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Tag: racking

Combination of Racking Systems Installed at new Plant

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Emergent Cold, a company that provides distribution solutions to the global cold chain, has relied on the experience of AR Racking, a company specialized in industrial storage solutions at an international level, to equip the warehouses of its new plant built within the Piura Futura Industrial Park, in the city of Piura (Peru).

The facility has three types of warehouses (raw material, dry and finished product) in an area of 6,100 m2 and it aims to respond to the needs of agro-exporters in northern Peru, to store their products before being exported to different markets in America, Europe and Asia.

“Emergent Cold‘s equipment is located on the Peruvian coast, just above the Pacific Ring of Fire, where there is permanent seismic activity. The combination of the optimal systems for this project, AR PAL and AR DRIVE IN, has been made considering seismic factors indicated in the international regulations and in the E 030 RNE Standard for the type of soil where the project is located”, details Juan Carlos Rojas, AR Racking’s General Manager in Peru.

Several warehouses equipped

In the finished product warehouse -which is managed at a controlled temperature of -30ºC-, AR Racking has installed an AR PAL adjustable pallet racking solution, a system designed to store pallets mechanically using forklifts. This system, which has a modular structure, can be easily adapted to optimise space and to improve the cost of storage in cold rooms. In this case, seismic-resistant double-depth racking has been installed in five cold chambers resulting in 7,285 storage positions.

The AR PAL system has also been installed in the dry goods warehouse, which is managed at room temperature, with a total of 798 conventional double-depth storage positions.

Furthermore, in the raw material warehouse, the AR DRIVE-IN solution has been installed, an optimum compact racking system for the storage of homogeneous products with a large number of unit loads per reference and which makes maximum use of the available space and height by minimising the forklift’s operating aisles. In addition to providing orderly logistics management, high-density racking allows full control over inventory and circulation and service flow. The raw material warehouse, which is managed at room temperature, has a total of 1,932 storage positions.

“From this new facility, located near the reefer container and general cargo port of northern Peru, we want Emergent Cold to continue growing in Latin America by providing an efficient import and export service. To achieve this, it is essential to have optimally managed warehouses. In AR Racking we have found a supplier who has perfectly understood our specific needs and who meets our standards of quality, performance, and safety” explains Edgar Mitchael Chahua, Manager of Operations at Emergent Cold Peru.

Pallet Racking and Picking Solutions Installed

Posted on by Keith McKinley

AR Racking has fitted out the new warehouse in Gavà of Grup Sevica, company with more than 40 years of experience and pioneer in supply chain operations related to the textile business.

Specialised in textile logistics management, Grup Sevica has a new 5,000 m2 warehouse able to store 3,500 pallets thanks to the adjustable pallet racking system installed by AR Racking, supplier of industrial pallet racking systems. In addition, 500 carton flow rack levels integrated in the adjustable pallet racking system have been installed. The new logistics centre also has 750 longspan shelving levels for manual picking. This new warehouse now joins the other handling centres that Grup Sevica has in Gavà and Viladecans, making up 30,000 m2 in total dedicated to integrated logistics for the textile sector.

“We have entrusted AR Racking because we were aware of the quality of its storage solutions and the adaptability and versatility of its industrial racking” said Daniel Sevilla, General Manager of Grup Sevica. The company offers specific garment handling, quality control, storage and picking services, managing the shipping of garments to points of sale, reverse logistics and e-commerce. Its customers are leading national and international brands from the fashion sector. “Our maxim is to add value throughout the supply chain, the storage and logistics of the goods”, added General Manager.

According to Manel Bustos, AR Racking Northeast region Sales Representative and project manager, “the daily operations of the Grup Sevica warehouse require both dynamism and control. With the adjustable pallet racking system and by including different picking solutions we have helped the customer to be able to quickly locate goods and fully exploit the space”.

Impact Protection for new Amazon DC

Posted on by Keith McKinley

New safety and impact protection equipment from specialist Brandsafe has been specified for a major new warehouse and distribution centre in London.

The move sees the UK based company supplying a range of its high-quality safety and protection equipment to online retailer Amazon’s 180,720 sq. ft. multi-storey site in Neasden. This includes products designed to facilitate pedestrian and parking safety while improving vehicle traffic routing and calming for the site. The work also involves Brandsafe, which is working on the product specification side with project architects SMR Architects, providing consultancy and project design, together with a comprehensive package of aftersales service support.

The Neasden site is part of on-going plans by Amazon to upgrade its international distribution infrastructure to improve its operations and boost deliveries to millions of customers. Several sites across the UK and Europe are either under new construction or being upgraded to provide state-of-the-art centres to meet the current and future operational requirements.

Hundreds of items of impact protection products, including Armco safety barriers featuring integrated safety ends, corners and post caps together with pedestrian safety handrails, column protectors, bollards, speed bumps and flexible traffic delineators, are among a package of equipment being installed onsite by Brandsafe’s service team. Security caging, fencing, gate posts and panels have also been supplied.

The equipment is manufactured at the company’s Milton Keynes site and sees close cooperation between product supplier and contractor teams as part of an extensive scope of work to provide added safety planning services and expertise. The project is the latest success for Brandsafe, which has produced a strong business performance in the last three years on the back of significant contract wins and a focus on new product development and introductions.

Paul Roehricht, UK strategic account manager, said this is another success and boost for Brandsafe, reflecting its growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of warehouse and distribution safety and impact protection products and integrated systems.

He said: “This project shows how we continue to meet the requirements of our global customers, adding value in the process through bespoke planning and consultancy services. It also vindicates our continued investment in building our capability and expertise to be able to deliver time critical, complex and high-profile contracts.”

Warehouse Reaching New Heights

Posted on by Keith McKinley

An automated warehouse is a breath-taking sight, as reams of pallets are automatically scanned and retrieved for delivery. But not all automation systems are made to endure extreme environments. Here’s how Technidrive Ltd and WEG partnered to help Moffett, an automated storage firm, design a vertical lift for extreme temperatures.

Industrial elevators are usually propelled by electric motors, with the aid of a counterweight system. However, when these industrial systems are in environments of varying temperatures, the equipment must also withstand extreme temperatures as well as heavy loads. This was the case for Moffett, an automated storage firm in Ireland, taking on its first international project in Dubai. The project involved building a system for a three-storey 30-metre-high building with a throughput of 85 pallets per hour. Moffett required an automated storage system to lift and lower pallets, which could operate in temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius.

In addition, Moffett wanted to manoeuvre pallets, which weigh over 1500kg, at a rate of one metre per second, between a height of six metres to 30 metres. To put this into perspective, the average building is around ten metres tall. At the start of development, Moffett used a drive system from another company. However, the system was incorrectly selected and did not function properly or provide the necessary control. This resulted in Moffett getting in touch with Technidrive, who turned to WEG for the supply a 11kw electric motor, and a variable speed drive (VSD), along with the relevant programming software. The VSD, also known as an inverter, plays a significant role in this application.

Being inverter driven, the storage system accelerates and deaccelerates at a faster rate. Similarly, as carts move through the lift to its programmed level, adjustment is required as the weight of the cart increases and decreases. The lifts therefore needed the conventional auto-correction system found in human-carrying elevators, to account for changes in weight.

Technidrive and WEG worked together to develop an autocorrection movement within the inverter, to keep the lift level with the floor that the cart is moving along. So, instead of the lift lowering as the cart moves along the aisles carrying heavier loads, the inverter automatically corrects the cart’s stability and keeps it passing along smoothly at the correct level. In addition, Technidrive also had to be aware of regenerative energy, which is energy that returns back into the inverter. This occurs whenever a motor decelerates, or a load descends. Raising 2000kg requires a lot of energy and, in turn, lowering 2000kg creates a lot of energy.

For instance, as the inverter controls the speed of the lowering elevator, energy is being generated back into the motor. That energy then comes back into the inverter as DC bus voltage, which needs to be dissipated in a break resistor or burned off as heat, the latter being potentially dangerous. Originally, The break resistor was not large enough for extreme dutys, which would have caused overheating problems. However, Technidrive upsized its break resistors and added thermal protection to ensure no overheating problems would occur from regenerative energy.

“Currently, the system is being used by Moffett in Dubai and Dublin,” explained David Strain, technical director at Technidrive. “However, this application is global, so can be anywhere in the world. We already have two more projects lined up in Amsterdam and London.

“Technidrive did all the calculations and design from scratch, to make sure the motor was suitable for the application, with enough torque, speed and power. Our relationship with Technidrive is very good, and we are working with them on other projects with the hope for another two or three towards the end of the year. “We met with Technidrive every week during the development stage,” explained Sam Moffett, managing director at Moffett. “Technidrive were really helpful, representatives made time to call and were available when needed.

“Originally, we had a motor that did not work from another company, so we spoke to Technidrive who were able to offer what we wanted. They worked on the new motor for a few days, got it working the way we wanted and continue to provide support when needed.”

Not all automation systems are made to endure extreme environments. However, global motor and drive manufacturer WEG, along with Technidrive, ensured Moffett could design a vertical lift for extreme temperatures — adding another breath-taking automated warehouse to the list.

35,000 Pallet Positions for New Warehouse

Posted on by David Priestman

Boughey Distribution, a company that specialises in logistics and distribution services, entrusted AR Racking with fitting out its innovative and state-of-the-art 21,000 m2 warehouse located in Crewe (Cheshire, UK). The ambitious warehouse was built at a decisive moment during the crisis generated by the pandemic in the United Kingdom.

AR Racking, a company that specialises in industrial storage systems, has installed an Adjustable Pallet Racking system solution for Boughey Distribution. The warehouse, which has been recognised with the highest storage and distribution certification according to the BRC Global Standard, has 35,500 pallet positions

“The solution implemented adapts to Boughey Distribution’s wide range of products and unit loads. It will allow direct and immediate access to the goods, providing a competitive advantage for a company whose main activity requires maximum agility” explained Mike Smyth, AR Racking’s Key Account Manager in the UK. The installation has a top beam height of 12.4 m and a range of different weights and unit load sizes

For Mr. Danny Earp, Operations Director at Boughey Distribution “budget and timescales aside, this project was made all the more demanding as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remarkably, the project was still delivered safely and to plan, and warehouse operations commenced on schedule. The most pleasing aspect of working with AR Racking was that all of the promises made to us during the tender stage were met, with fine quality, coordination, and consistency”. The total warehouse investment was around 2 million euros.
Based in Maidenhead, AR Racking has a long track record in major storage projects for every type of sector in a market as competitive as the United Kingdom’s. To this great adaptability is added AR Racking UK’s broad experience with a vast network of distributors with excellent results.

Space and Speed at Scale

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Ecommerce in Europe is expected to be worth €717 billion at the end of 2020. Distribution warehouses and fulfilment centres need to be ready, says an emerging player in the space, writes Paul Hamblin.

In the race for bigger market share, e-commerce companies are opening more locations across Europe. At the same time, offline businesses are increasing their online presence. It follows that the fulfilment centres of today need to get ready to meet increasing demand, not only from online and offline shops but also from the person at the end of the line, the e-commerce consumer.

According to Hristo Urumov, owner of Sofia-based storage technology and material handling specialist STAMH, this is going to be tricky for some DCs unless their managers make changes,
because many are going to receive more orders per day than they can physically fulfil. “Already, a typical online customer is likely to fill their check-out cart with more than one item per online order and it’s a fair bet that they will expect their new purchases to arrive within two days, at most, of making that order,” he points out. “And guess what – they don’t care where the fulfilment centre is located.”

It’s not just the number of online shops that is growing either. The total of items in each product line to be stored and distributed is on the rise, too. Warehouses need to accommodate a growing list of inventory, in some cases without switching location. Businesses know all too well that customer satisfaction is essential to success in the online space, which means a well functioning fulfilment and logistics centre is a vital piece of the jigsaw. Limited picking, sorting and logistics capacity can prevent business expansion because fulfilment centres simply can’t meet the demand.
E-commerce businesses need to act in order to get ready for the upcoming growth.

“There are two ways to grow – to expand the range of products offered or to enter new markets,” says Hristo Urumov. “It’s better to do both.” To solve the puzzle, growing e-commerce business can opt for 3PL or scalable automation solutions to stay in control, he says.

“Outsourcing the problem means losing control over the quality of the fulfilment process,” he argues. “If you use a 3PL, it actually means handing over the satisfaction and retention of your hard-won customers. The ability to affect and control your service to your customers is outsourced to a new partner and you are relying completely on that partner.” STAMH’s owner predicted several years ago that the next step in warehouse development would lie in the refinement of picking automation as a way to meet growing demand and to boost a DC’s capacity to prepare new orders.

He recognises that full automation can be an expensive solution. “In this context, scalable automated modules may be the answer to the growing demand,” he points out. “The engineering solutions of modern warehouses offer space optimisation and picking automation at a speed step by step and hand in hand with the growth of your business.”

STAMH’s engineering team already knows that the modularity of these solutions offer businesses the possibility to make scalable investments, according their optimisation needs. “A lot of companies are opting for partial automaton. They proceed to a full solution only when they actually see the results,” he says. Successful automated e-commerce solutions need to offer space
optimisation, productivity and 100 % picking accuracy, he argues. “They are here to stay and can offer e-commerce business the possibility to break though the wall of growing demand.”

Sample Dispatch and Archiving

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A décor printing specialist relies on storage solutions from META-Regalbau at its new Service Centre, reports Paul Hamblin.

Arnsberg-based décor printing company Interprint has recently opened a Service Centre as the base of operations for sample dispatch as well as storage of the company’s important sample archive. When selecting the shelf solutions required for its storage base, Interprint opted for META storage systems. META-Regalbau develops, produces and sells stationary and mobile shelf
technology. As a system provider, META deals with all requests relating to warehouse logistics: from advice, planning and project planning to the assembly of storage facilities. META offers its customers complete solutions starting with the initial idea and including project management and support as well as commissioning. The extensive range of shelf systems includes shelving, pallet racks, cantilever racks and mobile racks, flow racks, storage platforms and multistorey rack systems.

With around 1,300 employees worldwide, including 390 at its headquarters in Arnsberg, the Interprint Group is one of the world’s leading décor printing companies. For 50 years, the Interprint philosophy has been ‘Think global, act local’. Wood, stone and creative décors from Interprint adorn the surfaces of many wood-based materials used to create furniture or flooring for use in interior design. In the recently completed building, by coincidence directly adjacent to META, the company’s service department has been amalgamated and centralised. At the same time, the print specialist took on a complex digital challenge with the introduction of a new warehouse management system.

High demands, individual solutions

As one of the world’s leading décor printing companies, Interprint offers a wide range of sample services. To fulfil these services, HPL (High Pressure Laminate) sheets and different types of décor paper rolls of various lengths are stored in the new Service Centre. It was crucial that the different shapes, lengths and weights of the stored samples were taken into account when designing the shelves. Thanks to close co-ordination between Interprint and META-Regalbau, perfect solutions for the various requirements were found or developed over several stages of the project. In addition to the diverse requirements of the stored goods and the official requirements, increased fire protection requirements also had to be met. Among other things, set distances between the
sample rolls and the shelves were necessary to ensure full effect and performance of the installed sprinkler system. Interprint designed special editions of its paper rolls for this purpose.

A décor printing specialist relies on storage solutions from META-Regalbau at its new Service Centre. Susanne Wünsch, Head of Marketing at Interprint, spoke about the co-operation between
the two companies: “Our company attaches great importance to high service quality. The individual storage solution from META is a key element,” she said. “Despite the stringent requirements,
it was a very constructive project with META-Regalbau’s office and field staff,” added Anke Gerling from the décor development department at Interprint.

Variety of shelving systems

Different shelving systems are used at the new Service Centre. The META MINI-RACK shelving system is used to store the décor paper rolls. This versatile long span racking system is the ideal solution for large and heavy single items thanks to the vast storage space and high compartment loads. This system is also the ideal choice for archiving linear metres in tubes of different lengths. Shorter paper tubes are archived in an individual combination of META CLIP side walls with stepped beams.

Décor samples already pressed into laminate sheets (HPL) are clearly arranged in smaller volumes in META CLIP shelving systems divided by full height dividers. The diverse applications and individual solutions at Interprint demonstrate the versatility of the different shelving systems and prove that META can provide the perfect storage system for every storage item.

European Logistics Association Awards Finalist Reveals Project

Posted on by David Priestman

Logistics Way, a Greek supply chain solutions provider, was a shortlised finalist in the recent European Logistics Association Awards. Managing Director Dionisis Grigoropoulos describes the outstanding project, Diolkos, that they entered.

In the ancient times Diolkos saved ships sailing from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea, a dangerous sea journey around the Peloponnese, where its three headlands had a reputation for gales, especially Cape Matapan and Cape Maleas. Without a ‘shortcut’, across the Corinth Canal, ships would have to sail from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea by going around the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Not only the sail was long, it was a dangerous one as well. Gale-force winds often troubled sailors at Cape Matapan and Cape Maleas, with its treacherous shoreline. In addition, the overland passage of the Corinth Canal, a neck of land 6.4 km wide at its narrowest, offered a much shorter route to Athens for ships sailing to and from the Ionian coast of Greece and fortunately it is remaining in use from circa 600 BC until now as the Corinth Canal.

We at Logistics Way tried to find new Sailing Routes for our clients back in 2015, when the capital controls shut down the banks and changed customer payment habits, offering much more potential and financially stable markets in Europe. When the capital controls were introduced in Greece in June 2015 , the Greek government was forced to immediately close Greek banks for almost 20 days and to implement controls on bank transfers from Greek banks to foreign banks, and limits on cash withdrawals, in order to avoid an uncontrolled bank run and a complete collapse of the Greek banking system. We did not now for how many years this was going to take place. So the only way to keep sales and growth back then was to expand the brand internationally.

The client was a leading Greek company with 50 successful years of operation in the field of air conditioning and electrical appliances. The project officially began in January 2016 with the following analysis: Market research, Product Portfolio, Supply Chain Structure, Demand Planning, Forecasting and Finance.

The project objectives were to firstly achieve operational excellence by aligning with a reliable logistics partner, whose services could go beyond just managing the physical movement and handling of goods and could also provide the systems and services that could enable flexible and efficient fulfillment processes. Assuring quality in services and honoring contracts with on-time deliveries was also a key objective. Additionally, driving innovation, along with a partnership that would introduce new technologies or enhance the in-house processes was important, as was managing costs (operational and capital expenditures) while enhancing the quality of customer service and satisfaction levels. Finally, maximizing value by obtaining lower rates, benefiting from more advanced technology and enjoying more control and visibility for the transportation / storage expenditures.

The idea was to create something quite new in order to fulfill the needs of the new market. Our Client chose 14 products from its portfolio plus 3 new ones. The plan was to start in the UK in 2016, Germany and France in 2017 and Italy and Spain in 2018. The supply chain strategy selected Strasbourg as the hub. For the UK we send the RFP to 27 companies and 6 of them responded with an offer. The savings in logistics and distribution costs was 30%, using a 1800 pallet storage distribution centre. For continental Europe we sent the RFP to 52 Companies in Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden and Holland and many responded with an offer. The cost savings here were 13%, utilizing a 2500 pallet storage facility in Germany and a 600 pallet warehouse in France. It was a new organization chart for the client. Sales on Amazon last year were 15% of the total sales of the company.

Small Parts Picking in Pallet Racking

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Edward Hutchison, Managing Director of BITO Storage Systems, explains how using pallet racking for small parts storage turns this ubiquitous storage product into a flexible order picking solution.

“While constant innovation generates a stream of new intralogistics solutions, ‘classic’ pallet racking remains the most commonly used storage system. Its relatively low investment costs and flexibility – whether through changing rack configuration, retrofitting special purpose modules or adding extra bays – have made it an indispensable framework for storage and order picking systems.

“Of course, many operations use pallet racking as the basis for straightforward storage and retrieval of full pallets, either to fulfil customer orders or as a bulk store for replenishment. But the trend toward shorter product life cycles is increasing SKU numbers. The drive to minimise stock levels for each SKU and improve picking process efficiency to speed up order fulfilment, combined with demands for Just-in-Time delivery and online retail, is generating a greater need for small parts storage.

“This is where the adaptability of pallet racking comes to the fore because small parts picking can be easily integrated within pallet racks. One option is to create small parts pick locations on the reachable ground level, with upper storage levels serving as a buffer store for replenishment. Small parts storage containers will help to store and organise small goods and C-parts – making them available for quick and easy picking. This will result in a reasonably efficient picking process but ground floor locations within a pallet rack will, of course, be limited. Solutions are therefore required to maximise the available space to create a pick face with sufficient locations for the required SKUs, and enough stock to ensure availability during picks.

“Flow shelves can be easily installed into pallet racking to increase the number of pick locations and volume of SKUs located on the ground level pick face. Goods are effortlessly accessible from the front of the racking – the rollers on the flow shelves allow bins and containers containing small items to be picked to roll smoothly to the front of the shelf – which makes picking easy. A full container of parts will roll to the operator each time the empty one at the front removed.

“Standard shelving is another option to create flexible small item pick faces within pallet racking. There are several solutions: the first incorporates static shelving at right angles to the racking, with space in between each run to facilitate picking. An alternative option is pull-out mobile shelving that maximises the available space under the racking – though movement of shelving has a negative impact on pick time. A third solution involves static shelving parallel to racking, which makes front items easy to pick. Shelving dividers can be fitted.

“Inclined supply shelving within a pallet racking bay will make items clearly visible for picking. Cardboard cartons or plastic bins can be used, though the later option enables preparation in advance at the goods-in area by filling the plastic bin with the items to be picked.

“Plastic bins and containers will keep goods protected throughout the intralogistics process and during transport to ensure products are delivered to the customer in prime condition. It is worth seeking out storage system suppliers that in addition to offering racking, shelving and flow lanes, also provide a container range comprising a variety of sizes with and a broad choice of accessories. Such a supplier will be able to design the optimum system to fit a given space, maximise the potential for small parts picking and, ultimately, improve fulfilment.”

Storage Solution for Seifert’s new Logistics Centre

Posted on by David Priestman

With a precisely tailored racking system for production supply in the automotive sector, AR Racking has created the basis for optimal intralogistic processes in the new logistics center of the Seifert Logistics Group. In addition to the quality aspects, the high flexibility of AR Racking and the fast delivery and assembly time with short time window were important decision criteria for Seifert.

With a turnover of 210 million euros in 2019, the Seifert Logistics Group (SLG) from Ulm is one of the leading freights forwarding and contract logistics companies in Germany. The group is active in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and France, and provides warehousing, sequencing, distribution and plant logistics services for well-known customers from the automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical and consumer goods industries as well as the paper and construction materials sectors. The core business of the company is the automotive motive sector. There Seifert is deeply integrated into the value-added chains of the automotive industry. For example, the logistics service provider takes over the production supply for the local Mercedes plants in Rastatt and Leipzig. In Hambach, France, where the Stuttgart carmakers manufacture the Smart, Seifert has been managing plant logistics with around 100 employees on site since 2017. Seifert performs all tasks required for production supply to the automotive plant, from truck registration, trailer yard, goods receipt processing, storage, sequencing and assembly activities to just-in-time and just-in-sequence delivery to the production lines at the Mercedes plant.

Within the Seifert network, the Hambach site symbolizes the increasing internationalization and expansion of the company’s customer portfolio. “On the other hand, the Seifert Logistics Group is thus proving that it is a steadfast and trustworthy logistics partner of Mercedes-Benz AG, which also responds to the needs of the customer on an international level,” emphasizes Luc Wanner, Executive Director Seifert Automotive Logistics. In order to increase capacities at the site and optimize processes, SLG has now set up a new, company-owned logistics center there. AR Racking Deutschland, based in Rüdesheim, was awarded the contract for the design and installation of a racking system tailored precisely to the contract logistics provider’s requirements.

“In cooperation with the purchasing department of our headquarters in Ulm we have received a list of the top suppliers of industrial storage systems“, Executive Director Wanner describes the selection process and the criteria for the award of the contract. “Each supplier on this list was evaluated according to cost, delivery time and quality. In the end, we chose AR Racking. AR Racking offered a very fast delivery and installation time and also helped us in terms of cost when the contract was finalized.”

At the end of last year, the first construction phase of the new logistics center was completed with 20,000 m² and successively put into operation. The second construction phase is to be completed by the end of this year. AR Racking will then install a rack system with a further 4,000 pallet spaces. After completion, the logistics center will comprise a total of more than 41,000 m² of covered area and will be divided into two warehouses with eight units and an office building. “The new building in Hambach was important not only to expand our storage space, but also to be able to react to the rapidly developing requirements of the automotive industry,” explains Wan-ner, “We previously worked in halls provided by our customer, which could only offer sufficient space for his storage needs. The new building has changed everything for us. With the increased storage capacity and the newly acquired independence, we are now able to expand our customer portfolio and target new collaborations.”

The rack system designed by AR Racking offers more than 6,000 pallet spaces. With six support levels, the system in the new logistics hall rises ten meters high. All support levels are equipped with wire mesh floors. Special feature: With a flow rack for small parts storage, an intelligent storage and order-picking solution with 8,600 container spaces was integrated on 41 double bays of the lower rack levels. An additional specification from Seifert was aimed at achieving extensive flexibility in plant layout and logistical processes. “It is fundamentally very important to us to always remain flexible and to be able to react quickly to customer needs,” says the Seifert Executive Director. “Against this background, when awarding the contract for the entire storage system for the newly built hall, we also took care to ensure that the racking system would allow problem-free disassembly and reassembly.”

Within less than four weeks, the intralogistics experts installed the new racking system and completed the first project phase successfully and on schedule. “Thanks to the fully automated manufacturing processes at AR Racking’s production plant, we were once again able to demonstrate our excellent delivery capability with the shortest delivery times in this project with its tight time window,” emphasizes Roland Fischer, Key Account Manager AR Racking Germany. And that despite some previously unplannable constraints. “Right at the start of assembly, it became clear that the free dimensions given to us for route train picking in the racking system were not suitable,” says Fischer. “We had to reschedule the system a little at short notice and, among other things, manufacture, deliver and install other beam lengths. AR Racking was also able to prove that changes and the delivery of corresponding components can be implemented even at short notice.”

Thus, there were no assembly delays in the Seifert logistics center compared to the original schedule. The same applies to additional requirements that Seifert brought in during the project realization. “When we subsequently ordered push-through protections, AR Racking was able to deliver them very quickly and also install them immediately,” Seifert Executive Director Wanner describes an example. “AR Racking’s system guarantees maximum security for our employees and flexibility towards our customers. We are very satisfied with the solution”.

In the meantime, the new system has been completely integrated into the supply of the production lines at the Mercedes plant. “Due to the Corona pandemic, our site unfortunately had to remain closed for a period of 2.5 months,” says Wanner. “This has upset our original schedule. But the planned second phase of the project has now been tackled.” The incoming goods in the new logistics center will be collected after the quality inspection and moved to the storage locations specified by the warehouse management system. Parts and assembly kits are pre-picked and put together according to requirements for the call-off of the demand points in production. The loading of the route trains follows in a sequential order and is made available for transport in the outgoing goods department. “The course of the project from planning to handover of the plant was characterized by good cooperation,” summarizes the Executive Director. If deviations from the original plans occurred, the AR Racking project management always reacted quickly and developed creative solutions to problems. This continues in the After Sales Services. “With AR Racking we have a great partner at our side, who supports us in reacting quickly, flexibly and with quality”, Wanner judges and cites as a current example the announcement from the beginning of July that the main customer Mercedes will sell its plant in Hambach. “There is already a potential buyer,” says the Seifert Executive Director. “This means for us that we will then adapt our processes and the equipment of our logistics center to a new customer. Especially in such difficult times as today, it is a great advantage to have competent partners who are trustworthy and support us in major changes.”

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