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Tag: warehouse

WMS drives growth at auto salvage firm

Posted on by David Priestman

SnapFulfil WMS is helping to power forward an automotive salvage specialist’s ambitious five-year growth plan, which is predicted to boost turnover to a £1/4 billion.

Charles Trent Ltd, based in Poole, Dorset and founded in 1926, is among the UK’s top three car recycling companies, with a thriving online parts business, but its labour intensive and unreliable, paper picking process wasn’t geared up for quick expansion.

Having invested £4million in a new 30,000 sq ft distribution centre at the start of the year, Charles Trent also ensured that an architecturally robust, highly flexible and easily configurable WMS was part of the digital infrastructure.

The new DC facility is 14 levels high and has top picking height of 13 metre and state of the art racking. Their high-tech operation has been influenced by Amazon, and is the only one of its kind in the country, where you can source a particular part online and then have it delivered next day.

Despite the pandemic challenges SnapFulfil WMS has been able to drive highly accurate storage, putaway, picking and packing via the RF scanners and massively improve visibility for all parties across unique and diverse product ranges.

Charles Trent’s Distribution & Operations Manager, Matthew Groves, says: “We used to have return issues and about 2-3 orders per day going astray within the old system, but we’re now achieving close to 100 per cent accuracy with SnapFulfil and we’re only just getting started. Full traceability like this is a real benefit in a variable business such as ours.”

“The storage and distribution transition from the old warehouse and processes to the new, digitally-driven distribution centre has also been pretty seamless.”

By the end of April ‘21 Charles Trent will be fully operational from the new DC, which currently has capacity for 60,000 ‘green’ recycled products, ranging from used components such as engines and gearboxes to small parts and interiors. With SnapFulfil’s assistance, 110,000 parts should be processed in and out during 2021, increasing to 170,000 in 2022.

Company resource is also much more streamlined, efficient and productive with the new DC in operation 18 hours daily, across two shifts – for a massive increase in order processing capacity, but without the need for additional resource.

Groves adds: “One of the other main reasons we chose SnapFulfil is its ability to scale with us and its flexibility to meet all of the ongoing and future demands of our business. The kitting functionality is great and can support rapid scaling of fulfilment processes, as well as multiple site facility rollouts.”

Another five potential new sites are due to open by 2026, all close to main population centres in areas such as the North, Midlands, South West, plus London and the South East, which will include both distribution and recycling centres.

 

Fives’ AMRs for small parcel sortation

Posted on by David Priestman

GENI-Ant, Fives’ AMR-based smart parcel sorter, has been further improved to increase sortation flexibility and efficiency.

Fives developed its ultimate parcel sorter based on AMR, named GENI-Ant, to help CEP operators solve how to sort non-compatible or irregularly shaped parcels automatically.

In 2019, the GENI-Ant was showcased at Parcel + Post EXPO in Amsterdam for the first time.

In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic had a major impact on consumption patterns. The demand for home deliveries reached new record levels and the small parcel volumes increased up to unprecedented peaks.

As a result, distribution centres have been receiving more and more shipments consisting of irregularly sized or poorly packed items that are difficult to handle automatically, such as polybags, padded envelopes and other odd-shaped packages, most of them containing just one small item.

In this context, Fives’ teams worked hard to develop further the GENI-Ant design by integrating specific innovations and improvements

Most innovative sortation features

The GENI-Ant incorporates two independent sorting units, each of which can be equipped with different types of belt, depending on the product to be handled.

Beside the flat belt conveyor, Fives included a new belt model specially designed for unstable, fragile items and products with uneven surfaces: this innovative belt features edges and gauges that prevent objects from moving or rolling, offering total control on the item during transportation and sortation.

Different available heights have been added: the robot can be from 800 mm up to 1.3 m high to allow discharging into containers and chutes or onto horizontal conveyor belts, depending on the application.

The fleet runs throughout the operational area at different speeds on the straight and in curves, from 1.5 m/s up to 2.5 m/s.

Differently from the AGVs that are guided by cables, magnetic strips or sensors installed inside the warehouse, every GENI-Ant robots can move completely autonomously in a dynamic environment. Using Wi-Fi communication, the system software manages their navigation, defines where each of them should speed up or slow down and calculates the most efficient travel path, according to the position of the vehicle, the nearest loading area, and the assigned destination.

And above all, AMRs never stop, due to the automatic battery recharging system ensuring continuous operation, with no need to arrange a dedicated charging station.

The main benefits for the customers are:

  • Can be effectively used to reduce manual material handling
  • Can be installed in restricted space and adapted quickly to any change
  • Can be moved very easily, as it is not a permanent equipment
  • Can be used as a stand-alone system or added to an existing equipment
  • Can be re-configured simply by changing the layout, without stopping the sortation operations
  • Can be scaled up easily by adding vehicles or destinations, with no disruption
  • Can be combined with Fives’ automatic induction lines

Initial investment

The initial investment can be adapted according to the current layout and performance requirements and then increased at a later stage, also on a RaaS (Robot as a Service) basis.

“Our AMRs are built to be deployed quickly, thanks to standardised vehicles, proven software modules and seamless integration. The system occupies a very low footprint and is therefore the optimal solution for many applications in both large-sized hubs and small distribution centres, such as post terminals, express courier depots and 3PL warehouses,” concluded Fabio SACCHI, New Application Director at Fives Intralogistics SpA.

FLTA: Safety is a journey, not a destination

Posted on by David Priestman

The Fork Lift Truck Association, part of UKMHA, is once again reminding businesses around the UK to take a hard look at safety on site, and asks: Are you doing as well as you should be?

Creating a lasting safety culture — where best practice behaviours and actions are embedded in day-to-day operations — should be the top priority of any site.

UKMHA Chief Executive Tim Waples explains: “Safety requires commitment. It’s that simple. If management is seen to act, and implement change, a workforce will be reassured and inspired to do the same.

“Investing in safety is an investment in the business and its future. You are more likely to see financial gains if you have a strong safety culture in place. Safety is not just common sense, it’s good business sense.

“A prime example is our 2019 FLTA Safe Site Award winners Kellogg’s. They invested hugely in making an old and complex site safer, but recognised that toolbox talks, staff meetings and constant engagement were what really made the difference.”

Here are just a few suggestions and tips for kickstarting a journey towards a better safety culture:

Set positive goals: Instead of focussing on lagging indicators, i.e. what businesses don’t want to see, think about leading indicators, which are the things a company wants to see more of. Set targets then make them happen.

Don’t be complacent: Smart organisations look for areas of improvement and risk, then put controls in place to resolve issues before serious problems occur.

Involve and inform staff: In great safety cultures, every employee has a working knowledge of health and safety topics, and they know their roles and responsibilities.

Have an open-door policy for reporting issues: Create an environment where constructive criticism is welcomed, and where reporting is not merely guilt-free but praised. No-one should fear they will be ignored or — worse still — punished for coming forward, and nothing should be swept under the carpet.

Continue to communicate: Keep safety alive through every channel available and make sure that safety is top of the agenda when new recruits are inducted. Achieving high participation rates will provide encouragement and momentum for future initiatives.

To support the industry in improving safety standards, the FLTA created the Safe User Group. Members receive access to invaluable tools, exclusive resources, case studies with actionable tips, and advice on easy, affordable site improvements. For more information on joining SUG visit www.fork-truck.org.uk/safe-user-group

Minebea Intec widens range of industrial scales

Posted on by Keith McKinley

With the introduction of the Puro series of industrial scales, Minebea Intec says its leading technologies are now available in an affordable range.

With an extensive range and a variety of applications, a large number of innovative industrial weighing solutions are now available as part of the Puro range. Minebea Intec says this means that customers benefit from a high-quality product from a leading manufacturer of weighing and inspection technology, that is available at an affordable price. Every model is created with the customer’s requirements in mind.

Just one look at the industrial scale Puro is enough to see why it pays to choose a globally recognised provider of weighing and inspection technologies: thanks to its decades of expertise, Minebea Intec knows what customers consider important. During development, the primary focus was on making the product easy for customers to operate. This is directly reflected in many of the new weighing solution’s features.

Intuitive operation and optimum customer convenience

Large displays on the front and back with LCD backlight guarantee optimal readability, stabilisation in a matter of seconds provides immediate weighing results, and the tactile buttons ensure intuitive operation. Depending on the requirement profile, there are models offering features such as a rear display enabling users to read from both sides, a traffic light LED for checkweighing, and non-slip feet for use in challenging environments. The user interface is universally compatible, making handling easier for the user, regardless which model they are using.

“With Puro, we have reached another milestone.” explains Minebea Intec’s CSO Frank Wieland. “The innovative weighing solution represents the ideal addition to our portfolio, with fast delivery available anywhere in the world thanks to our smart distribution system: with three supply hubs in China, USA and Germany, we are able to ensure that our partners always have the right model in stock – which, in turn, means that the product is quickly available for the customer.”

With this innovative weighing solution, Minebea Intec is adding a fully portable scale with re-chargeable lithium-ion battery to its range. This gives the product up to 500 hours of service life, thereby delivering precise measurement results in the process. The product also impresses thanks to a weighing industry first: Puro is the first industrial scale in the world that can be charged via USB C.

Features like this truly make the Puro series a weighing solution of the future as customers no longer have to rely on often expensive manufacturer-specific power units and thus can charge their scale economically using the standard plug connector.

Convenience, precision and pure innovation

From the development phase onwards, care was taken to ensure the Puro product portfolio would cover a wide range of applications and customer requirements. The product is primarily suited for use in weighing, unit counting or quality control in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries and helps increase quality, efficiency and output of the process.

However, there are no restrictions on how you use the new range of scales, so they could also be used in other places such as specialist retailers.

With the Puro range, the customer benefits from a weighing solution that is intuitive and quick to use and, thanks to its robust materials, can also be used in challenging environments. Thanks to the optional Bluetooth or WiFi module, the Puro models can be connected wirelessly to PCs or printers and can be used in a fully location-independent manner.

Available worldwide and with the customer in just a few days

All models have one thing in common, as Product Manager Lena Silies underlines: “Our brand new industrial scale Puro not only impresses thanks to its design, the features and the versatile portfolio: fast delivery is also guaranteed thanks to distribution via certified partners and the Puro online store. Delivery is triggered online at the push of a button, and the customer has the scale within just a few days.” relates Silies.

A wide range of different models is available, covering a variety of applications. At the time of the market launch, the product portfolio covers compact scales, tabletop and floor scales as well as platform scales for tabletops. The individual models are available in different sizes, capacities and resolutions, thus covering wide range of applications. This is just the start: more products will soon be added to the Puro portfolio on an ongoing basis, so that we can provide our customers with the best possible selection of products.

3PL firm promotes first manager from fast-track programme

Posted on by David Priestman

Specialist 3PL logistics provider Europa Warehouse is celebrating the success of its Management Trainee programme, designed to give graduates an opportunity to fast-track a career in logistics.

A division of leading logistics provider Europa Worldwide Group, Europa Warehouse launched the programme in 2019, demonstrating its efforts to open doors for the next generation of talent.

Welcoming graduates looking to build a career in warehouse operations, the programme offers on the job training, giving individuals the skill set to quickly progress within the division.

Now, despite what has been a challenging year, Europa Warehouse is celebrating the growth and development of its team as its first trainee is promoted to Project Manager at Europa Warehouse.

With predictions that the ongoing growth in e-commerce could drive demand for 92 million sq ft of warehouse space across the UK by 2024, Europa Warehouse 3PL and logistics services are in high demand and going forward, the Management Trainee’s roles will be vital in sustaining growth and driving the business forward.

Europa Warehouse Logistics Director, Maria Torrent March comments: “Encouraging graduates to kick start a career in logistics and nurturing talent is a key focus for Europa Warehouse. The pandemic has shone a light on 3PL and logistics and sparked an interest for many young adults, and we are keen to offer opportunities and support.”

One of the programme’s recent success stories is Ram Odedra, who has been promoted to Project Manager at Europa Warehouse, Corby, before completing the two-year scheme. Ram found the opportunity on the Aston University graduate job portal and is now responsible for dealing with the new processes and contracts across Europa’s warehouses in Corby, Birmingham and Dartford.

Discussing why the Europa Warehouse Management Trainee programme appealed to him, Ram said: “The main factors that made me want to apply were the practical nature of the scheme and the chance to be able to work on projects across different areas and sites of the business. For example, I did my initial training at Minworth warehouse, then Northampton and finally Dartford. This meant that I could gain exposure to all aspects of Europa’s operations and in return, find the area that appealed most to my skill set.”

As part of the programme, a mentor is assigned to each Trainee to help guide development and ensure adequate support is provided.

Ram continues: “I am excited to be taking the next step in my career in logistics and progress within my new role. I would highly recommend the programme to anyone wanting to get involved in an operation where you are given live projects with real responsibility. Over the years, I have received an incredible amount of support and guidance working alongside Europa’s experienced professionals, as well as the flexibility to choose which direction I would like to take.”

Maria added: “Despite the challenges of Covid-19 and the increase in demand for warehouse space and 3PL services, we have ensured that employees continue to receive sufficient training and I am thrilled to see the success of Ram within our team. I look forward to watching others within the Europa team shine.”

Just last year, the division announced a recruitment drive for 120 new recruits following the launch of its 60m, state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Corby. The new site doubled Europa Warehouse’s logistics portfolio and has been constructed to a high-quality specification, including above-market standard 18 metre heights to facilitate three floors of mezzanines.

Europa Warehouse provides a range of value-added capabilities including e-commerce fulfilment, production services, inventory management, packing, labelling, special deliveries, final assembly, quality control and critical parts management.

Courier Moves into new Birmingham Warehouse

Posted on by David Priestman

CitySprint, which has been operational in Birmingham for over a decade, has today announced the relocation of their local business to a new site — located at Unit 59-61 Melchett Road, Kings Norton Business Park, B30 3HP. The new site boasts 14,000 sq/ft of warehousing space — a 300% increase in storage capacity compared to their old Birmingham location. The warehouse is enabled with CitySprint’s cutting edge warehouse management software to support businesses with their local and national growth requirements.

The relocation also means that CitySprint — whose business includes a healthcare logistics arm, CitySprint Health — is now located closer to major Birmingham hospitals and healthcare facilities. This will enable them to better help their existing healthcare clients, create new healthcare opportunities and support the growing demand for healthcare logistics and supply chain needs across the Midlands.

The wide range of vehicles – including small and large vans, transits and lutons – available at the Birmingham location also means CitySprint is in a prime position to support local businesses, no matter their needs. Not only this; understanding the importance of low-emissions vehicles, CitySprint’s fleet also includes an electric van, which has travelled 4,907 green miles since December 2020, whilst completing work across almost all sectors. The new site has been fitted with e-charging facilities to support the growing demand for zero-emission delivery solutions as the region moves closer to the launch of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone in June 2021.

Alongside the launch of the new site, CitySprint are also investing in local talent and are looking to recruit across courier and sales roles. In fact, in the first six weeks of 2021, CitySprint has seen Birmingham website traffic up by approximately 40%, with courier applications increasing 300% compared with the same period in 2020, showing great demand for positions in the area.

Mark Philipson, CitySprint’s Regional Manager for the Midlands commented: “For over 10 years we have been working in the Birmingham area — always looking to provide the best possible delivery experience to our customers from start to finish. Our new warehouse location, combined with our local knowledge, experience and expertise, will help us deliver a fast, flexible and convenient service to our clients in the Midlands which, in turn, will enable them to better meet the needs of their customers. It will also mean we’re in the best position possible to help our traditional customer base as they unwind from lockdown and requirements increase from manufacturers shipping parts and priority documents for city centre professional services companies.”

In recent months CitySprint has seen increased demand from local businesses like fresh produce providers and high-end restaurants, alongside IT relocation services where colleagues are moving between home and office. And as businesses continue to pivot and work in new ways in response to the global pandemic, this expanded local offering will give them the logistics support they need.

Distribution Centre Expansion in Magdeburg

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Logistics provider Dachser began operations at a new distribution centre at its Magdeburg location in mid-February. At the 40,000 sq.m facility, the family-owned company provides logistics services for its customer Globus Baumarkt and other companies in the region. The expansion created 40 new jobs.

Dachser’s new facility comprises 84,000 m2 and includes two warehouses with a total logistics area of 40,000 m2. One of the warehouses has been specifically designed for the storage and picking of food and non-food items and covers approximately 8,000 m2. The second warehouse for contract logistics activities has an area of 32,000 m2. Through the expansion, the office and social space at Dachser’s Magdeburg distribution center now cover some 1,880 m2. There is also an additional 3,000 m2 of outdoor storage adjacent to the site. Including the distribution centre 40 kilometres away in Oschersleben, Dachser’s Magdeburg logistics centre now provides 55,000 m2 for logistics operations in total, and space to accommodate some 80,000 pallets.

“At our new facility, we furnish warehousing and distribution services for our customer Globus Baumarkt as well as well-known regional and global manufacturers and retailers of industrial goods and food products,” explains Christian Schäckel, General Manager of the Magdeburg logistics centre. “On their behalf, our employees implement a future-oriented logistics strategy designed to help them grow.”

A strong partner in the region for over 25 years

Dachser has been operating in the Magdeburg region for over 25 years. Some 170 employees are responsible for ensuring the smooth execution of logistics services. “In addition to classic transport services, we also handle storage of industrial goods and food products and provide value-added services such as display-build and finishing,” Schäckel says. Dachser’s Magdeburg facilities are located in the Gewerbegebiet Nord commercial zone in the north of the region, providing convenient access to the A2 and A14 highways. From Magdeburg, the logistics provider serves destinations such as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Austria with daily departures. Dachser’s Air & Sea Logistics branch in Langenhagen, near Hanover, connects the Magdeburg logistics centre to all the global markets.

WMS Functionality Saves Time and Money

Posted on by David Priestman

A B2C fulfilment expert has quickly taken advantage of a next generation software adoption platform to win bigger business and improve internal operations. Brian Kirst is co founder and Chief Strategy Officer for leading US 3PL provider Resurge, with distribution centres in New Jersey and Reno, and his new best friend is an ‘AI-style’ training tool called SnapBuddy, which enables him to self configure WMS rules changes and modifications without delay.

Brian explains: “SnapBuddy is simple to use and is incredibly useful when it comes to being highly responsive and offering us greater control. Ultimately, it gives us more independence and reliance on our own internal processes. Nobody understands our needs better than we do, so the ability to configure to those needs is a real game changer.

“It’s also helped build system expertise within our own staff, because previously we relied on SnapFulfil support to answer some basic questions –and while their feedback is always great and response times incredible, sometimes you need that immediate reaction.

“We can swiftly make changes to the environment that directly impacts the efficiencies of our operation. When you’re dealing with volatile e-commerce fulfilment, unexpected spikes, peak periods and new products that you might not have the right rules set up for, having the SnapBuddy tool readily available gives us the ability to improve on the fly and at our pace. It’s hugely valuable to what we do and sets us apart from our competitors.”

The speed-to-value that Resurge enjoys through its partnership with Snapfulfil is also passed onto its customers, because with the current pandemic many are signing up for their services having not even done the usual site visit. With Resurge able to self configure very quickly, the remote onboarding that SnapFulfil also excels in has enabled Resurge to facilitate its own on-site implementation.

Brian adds: “We’ve been able to handle everything digitally and leveraging the SnapBuddy tool to do our configurations – picking rules, receiving rules and all that functionality – we’re doing it all remotely on site on our own, so it’s been a huge help in this Covid-19 climate we’re operating in.

“One of the other main reasons we chose SnapFulfil is its ability to scale with us and be extremely flexible to meet all of the demands of our business. We’re growing rapidly and went from two or three initial customers to 24 full-blown clients in under four months, so we did almost two dozen implementations in a very short space of time and SnapFulfil supported all of them – including some very complex integration.”

New Pallet Racking Solution

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Logistics service provider Great Bear has selected AR Storage Solutions as its trusted partner to add new pallet racking and reconfigure its 20,000m2 warehouse in Nottingham, England. Part of Culina Group, Great Bear offers nationwide warehousing and distribution solutions for leading international customers.

“The Great Bear warehouse in Nottingham required a brand-new racking solution accompanied by some layout modifications to transform it into a more flexible operating facility” explained Andrew Collinson, Capital Projects Director, Culina Group. “We are delighted to have entrusted AR Racking and to now have a warehouse with capacity fully optimised.”

The project included the dismantling and disposal of old non AR pallet racking and the installation of new AR adjustable pallet racking resulting in a storage capacity for 17,400 pallets. “We had to deal with the added complication of Great Bear requiring to keep the warehouse fully operational while we dismantled the old pallet racking and replaced it with new AR pallet racking equipment”, commented Mike Smyth, AR Racking UK Key Account Manager.

The installation of adjustable pallet racking also has a number of dedicated mesh deck panels and individual adjustable mesh dividers to create a quantity of low-level pick locations for Great Bear. Adjustable pallet racking systems come with a wide variety of accessories for the storage of any type of products, making this type of racking highly versatile. It is also a storage solution that allows maximum use of space, due to the ease and speed in adjusting the load levels to adapt them to specific volumes. In this case the top beam level is 8.75 m high.

Singapore Cargo Warehouse Modernisation Project

Posted on by David Priestman

Lödige Industries, a leading global provider of cargo terminal solutions, has announced that it has been selected by dnata Singapore Pte Ltd to modernise and upgrade its cargo warehouse at Changi Airport. Designed to handle an annual turnover of 550,000 tonnes, the facility will incorporate new advanced ULD handling equipment and control technology, replacing and enhancing existing warehouse fittings.

“Our company continuously strives to make investments that enable us to offer enhanced services to our customers,” says Sam Gould, dnata Singapore’s Head of Cargo. “The new ULD handling equipment seamlessly integrates with our existing procedures and helps ensure the safety of our staff as well as the cargo they handle.”

The project, which Lödige Industries will deliver by May 2021, includes replacing existing equipment with a modern turntable transfer vehicle, control system hardware and software, and slave pallet movers for flexible cargo handling. The equipment is designed to enhance the warehouse’s ability to handle peaks and extend the terminal lifespan by 15 to 20 years while reducing costs by minimising ULD damage.

Ranga Jayaweera, General Manager (Singapore) for Lödige Industries, points out: “Installing the new equipment (within just four weeks) while cargo operations continue, requires careful project planning and management to minimise the impact on dnata and its customers. We incorporated a practical and cost-efficient component redundancy in the project, which will reduce impact during construction, handle peaks and avoid unplanned downtime in the future.”

The introduction of slave pallet movers to the warehouse adds a versatile and highly maneuverable cargo handling tool that allows for safe and efficient build-up and breakdown activities anywhere in the warehouse.

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