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Tag: warehouse automation

Labour-saving technology on display at IMHX

Posted on by David Priestman

With the high cost of human labour prompting more and more logistics companies to seek ways of working that rely less on people, interest in automation is greater than ever at this year’s IMHX, says Event Director, Rob Fisher.

The shrinking labour pool is certainly hitting the logistics sector hard with HGV drivers, warehouse order pickers and forklift operators all in short supply.

Indeed, it was at a recent event organised by the Institute for Government, that the chief executive of Food and Drink Federation announced that the UK food supply chain is around half a million workers short. This represents some 12.5% of the total workforce required.

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by the trade association, Logistics UK, noted 13% of respondents report severe warehouse staff shortages, with a substantial decline in the availability of forklift drivers cited as a major problem.

The worker shortage is forcing many warehouse operators to offer higher wages, and in some cases a signing on fee, in an attempt to attract the personnel needed. In November 2020, a leading online job search-engine reported the average forklift driver’s salary was advertised as £21,972, while warehouse staff positions typically paid £19,995 per annum. By November 2021, the remuneration for both forklift drivers and order pickers were up 8% year-on-year.

UKWA – the United Kingdom Warehousing Association – has warned that many logistics service providers will be unable to absorb these increases and will have little option but to pass these on to their customers.

Although it’s natural to assume that the most effective way to be competitive is on price, warehouse robot technology company, Autostore, believes that by offering additional benefits that add greater value for customers, logistics service companies can widen the conversation.

Autostore goes on to explain that by employing data-rich analytics to repurpose the space within the store, warehouse operators can deploy automation to streamline their operating processes without compromising efficiency.

Autostore is among a host of pioneering, industry-leading providers of automation solutions – including Swisslog, Gebhardt, Daifuku and Knapp – who will be demonstrating their latest innovations at IMHX 2022.

For example, IMHX exhibitor Swisslog’s automated warehousing technologies range from traditional high-bay warehouses to innovative robot-based materials handling solutions that provide quality, flexibility and efficiency and every application is customised to deliver the lowest cost per pick.

Meanwhile Gebhardt – who celebrate their 70th anniversary in 2022 – will show examples of the kind of customised and innovative intralogistics solutions that they have been supplying to customers throughout the world for more than seven decades.

The automated storage, transport, sorting and picking systems supplied by Daifuku include flexible automated guided vehicle (AGV) transport technology as well as rail-guided sorting transfer vehicle (STR) systems, while Knapp’s smart solutions and automated storage systems support the logistics processes of leading companies’ worldwide.

The current lack of warehouse operatives coupled with the increasing cost of labour is prompting more and more logistics companies to seek ways of operating that rely less on people and it is clear that automating those warehousing functions that follow a predictable pattern makes a lot of sense.

And, with much of today’s sophisticated artificial intelligence, robotics and automated handling technology within financial reach of SMEs as well as the biggest players, it’s easy to understand why the way warehouses operate is changing.

IMHX 2022 will provide an essential platform for logistics professionals to discover the very latest technological advances and gain insights that will enable them to ensure that their own operations are capable of meeting today’s increasingly complex global supply chain challenges in the most cost-efficient way.

IMHX 2022 takes place from 6th-8th September at the NEC, Birmingham.

Six trends impacting the warehouse automation industry

Posted on by David Priestman

Warehouse and distribution centres (DCs) are grappling with a significant and ongoing labour shortage. Increased wages and benefits haven’t been enough to reverse the trend. Ever-increasing demand for faster delivery, and ongoing macro supply chain disruption add to the challenge. Warehouse safety issues also remain a problem for recruitment and retention of workers.

“Amidst a ‘perfect storm’ type of environment, warehouse and DC operators are aggressively seeking ways to digitise operations, add automation technology and integrate those technologies with software systems,” said Keith Fisher, president, Honeywell Intelligrated. “The goal is to increase efficiency, reduce the human labour requirement and create safer, more productive workplaces. As a result, we’re seeing some developing trends heading into the second half of the year.”

Specifically, Honeywell sees six trends emerging in the warehouse and DC industries.

Increasingly aggressive adoption of proven automation technologies

Moving into the second half of 2022, we’re seeing heightened interest in long-proven warehouse automation systems that pick, pack, sort and carry packages throughout the facility. There is also increasing investigation into how to integrate this automation into warehouse software systems, such as warehouse management and warehouse control systems (WCS), to extract more value from automation.

Regardless of the labour shortage or where companies currently sit on the automation spectrum, SKU proliferation, widely varying order profiles and seasonal demands are making some degree of automation a necessity. For many operations, order picking or putting are the entry point to digitalisation and automation. For those further down the path, integrating these technologies into operations means trained coordination between workers, automated systems and software to drive high-speed, high-volume warehouse execution.

Newer forms of automation are being evaluated and adopted with increased urgency

There are also signals that newer forms of automation, such as robotic palletising/depalletising and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), are beginning a path toward significant adoption. For example, a recent Interact Analysis report showed the mobile robot market is expected to grow from $3.6bn in 2021 to $18bn in 2025. Honeywell is seeing surging interest as the industry begins to prioritise investment designed to increase efficiency and productivity along with employee safety and overall satisfaction by integrating automation.

AMRs provide significant productivity benefits by, for example, automating the movement of carts used to transport picked orders or returns. Instead of spending more than half the day walking, workers can park carts in pickup locations and call robots to retrieve them. Additionally, robotic palletisers and depalletisers limit the need for heavy and/or awkward lifting by humans. While these and other advanced forms of automation handle the repetitive, difficult and often time-consuming tasks, scarce labour resources can be shifted to higher-value jobs and, in-turn, increase employee satisfaction.

Persistent labour shortage, new technical skills gap becomes problematic, training required

The number of warehouses globally is forecast to rise from nearly 150,600 in 2020 to 180,000 by 2025, according to Interact Analysis. Without more automation, an additional 3.5 million warehouse workers need to be added to cover current needs and that expansion. However, a willing workforce is proving very difficult to find and competition for these resources is high.

As a result, warehouse and DC operators will look to expand automation, but this creates another fast-developing issue. Technical skills are needed to plan for, utilise, maintain and optimise warehouse automation, and they’re in short supply. Operators will aggressively look to outsource automation-related training – to train up a new army of technically skilled workers and realise far faster benefits from automation.

This promises to make warehouse jobs more attractive intellectually and drive higher compensation, thus making the overall market more compelling for job seekers and those seeking upskilled career transitions.

The use of digital twins will accelerate to help automated warehouse planning

Digital twins deliver virtual representations of a physical environment – proving extremely helpful in the warehouse industry. With a digital twin, new automation technology can be tested virtually, without downtime or rearrangement of physical assets. Automation efforts can be tested, and impact can be reviewed.

By using digital twins and synthetic data modelling, warehouse operators can close the loop between planning, training and implementation on the floor. With this technology, what used to equate to months of automation implementation can now be accomplished in days. In short, warehouse performance can be improved far more quickly and cost-effectively than in the past.

Human health and safety will begin to take root as a business case for automation in the new, pristine warehouse environment

Regardless of whether there are health and safety issues at a particular warehouse, the overall industry suffers from a health and safety image problem. It’s well documented that concerns in these areas are either keeping workers away from the industry entirely or causing problems with existing employee satisfaction.

Automation can help. Repetitive movement-related injuries and those due to heavy and/or awkward lifting, as well as worker fatigue, can be greatly mitigated by robotics and automation. Increased use of these technologies can lead to far fewer work-related injuries, keep workers on the job and earning for their families, and mitigate insurance premiums and worker’s compensation claims for the employer. By prioritising happier, healthier workforces, we should see an uptick in retention and warehouse job appeal.

Accelerated dark warehouse research & development, forward-looking companies begin path

Dark warehouses promise to be nearly fully automated and autonomous, operating virtually free from human intervention – aside from planning, maintenance and ongoing optimisation. They will operate 24/7/365 in no light (thus, the term dark warehouse) and in extremely cold or warm conditions, thus saving energy and related costs. They promise to help solve the labour shortage and drive incredible efficiency. However, full concepts are still at least two years away and live implementations are at least three years away. Breakthrough technologies in robotics, sensing and control, and IT are still needed. But demand is so strong that it’s beginning to drive more aggressive R&D investment to achieve these breakthroughs faster.

Meanwhile, forward-looking warehouse operators are starting the journey to dark warehouse by not only putting automation piece parts in place as described above, but also tying technologies together via software, such as Warehouse Execution Systems, allowing all the technologies to communicate.

As promising as it is, the brave new world of dark warehouses will also contribute to the developing technical skills gap referenced above. Operators will need to plan for that as well as determine what types of warehouses and industries are most appropriate for the early days of dark warehouses.

“These trends showcase a collective theme: automation is increasingly paving the way for better safety, productivity and workforce retention in the warehouse industry,” said Fisher. “From what we see, the number of operators currently using automation technology and aggressively moving to expand it looks to be growing rapidly heading into the second half of 2022. These are smart investments to help weather the current labour crisis – and help minimise the need for future capital expenditures.”

 

HAI Robotics partners with pop.capacity

Posted on by David Priestman

HAI Robotics has formed a commercial partnership with pop.capacity. With this partnership, pop.capacity will be able to include HAI Robotics solutions as part of its portfolio to provide the most advanced robotics and automation solutions to its customers in an effort to reduce friction points within their warehouses.

pop.capacity is pioneering the frictionless supply chain. By combining years of supply chain experience, and a never-before-seen technology, it says it is uniquely positioned to bring a disruptive new solution to an industry full of unnecessary friction. Its platform blends industry knowledge, real relationships, and proprietary technology to provide both shippers and suppliers with a refreshing experience.

“We take every opportunity we can to influence our partners with technology,” says Matt Fain, CEO of pop.capacity. “It’s in our DNA. And by partnering with HAI Robotics, we enhance our warehouses’ capabilities by now offering robotics and automation solutions to our network. We offer shippers and carriers in our network, more capacity, and overall higher quality services. It’s an important part of our effort to pioneer a truly frictionless supply chain.”

HAI Robotics has developed a number of options for how pop.capacity warehouses can leverage its technology, including full-sized systems and several smaller “start-up” options.

“The partnership between pop.capacity and HAI Robotics is a natural fit. With pop.capcity pioneering the frictionless supply chain, their growing network can now leverage HAI Robotics for friction free-fulfilment in the four walls. Our flexible and scalable Goods-to-Person solution will be a great complement to the warehouse needs of pop. capacity’s partners,” says Ben Gruettner, Director of Industry Sales of HAI Robotics USA Inc.

The HAIPICK ACR systems can increase storage density by 80-130% while improving worker efficiency by as much as 300%. In addition, the robots can pick up to 10m high.

With HAI Robotics technology fully deployed, warehouses see significant improvement in goods-to-person performance, as well as speed, flexibility, and scalability.

Future-proof packaging investment for British seed firm

Posted on by David Priestman

A £2.2 million investment in automated packaging facilities will see one of the UK’s largest growers and processors of grass seed increase efficiency, quality control and staff safety.

Barenbrug UK, the Bury St Edmunds grass-breeding company with a customer base that ranges from dairy farmers and local authorities to Premier League football clubs and Ryder Cup golf courses, produces up to 4,500 tonnes of seed every year.

“Our forecasts suggest demand for our UK-specific grass varieties will continue to grow,” says Nicole Watkins, Commercial Operations Manager for Barenbrug UK, “particularly in the agricultural sector where post-Brexit reforms are likely to favour farming practices where grass plays a more important role.

“Outdated packaging facilities simply hold us back and stop the company from reaching its full potential, in terms of quality and throughput.

“Added to that is the opportunity this project provides to make a parallel investment in our team of dedicated staff. By increasing the level of automation, we not only improve their welfare by reducing the amount of manual handling necessary, but also allow us to focus on upskilling – equipping the team with valuable new skills and new prospects within the company.”

The company began making plans for the new line in June 2020, researching options and requirements before deciding to partner with REM Project Management and Symach Barry-Wehmiller Packaging.

Organised to fit in around Barenbrug’s highly seasonal processing and manufacturing schedule, the project is due for completion by December 2023 – giving Barenbrug UK the most up-to-date facilities within the parent company’s 22-country global operation.

“This project sees us making an investment that effectively future-proofs our facilities here in Suffolk,” says managing director Paul Johnson. “It’s exciting to be installing such a modern, innovative new line within our Suffolk headquarters.

“Once completed, it will allow us to move forward with confidence as we seek to continue our leading position as a responsible, forward-thinking grass breeder, firmly committed to serving our diverse UK customer base.”

 

 

eGrocery specialist Picnic counts on TGW

Posted on by David Priestman

Dutch online supermarket Picnic trusts in the expertise and experience of intralogistics specialist TGW once more. In the German town of Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, a powerful fulfilment centre will be built by summer 2024, securing Picnic’s further growth on the German market. Both companies are linked by a close collaboration: only months ago, their first jointly planned and implemented project, a logistics centre in Utrecht, celebrated its go-live.

Picnic was launched in Amersfoort in 2015 and has evolved into one of the leading European eGrocery suppliers within just a few years. The growing online supermarket with superior service is currently active in the Netherlands, Germany as well as France. Orders can be placed using an intuitive app, groceries are delivered using eco-friendly electric vehicles. If you order before 10 PM, fresh, chilled and frozen groceries will be delivered right to your door the next day. Thanks to the so-called “milkman principle”, the delivery is precisely on time and for free.

Three temperature zones

To continue its expansion on the German market, Picnic takes the next step and builds a highly automated fulfilment centre in the heart of the Ruhr area. TGW’s plans involve a FlashPick® system, which is powerful, reliable and extremely flexible and thus enables the best customer service at a high level of efficiency. A shuttle warehouse with 40 aisles is at the heart of the system: grocery and non-grocery items are stored at three different temperature ranges – 20°C, 4°C and -25°C.

Robots load the transport frames

Customer orders either start at one of more than 60 PickCenter One workstations or in the Zone-Picking area – these are mostly products with a large volume and fast-moving items. Then, the orders are consolidated in an automated buffer.

Shortly before the lorries leave to go to the local distribution points, items are retrieved towards a robot-assisted system developed by TGW, which loads the totes with the customer orders into the transport frames fully automatically, thereby creating more efficiency.

Thanks to the great performance of the FlashPick system, and the Picnic algorithms, the amount of orders that can be processed per hour are best in class. “The project in Oberhausen is another milestone and marks the next level of our cooperation with Picnic. Their renewed proof of trust is a great acknowledgement of our close collaboration”, Hans De Sutter, Managing Director TGW Benelux, is pleased to announce.

Frederik Nieuwenhuys, co-founder of Picnic adds: “TGW has been a great partner in co-creating this best-in-class facility. The combination of the Picnic tech team and the TGW technology shows that we can lead the industry to provide even better service to our clients.”

 

 

US warehouse workers demand better technology 

Posted on by David Priestman

Warehouse workers in the US value technology so much that they are willing to take a pay cut and switch jobs to use tech to help them do their jobs better, according to market study insights by Lucas Systems.

The study polled 500 US on-floor warehouse workers during May 2022 and is the first of its kind to examine workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs. Developed as the ‘Voice of the Warehouse Worker’, the study was conducted by Wakefield Research for Lucas Systems, a pioneer in providing software for warehouse workers and supervisors over the last 24 years.

In the study, nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) on-floor workers said they would consider a pay cut at another company for an opportunity to use technology if it helps them in their job. Workers also said they are physically spent, spending over a third of their day walking and would welcome tech’s help in the form of robots or other tech tools.

“Having pioneered software used by tens of thousands of on-floor warehouse workers, we’re always seeking input. We’re interested in how to make on-floor worker jobs easier and better and what keeps them at their employers or encourages them to look elsewhere,” says Lucas Systems Chief Marketing Officer Ken Ramoutar.

Other market study insights:

  • Workers want to stay with their employer but feel improvements are necessary to make their jobs easier. Workers generally anticipate staying at their current employer for at least three years (74%) with 35% anticipating a tenure longer than five years.
  • 75% of workers say physical strain in their jobs takes a larger toll on them than the mental strain. The leading cause of physical strain is carrying and/or lifting followed by walking and/or traveling.
  • Top causes of mental strain include meeting performance or incentive goals and objectives (25%) and safely manoeuvring around the warehouse (20%).
  • Workers see robots as productive allies but fear increased quotas. More than 2 in 5 believe robots will reduce physical stress (46%) or help them achieve better speed in item picking (44%) or better accuracy (40%).

In the study, workers perceived their company’s technology as an investment in them. Lucas Systems says this is meaningful  in an industry already facing a labour shortage.

“If workers equate tech investments with the company’s willingness to help them, it shows us that tech for on-floor warehouse workers plays a vital role in attracting and retaining employees in addition to its role in improving warehouse operations and performance,” says Ramoutar.

CLICK HERE to see more market study insights.

 

Smart way to make machine interventions safer

Posted on by David Priestman

Brady Corporation says it is possible to increase workplace safety with a world-class Lockout/Tagout solution from a single supplier.

Easily de-energise machines during maintenance to prevent accidents related to moving machine parts and any type of machine energy. Manufacturers worldwide use solution from Brady Corporation to optimise existing – and to implement complete – Lockout/Tagout programmes that maximise workplace safety and protect employees.

There are seven reasons Brady is the preferred partner in Lockout/Tagout projects. Check them out below.

7 reasons Brady is the preferred partner in Lockout/Tagout projects:

  1. 1. Best-in-class lockout procedures: No time to set up safe Lockout/Tagout procedures? Invite a Brady Safety Engineer to identify all machine energy isolation points and create illustrated, machine specific, world-wide best practice Lockout/Tagout procedures for your approval.

2. Optimal procedure management: The process of managing, creating, updating, reviewing, scaling and communicating visually instructive lockout procedures becomes a matter of clicks.

3. Block access to any energy control point: Temporarily block access to valves, buttons, fuses and any energy isolation point with Brady’s complete range of dedicated Lockout/Tagout devices.

4. Best safety padlocks in the world: Effectively secure the isolated state of your machines during maintenance with Brady’s unique SafeKey padlocks that offer 700% more lock and key options for elaborate, futureproof lockout programmes.

5. Reliably identify every lockout: Easily communicate about ongoing maintenance interventions with reliable Lockout/Tagout tags that can be delivered to, or created at your premises with Brady’s safety printers.

6. Practical lockouts: Make Lockout/Tagout even more practical and efficient using Brady’s wide range of clever accessories.

7. Easily distribute lockout tools: Highlight the right solutions for specific lockouts, and encourage tool returns to the right location with Brady’s custom shadow boards.

CLICK HERE to discover complete Lockout/Tagout solution from Brady.

Lockout Tagout Guide: Enable Safer Machine Intervention

Lockout/Tagout can save lives during machine maintenance and interventions in production facilities. 15-20% of workplace accidents can be avoided with Lockout/Tagout which is why the procedure should be part of any ambitious go for zero programme that bans accidents from the workplace.

CLICK HERE to download the free Lockout/Tagout guide.

 

Addressing the labour shortage with automated warehouses

Posted on by David Priestman

Since mid 2021, it’s been prominently noted that the global logistics industry is experiencing great labour shortages, across all sectors, writes Johan Jardevall, CEO of Smart Robotics. With talent shortages among skilled and unskilled professionals, vacancies in logistics are at an all time high. The warehousing sector has felt the effects of the labour crisis, first-hand, and with parcel handling at the core of business, it is critical to ensure improvements are made so that the lack of employees does not set back operation efficiency.

Warehouse automation does however not mean replacing employees with machines or robots, it simply means certain automation, requiring minimal human assistance, are introduced in the warehouse. For example, picking automation relieves warehouse employees from time consuming and physically demanding tasks. This type of automation allows existing employees to spend less time manually picking and sorting parcels, as well as speeding up the time it takes to complete the activity. With little human labour involved, picking automation creates a highly functional environment in the warehouse where employees and robots can co-exist.

More to gain from warehouse automation

As we’ve seen across industries in a post-pandemic era, fundamentally, employees want more to gain from their work environments. Even more so when not being able to work from home. This is especially the case in warehousing – with flexible work arrangements not being an option, as with many sectors in logistics.

As a result of the demand for better working conditions in warehouses, companies are now faced with the challenge of catering to the needs of their employees whilst keeping labour costs at an affordable rate.

One solution to improving labour efficiency in warehouses is by introducing picking automation as a service. Not only does picking automation fill a gap in the process efficiency of floorwork in the warehouse, but it grants warehouse employees the opportunity to focus their attention on where their skillsets are needed with greater urgency.

Picking automation refers to the utilisation of robotic arms in the warehouse to “pick and place” items with greater efficiency. This type of automation can help overcome the labour need in the warehousing sector, as well as help scale up production by automating tasks that are repetitive and physically demanding.

Picking automation, coupled with the advancements of AI software, is transforming production lines by improving accuracy and operational efficiency. With an ever increasing consumer demand for retail efficiency, for example, the expectation of same day delivery, the logistics industry cannot afford the setback of a labour shortage against customer demand.

Besides customer demand being strenuous on the logistics industry’s capabilities of delivering on customer expectations, the added pressure to perform optimally results in mental and physical strains impacting employees. Therefore, automating the warehouse and production is key in relieving warehouse employees from time consuming and physically straining tasks.

By automating specific sections of the warehouse’s operations, such as picking and stacking groups of parcels, efficiency and performance improvement is achieved – based on the principle that manual labour is swapped with automated processes.

New opportunities created by automation

By introducing robotic automation in the warehouse, warehouses of the future will be able to handle more materials and will require less physical labour input to get tasks done. By automating manual processes, greater operational efficiency is achieved.

Improving Manual Processes

Often, processes like parcel picking and stacking require a great deal of physical effort. Not only does this place strain on the employees’ physical health, mental wellbeing is often undermined by the pressure to maximise operational productivity. Robotic automation should however be viewed as tools to improve the existing capabilities of warehouse employees and to help processes move faster, with more precision.

Warehouse automation should be carefully strategised, so as to keep a healthy balance between human and robotic collaborations. Collaborative-robots (cobots) are smaller robots designed specifically to maintain this balance. These types of robots are easy to engage with and safe to be around. Next to this, they don’t take up much floor space in the warehouse. For example, cobots designed for stacking smaller parcels saves employees walking and sorting time.

Improving quality of work

When pursuing automation in the warehouse, a critical factor to note is that robotics aims to ​​relieve existing employees from repetitive and physically straining work, granting them time to focus on tasks that require human skills.

The goal is not to replace human talent, automation exists to help solve specific problems – without taking away from employees’ workplace quality and standard of work. The goal is to benefit human performance, productivity and working conditions, for example, by cutting back on walking time or heavy lifting in the warehouse.

Level of expertise

The future of warehousing is to a great extent reliant on robotics and automation. However, employees, no matter their level of experience with robotics, need to be able to operate and interact with robots. In order to achieve optimal performance improvement in the warehouse, robotics need to be made accessible to everyone. This means that robotics or automated processes should not be complicated to oversee or to manage by anyone, no matter their technical background, prior experience or knowledge about robotics.

Reliability of automation

Staying with the example of cobots, robotic automations have become quite sophisticated in design. Intelligent vision, motion and task planning algorithms now enable cobots to handle a large variety of items whilst safely cooperating with employees. Little human involvement is needed when the cobot runs into an error, for example, redirecting its movements or readjusting its position in relation to the packages it is stacking.

Key challenge

A key challenge in implementing automation in the warehouse is change management. When trading physical labour for robotic automation, there are multiple business processes and workflows that need to be rewritten. This also requires management to think about the existing infrastructure of the warehouse to accommodate a certain level of automation.

When designing new systems and processes to accommodate automated functions, the use of space and labour constraints need to be considered. This is important in order to maintain a balanced working environment and to ensure that the warehouse’s functionality and productivity is indeed improved. Not to mention the accuracy with which tasks are performed. It is therefore important to prioritise which manual activities can be exchanged for robotic automation – to aid the employees in their tasks and to lessen the dependency on physical labour.

In conclusion, companies will need to continue adapting and responding to the changing wants and needs of their workforce. Proactivity and a more profound understanding of what is important in the warehouse environment will be a key strategy in the future to avoid the shortages seen in today’s market. It is however important to keep in mind that robotic automation cannot replace the manual workforce. The aim is to simplify and ease the demand of employees, whilst creating better working conditions for those engaging in physical labour activities across logistics.

IP camera monitors hidden areas

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Playing it safe in the event of a fault: The LCAM 308 IP camera from Leuze monitors hidden areas on stacker cranes and conveyor lines. This allows operators of logistics centres to trace back events reliably and rectify faults quickly and efficiently.

Even in modern logistics centres, it is not always possible to fully rule out faults. However, system operators can take steps to guard against this: The new LCAM 308 IP camera from Leuze records the 60 seconds prior to a fault in full HD. This enables events to be easily traced back. This is important if you want to rectify a malfunction quickly and efficiently. The camera is flexible in use and is suitable for visually monitoring hidden areas on stacker cranes and conveyor lines.

Diverse functions

Thanks to the comprehensive range of functions, system operators are equipped for every situation: For example, a live stream in HD resolution can be called up if required. Furthermore, the snapshot mode allows individual images to be captured, e.g. content of a box. This feature can be used during order picking to document whether the goods in the box were complete.

Practical: Standard browsers or standard streaming tools are all that’s needed for transmission of the 60-second recording or the live stream. No additional software is required. Operators are also spared having to deal with a flood of data: The LCAM 308 IP camera has a ring memory so that only the period before and after an event remains saved.

Harsh environments

With its robust metal housing, the LCAM 308 industrial IP camera has an IP65 protection rating. Dust cannot get inside and the device is water-jet proof. The advantage for mounting: Dovetail, threaded holes and a wide range of mounting accessories enable universal installation.

Perfect retrofit recipe for Almi

Posted on by David Priestman

To form resilient value chains to uphold delivery commitments to customers, you need high-performance intralogistics. Almi, the spice specialist based in the Upper Austria region, commissioned TGW Logistics Group to update its warehouse in Oftering. The TGW experts implemented the project in record time – during ongoing operation and despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone’s got to eat! For Almi, a manufacturer of spice blends, the truth reflected in this proverb is a curse and blessing at once. It’s a blessing because the company, whose strategy is focused on diversification and internationalisation, has experienced constant growth since its founding in 1931. From dilettante to dedicated, gourmets at every level in 62 countries enjoy foods seasoned with high-quality Almi products – from asparagus soup to organic chicken. The Upper Austrian company earns approx. €132m in sales per year, with almost 90% of the products being exported.

Retrofit during live operation

However, success in the food industry has its price. Customers get hungry even on holidays. This means that, unlike other industries in which production shuts down during vacation periods, Almi cannot afford lengthy breaks. This poses major time management challenges for larger-scale construction or modernisation projects.

This was also true of the retrofit of the automated tote warehouse with approximately 10,000 storage locations. To continue to uphold delivery commitments and lay the foundation for future growth, the family-owned enterprise ruled out the prospect of expanding its facilities. “Sustainability is of great importance to Almi. We do not want to pave over more green areas, so we decided from the beginning to optimise the existing facility so that we will be well equipped for the future,” reports Stefan Lackinger, Almi’s Production Manager.

In 2006, Almi built a warehouse on a parcel of land of approx. 28,000 sq m, with the contract going to TGW. The heart of the system is the automatic mini-load warehouse with three aisles, tote buffer, and carton, tote and pallet conveyor systems on three levels. To boost the performance of the intralogistics, the system was equipped with energy-efficient conveyor technology. However, Almi did not rest on its laurels. In 2017, the seasoning specialist commissioned TGW to update the warehouse management system (WMS).

Together into a green future

Almi was very pleased with how the update went. As a result, Almi selected TGW as a partner of choice to join it on the path to a green future. The initial impulse came from the TGW retrofit experts, who presented a concept made up of multiple components: changing out a storage and retrieval machine, replacing the mechatronics of the Commissioner lifting beam system, updating three transfer carriages and one belt-driven lift, and implementing new control technology.

The retrofit specialists offered Almi proactive suggestions after seeing in the documentation that a few components were outdated. There was a danger that if they broke down, they would become more expensive or not available at all. TGW put together multiple variants, from which Almi selected one. “In the retrofit area, each project is customer-specific – therefore, experience is of tremendous importance,” emphasises Josef Fritz, Sales Project Manager at TGW.

Mustang E+ energy-efficient storage and retrieval machines

A portion of the investment, which was in the mid-six figures, was designated to replacing the storage and retrieval machine. TGW provided a Mustang E+ storage and retrieval machine of the latest generation. Its advantages: it weighs less than older units and, unlike them, has a state-of-the-art control system and does not require anti-oscillation technology. This makes it possible to save energy.

The world of retrofitting is, in theory, similar to good food: even the best recipe may not turn out so delicious if the cook is inexperienced. TGW looks back on more than half a century of experience, with the retrofit area in particular experiencing strong growth. The system integrator now handles five times as many retrofit projects annually as it did ten years ago – and proceeds systematically for each project. “A system downtime would be a disaster for any supply chain manager,” emphasises Markus Kammerhofer, Director of Sales Retrofit at TGW.

Over the years, TGW has compiled a list of seven success factors:

  • Consider the lead time and start early enough
  • Choose experienced partners and project managers
  • Develop a structured plan
  • Integrate specially developed retrofit solutions
  • Create a comprehensive functional specification
  • Clearly define migration phases
  • Intensive employee training

Planning and preparation as success factors

The first meeting was held in early 2021, while in the summer, the team drafted a project plan, with the functional specifications following. The experts then defined the migration steps and the tight schedule. The timeline set the bar high for all those involved. The objective: executing the entire project around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to reduce the standstill to a minimum.

The TGW specialists arrived on December 21 and stayed at Almi until January 7, 2022, working every day except New Year’s Eve. However, the tight schedule was not the only challenge.

“All steps up to the go-live on January 7 had to be planned in detail,” says Fritz. Nevertheless, it was not possible to fully complete the project by January 6 as the plan had originally called for. However, this was not the fault of TGW. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide supply chain bottlenecks, the hardware was not replaced until April – at the weekends.

Energy savings of up to 20%

Despite the difficulties encountered, the projects were successfully completed in late April 2022. Lackinger, the Almi Production Manager, is highly satisfied with the result. He reports that the retrofit boosted system availability, while also lowering the cost of spare parts for maintenance work. The company’s green logistics strategy is also taking an important step forward – compliance with the ISO 50002 energy audit being just one example.

“Energy savings of up to 20% are now possible in intralogistics. In the past, unneeded braking energy of the storage and retrieval machine was simply lost. Now we feed it directly back into the grid. Thanks to the modernisation done by our partner TGW, we look to a greener future with confidence.”

 

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