Custom-made Package Roll Containers for Polish Post

Wanzl has won yet another major order from the Polish postal service. Since last year, Poland’s universal postal service provider has been transporting its parcels in 3,500 containers designed, produced and delivered by Wanzl. The new package roll container is based on the roll container’s previous design, which has now been further optimised. Now it’s perfect for automatic sorting machines because it’s easy to load from above. This is made possible by the folding wire lid, which is folded backwards during loading. The central wire shelf also folds out. The fully enclosed design offers increased anti-theft protection for transported goods. The 4-wing wire mesh door can also be secured with a padlock or a lead seal.

The roll container’s locking mechanism ensures safe loading and unloading. When this is actuated, two feet are extended to prevent the container from rolling away. This feature is particularly advantageous on truck beds. For convenient operation and manoeuvring of the package roll container, employees can manually convert two of the four swivel castors, which are otherwise locked by a directional brake for directional stability, back to swivel castors.

All these tailor-made features result in faster repacking times and faster truck loading. As a result, the Polish postal service is able to make much quicker deliveries between its various distribution centres. It is easier for employees to load and transport the container, whether full or empty, in a more ergonomic way.

Package Roll Containers

Compliance with the short delivery time of just a few months was only possible thanks to the excellent and close cooperation between the various Wanzl teams and the project management team at the Polish postal service. In order to keep transport routes as short as possible and thus ensure more sustainable and punctual deliveries, the new package roll containers were designed in Germany and then manufactured at Wanzl’s Czech site.

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28,000 Package Roll Containers

 

 

Ensure Warehouse Security at Christmas

Christmas is two months away. This means that the peak season is now starting in e-commerce and preparations for the Christmas business are in full swing. As every year, valuable gifts are ordered that need to be protected against theft and transport damage. In order to increase the protection of high-value products in warehouses, Wanzl has developed the fully enclosed package roll cage, which meets stringent security requirements down to the smallest detail. Thanks to its modular system, it offers an individual equipment option for all requirements. This makes Christmas business in the warehouse not only secure, but also more convenient for the warehouse staff.

Focus on security and efficiency

“In times of increasing online orders as well as a growing demand for fast delivery, the security of goods and efficiency in storage and transport are paramount. With our enclosed package roll cages, we have created a solution that meets the needs of the industry,” explains Markus Spengler, Senior Vice President Business Development International at Wanzl Material Handling. The basic model is made of sheet metal or wire mesh and also has a hinged mesh cover and a two- or four-leaf mesh door. Thanks to its L-frame design, the container can be stored compactly. When empty, it can be folded up in no time at all and arranged in one row or crosswise in two rows. This makes it ideal for storing when not in use or for transporting safely and optimally in a truck.

A fully enclosed package roll cage prevents inventory differences during transport and defies all logistical challenges during the peak season.

Two overlapping metal tabs on the mesh doors, which the customer can firmly lock either with a padlock or a lead seal, provide additional security. The sealed package roll cage allows companies to store and transport their valuable goods, such as expensive jewellery, luxury perfumes or the latest technology, securely and efficiently. Especially during transport, the seal offers great advantages. The seals can be easily destroyed after delivery and there is no need for complicated key transfer. In addition, this system is much more secure and environmentally friendly than transporting goods on pallets wrapped in stretch film. With its robust design and reliable locking mechanism, the Wanzl trolley offers a high level of protection against theft and unauthorised access. Particularly during the busy run-up to Christmas, this is crucial when warehouses are full of high-value gifts and orders. With Wanzl’s security containers, end consumers can be sure that their Christmas gift orders will arrive under the Christmas tree in perfect condition.

The right solution for every requirement

The modularity of the package roll cage is another major advantage. Whether the trolley needs to carry large or small, light or heavy parcels, it can be easily adapted to the specific needs of the customer. The mesh doors can be installed in either a two-leaf or four-leaf model. The opening angle of 270° makes filling and unloading particularly easy. If you want to equip the trolley for even greater convenience, you can add a writing board for portrait-format documents in A4 or insert frames made of transparent plastic for A5 documents in landscape format attached to the side walls. The folding handle bars are ideal for ergonomic pushing and pulling of the trolley. These can be mounted at the desired grip height. The handle bars, on the side panels or on the rear panel, also help when manoeuvring. The locking device ensures that the trolley is stable when loading and unloading. This module is particularly advantageous for working on truck beds. Other equipment options that can be added to the package roll cage as required are foldable shelves made of sheet metal, wood or wire mesh. The package roll cage can be moved through the warehouse not only individually, but also as a train. The addition of a coupling and drawbar makes steering particularly easy for employees.

With expertise through the Christmas season

As an expert with decades of experience, Wanzl offers the ideal solution for warehouse logistics companies preparing for the upcoming Christmas period. The combination of protection, modularity and expertise makes this product an indispensable investment for anyone who wants to optimise their intralogistics. “With the modular system, we offer a suitably equipped product for every requirement in the warehouse and customers can be confident that their holiday orders will arrive safely,” concludes Spengler.

Outgoing Goods Operations Optimized

In order to further optimise the outgoing goods process, avoid misdirected parcels and thus reduce the costs of returns, electrical wholesaler FEGA & Schmitt once again chose Wanzl as a partner for intralogistics solutions. Following the successful implementation of smart package roll containers from Wanzl, including the asset tracking system last year, Wanzl has now developed a targeted, tailor-made scanning solution together with software provider BOX ID Systems and ProGlove, a wearable scanner manufacturer, which improves the processes in outgoing goods at FEGA & Schmitt.

In order to advance the digitalisation of its logistics, FEGA & Schmitt explored the market in search of an efficient scanning solution for its shipping process. As a comprehensive solution provider with a large partner network, Wanzl met all the requirements. “At Wanzl, the focus is always on the customer and their needs. Wanzl also has highly qualified specialists who work together to create a customised solution,” says Roland Huber, Logistics Project Management at FEGA & Schmitt, explaining the renewed collaboration. In discussions with the customer and partners BOX ID Systems and ProGlove, Wanzl first developed the opportunities and possibilities to offer FEGA & Schmitt the right solution for optimising its outgoing goods department. In doing so, Wanzl analysed the processes, identified weaknesses, and highlighted the potential for improvement. Always in mind: economic efficiency for the customer.

Joint development of a customised solution

“If a solution is not worthwhile financially or has long amortisation periods, we advise our customer against the project. It is important to us that the solutions suit the customer’s future structures. We also consider the customer’s growth, goals and other upcoming projects,” says Cassandra Hieber, Product Manager for Digital Solutions at Wanzl. In the specific case at FEGA & Schmitt, a scanning solution was created that helps employees to correctly assign packages to containers. This prevents misdirection of packages, thus contributing to cost reduction. In addition, the scanning solution makes the outgoing goods process more reliable and can be integrated into the existing asset tracking system.

The new scanning solution optimises the outgoing goods process

The technology developed by BOX ID Systems and ProGlove specifically for this project is based on a data comparison of the package ID, the assigned tour and the package roll container. For this purpose, each package roll container was given an inventory number and provided with a corresponding barcode label. In addition, the individual tours are stored in a database with a tour code. If a package roll container is assigned to a specific trip, it will also receive a trip card with the QR code of the tour code. The inventory number of the roll container and the tour QR code are then scanned using the ProGlove scanner. The data is then automatically “married” in the database and the appropriate packages can be assigned by the hand-held scanner. Employees can then begin loading the roll container.

Each package in outgoing goods has its own package ID as a barcode on the shipping label. The employee in outgoing goods must now scan the two barcodes of the package and the appropriate roll container with the ergonomic back-of-hand scanner. Real-time communication between the systems ensures that it detects whether it has assigned the package to the correct load carrier. The scans are sent to a central server via the newly developed interface. There, the software from BOX ID Systems checks whether the package is really intended for this load carrier with the tour ID. If the package matches the container, a green signal lights up on the back-of-hand scanner. The employee can load the package and scan the next one. If the data does not match, the employee receives negative feedback on the back-of-hand scanner: an acoustic signal sounds, an LED light on the scanner lights up red and the scanner vibrates. This effectively informs but does not hinder the employee. Only when the employee has rectified the error (i.e. assigns the package to the correct container and the scanner provides positive feedback) can the new scanning process be started for the next package. This prevents the package from going on the wrong tour despite negative feedback. Package roll containers are assigned to the shipping gates or trucks based on the same principle.

In addition to the requirements for simple implementation and intuitive handling, it was also important for FEGA & Schmitt that the new system be transferred to its sister companies. Wanzl therefore paid attention to the scalability of the process from the very beginning when planning the project. Distinguishing between the containers of the two companies played an important role here. At the same time, it was important that the tour designations are coordinated with each other. “Wanzl is a true organisational talent,” reports Roland Huber from FEGA & Schmitt and adds: “In this case, support had to be provided not only to ourselves as a customer and to the project partners, but also to our sister company. This made close collaboration, detailed coordination, and precise coordination all the more important. Wanzl did this excellently while ensuring that every challenge was solved to the satisfaction of everyone.” During the entire project, various functional tests were carried out continuously to regularly check and optimise the different development statuses. After successful completion, FEGA & Schmitt initially only used the scanning solution in a sub-area and tested the go-live in the picking zone, where the goods are assigned to the containers. When this test run was successful, the customer gradually expanded the area of application. More than 1,700 load carriers are now compatible with the BOX ID Systems tracking system.

Pioneering work as a team

FEGA & Schmitt, BOX ID Systems, ProGlove and Wanzl have jointly combined two innovative technologies: the wearable scanner with worker feedback and asset tracking with a scanning solution. “We have developed a completely new way of exchanging information with a central server without an intermediate Windows or Android device,” says Marc-David Wagner, Sales Director at ProGlove, explaining what was special about the project. “That was great teamwork! Dominik Buchinger from BOX ID Systems has done an excellent programming job in a short time. And the FEGA & Schmitt employees in Jürgen Gundermann’s dispatch team have also contributed to making the system as efficient and suitable for everyday use as it now is,” says Roland Huber from FEGA & Schmitt. The scanning solution has been perfectly developed for use at the electrical wholesaler but can also be adapted to the needs of other customers, such as for tracking returns or detecting process errors. The development and specification potential of the solution is huge. It can contribute to better integration of processes and interfaces and can be used in dispatch centres, distribution platforms or freight forwarders.

FEGA & Schmitt is extremely satisfied with their experiences with the scanning solution so far. All the partners look back on a successful project: “For us, the best success is to see the system being used at the customer’s site with the desired effects. The scanning solution reliably detects possible misdirections and provides immediate remedy,” summarises Matthias Piekarczyk, Chief of Sales Office at BOX ID Systems GmbH. For Wanzl, customer and project support does not stop here. Together with BOX ID Systems and ProGlove, project management has designed an after-sales service that monitors the scanning systems and provides and manages software updates. There is also a hardware service that replaces faulty scanners within 24 hours. FEGA & Schmitt are already planning the next projects with Wanzl and its partners: new load carriers and new hardware in the area of transport container tracking are in the pipeline.

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