they put in our hands to service them in the complex and time critical world of customs compliance. C4T is now with CAS in a fantastic position to take advantage of all the changes in the customs world that we will see in coming years.”

CEO is SaaS veteran

Spiegelberg is a 20-year veteran of SaaS (Software as a Service) scale-up businesses in the UK, mainland Europe and the US. Buvens joins him as CRO, formerly Salesforce’s Regional Vice President and Country Leader for Belgium and Luxembourg, and by Oliver Conze as Chief Product and Technology Officer. Conze has spent 15 years at SAP – most recently as the German technology giant’s Chief Product Officer for Marketing Cloud.

“C4T is leading the way in driving down costs, speeding up turnaround times for UK and European importers and exporters and simplifying the hugely complex world of online customs management,” said Spiegelberg. “In taking up the role to lead C4T’s ‘A-team’ of customs experts, I will support their tireless dedication to transform our company into a champion of the sector. We will help our customers go beyond compliance to make customs and trade a strategic component of their growth.”

C4T, whose CAS digital platform manages more than one hundred thousand customs declarations every month for major brands such as Honda, Mizuno, Agristo, and many others, and delivers to customers the benefits of the increased digitisation of the customs sector as national governments across Europe move to upgrade customs systems over the course of the next couple of years.

 

Predicting 2023 supply chain innovations

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Mike Bhaskaran, Group COO of Digital Technology at DP World, shares his predictions on technology innovations that will impact the supply chain logistics industry in 2023.

Fixing global supply chains requires trust and transparency; digital technologies and platforms deliver this through the ability and opportunity to share real-time data. Whether that’s blockchain solutions that boost information security or digital portals that enhance freight visibility, we see a proliferation in technology that can make supply chains more transparent and better understood.

Innovation will enable us to adapt and evolve. We cannot go as we did before – the environment is different; the climate is different. In 2023, businesses must embrace the opportunities offered by technology to streamline processes and boost visibility throughout the supply chain.

Boosting supply chain visibility

Whether it is a purchase from an online retailer or a local food order, new technologies have raised consumer expectations for businesses to provide full visibility of purchased goods right through to the point of delivery. We are seeing business customers develop the same expectations; however, the level of visibility available to them when tracking cargo through the supply chain by far lacks the sophistication available to consumers. The journey from A to B features numerous blind spots, with businesses often unable to account for their cargo at any given moment while it moves across the sea or land.

We need to make it easier for cargo owners to be able to locate and find their cargo at any one point – there should be no ‘blackouts’. Real-time visibility is key. The big question is, how can companies obtain better visibility into the movement and condition of their shipments? The answer is straightforward: by using modern technology. The latest developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data have an immense potential to enhance every supply chain process, from inventory forecasting to demand and sustainable supply chain management.

Secure track-and-trace technology has a crucial role to play in strengthening and unifying regulatory control, fiscal sustainability and ensuring secure supply chains. Many of the components for an integrated solution are already available today. If governments worldwide are to fully leverage the potential benefits to be had from a secure track-and-trace framework, they need to act now. If we are up to the challenge this really can be a win-win.

Using trade initiatives to evolve trade routes

Boosting trade is one of the most powerful tools to lift people out of poverty. Countries that are open to international trade tend to grow faster, innovate, improve productivity, and provide higher incomes and more opportunities to their people. The international community recognises the importance of trade for development through initiatives, such as Aid for Trade, Financing for Development and, most importantly, the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

2023 presents opportunities for new trading routes to open up as many markets are shifting from their traditional ones. Supply chains are also reshaping, as new deals are struck along political lines, and companies prioritise contracting with known, trusted suppliers. This new version of globalisation places greater value on political certainty.

Initiatives like the World Logistics Passport can help governments collaborate more closely on trade and kickstart their economies by making it easier for exporters and importers to reap the benefits of international trade. By working together across borders towards a common goal, governments and businesses can build a more robust global trading community that is both agile and resilient.

Supply chain finance for SMEs

Access to trade finance is critical to the survival and growth of exporters, importers and logistics companies which are the drivers of the global economy. The gap in international trade credit amounts to $3tn and is widening, according to the World Bank.

We need to work closely with financial institutions so that they can start releasing liquid credit – especially for SMEs. But the provision of finance to smaller businesses is lagging – a problem exacerbated by the global financial crisis in 2008, which made large banks pull back from lending more broadly.

Providing financing to these companies has a multiplier effect on trade, income and employment generation. A report by consultants Accenture, commissioned by Stenn, estimates the demand for trade finance will hit $6.1tn in the next four years. In 2023, we expect to see a rise in banking solutions for exporters that smooth and speed up the process when businesses apply for trade finance. Although banks offer trade finance, their approval processes tend to take a long time which can be off-putting.

A new era of global trade

We will witness a new era of global trade next year. Now is the time to invest in defending logistics networks against risk, expand digitalisation and provide the incentives that make global trade work for everyone. The tools we develop are important to leverage digital technology and the solutions are of course what we are aiming to find.

Track and trace technology and electronic bills of lading will remain extremely important in 2023 as we focus our efforts on digitising the supply chain and becoming closer to economies. At DP World, we see technology as the enabler. We need to reduce the siloes and paperwork and create digital solutions to streamline and make efficiencies. Taken together, these initiatives will ensure that we do not simply react to shocks but are well-prepared to navigate them effectively.

Scalable solution for optimised pallet handling

Posted on by David Priestman

Fluctuating demand and a shortage of skilled workers pose mounting challenges for many companies. In order to translate multi-layered requirements into efficient, optimised logistics structures, companies need flexible logistics systems that work together perfectly. SSI Schaefer offers a solution in the form of an intelligent combination of space-saving pallet channel storage with an SSI Orbiter channel shuttle and automated guided vehicles (AGV) – a solution that also provides a gradual entry into automation.

In parallel, the system guarantees 24/7 availability of goods, helping compensate for the ongoing labour shortage. Operators can start with a manually operated SSI Orbiter environment and then introduce a control system with manually operated ground conveyors, gradually integrating AGVs as needed.

Volume-optimised storage solution

Increasing time and cost pressures are another reason companies are considering process automation for their warehouse logistics and production supply. This is where volume-optimised channel storage systems for pallets come in. Thanks to high storage density, they require less logistics space than static racks or conventional floor block storage.

Johan Kagerö, Global Product Line Manager at SSI Schaefer, is familiar with other benefits of this combination: “The solution doesn’t require a large initial investment – it can grow as the company develops, making it especially attractive for small and medium-sized enterprises. Thanks to the high volume utilisation rate, customers get more storage capacity in the warehouse, can systematically adjust their resources to the daily order volume and can significantly increase their throughput.”

Keeping costs and processes under control

The turnkey combination of SSI Orbiters and AGVs is especially practical where SKU variance is low, particularly in the food and beverage industry. In addition to a space-saving design, which allows easy integration with the stock system, the channel shuttles can potentially save significant energy. Manually operated bin stackers can be integrated flexibly to cover temporary peaks.

The combination with AGVs offers additional advantages providing basic transport capacity, reducing the error rate and ensuring material flow consistency thanks to continuous availability, even in a three-shift operation.

“This is especially important in countries experiencing critical shortages of skilled workers and high labour costs,” emphasises Kagerö. “Staff can instead be deployed more efficiently in regular operations and assigned to plan further process optimisation.”

Software-supported interplay

SSI Schaefer offers the system solution together with a warehouse control system (WCS), which handles the coordination of transport orders. In addition to the channel shuttles, a fleet controller is coupled to this system to control the AGV network, with optional fleet management for manually operated ground conveyors. For example, in the storage process, transport orders are first generated via the host, which sends the orders to the WCS.

When the transport order is transferred to the fleet control system, resources are automatically aligned with priorities. The transport order is then assigned to a vehicle according to the retrieval strategy, prioritisation, sequencing or bundling rules and the AGV availability. The AGV picks up the loading unit and transports it to the storage cube. The specially tailored WCS ensures that the assigned destination rack is already equipped with a channel shuttle to eliminate waiting time. Once the transport order is completed, feedback is simultaneously sent to the host, and the vehicle is now available for its next deployment.

Greater flexibility and performance

“Using the WCS we offer gives operators even greater flexibility,” adds Kagerö. “The software offers options such as applying FIFO/FILO (first in, first out/first in, last out) handling principles, performing sequencing and using KPIs for further performance optimisation.”

Interface compatibility with all common customer systems and their interface technologies also guarantees flexibility. With this foundation, integrating a WCS-supported combination of SSI Orbiters and AGVs is possible not only in greenfield environments with a high degree of design freedom – integration even into existing (brownfield) structures poses no difficulty. This allows companies to gradually switch from manual processes to partially automated processes at reasonable cost. Other warehouse areas, such as static racks, mobile rack systems, vertical lift modules or conveying systems, can also be integrated flexibly to create a tailored logistics solution.

One partner

SSI Schaefer supplies the entire system as a turnkey solution from a single source. This eliminates the need for complex coordination of different systems and risks. “The intelligence the software includes is what makes our solution so special,” adds Kagerö.

“The solution lets our customers adapt their intralogistics to up-to-date requirements at any time. That makes it ideal for a kanban approach to production supply, for equipping and supplying production lines and for use at the interface between outgoing goods and truck loading, for example.”

SSI Schaefer says it offers operators a comprehensive portfolio of services from a single source, through implementation and beyond, and its Customer Service & Support (CSS) helps ensure continuous system availability. This allows companies to upgrade their intralogistics step by step with transparent costs. This can be achieved with additional channel shuttles and automated guided vehicles. A WCS takes most control tasks off their plate and handles them automatically. Thanks to the Schaefer Maintenance Philosophy (SMC), customers can fully rely on SSI Schaefer’s skilled experts for maintenance, too.

 

 

Subscribe

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