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Getting the most from your warehouse or distribution centre

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WAREHOUSE BEST PRACTICE www.ukwa.org.uk

Warehouse Best Practice 3

Welcome to Warehouse BestPractice - a case-studybased publication dedicated,

as its title suggests, to logistics andmaterials handling best practice.

Featuring articles devoted to a sin-gle vital aspect of the intralogisticsfunction within the logistics and sup-

ply chain space it aims to highlight examples ofproducts and/or services that have brought opera-tional benefits to the warehouse environment.

Of course, members of UKWA – the trade associ-ation that represents the interests of almost 700 spe-cialists logistics service providers - undertake anexceptional range of warehousing and added valueservices - from animal feed storage through bondedwarehousing to e-fulfilment. But, regardless of theareas in which they specialise, the Association’smembers all share a determination to drive up pro-fessional standards in the warehousing sector.

To become a member of the Association, allapplicants must operate to the highest minimumstandards in 11 critical areas of warehousing. Onlyby pledging to comply with these standards will acompany’s membership application be accepted.

UKWA recently undertook a survey of its membersand the answers we received would suggest ourmembers continue to provide very high levels ofservice.

The results of the survey indicated that there arestrong levels of satisfaction among users of 3PL serv-ices with the performance of their suppliers. Acrossthe sector an average of 83.78% of all contracts thatwere up for renewal were extended with 14% ofrespondents reporting that they had enjoyed a 100%contract renewal rate over the past year.

The 3PLs that we surveyed work with their clientsfor an average of 8.77 years, although the majority(59%) report that their relationships with establishedcustomers stretch back 10 years or more – providingfurther evidence of the apparently high feelings ofcontentment among 3PL users.

While membership of UKWA is comprised pre-dominantly of third party warehousing and logisticsservice providers, membership eligibility criteria isno longer restricted to companies operating in thethird party logistics and warehousing sectors. Thismeans that retailers, manufacturers and wholesalersare free to join UKWA and compare best warehous-ing and logistics practice with the leading companiesin the logistics field. Furthermore, UKWA also wel-comes members from outside the United Kingdom'sborders into its membership.

The Association is also open to suppliers to thewarehousing and logistics sectors who can join asAssociate Members. It is UKWA’s firm belief that bymaintaining close working relationships with allaspects of the industry, UKWA will maintain its posi-tion at the very heart of the logistics industry.

The UK logistics industry is an essential part of thecountry’s economy and plays a pivotal role indomestic and international commerce. With its remitto serve both 3PLs and those companies that oper-ate their own warehousing and transport facilities,UKWA is a powerful voice for the whole industryand its members are dedicated to best practice in thewarehouse.Roger WilliamsChief Executive Officer, UKWATo learn more about UKWA and its activitiesvisit www.ukwa.org.uk or telephone 0207 8365522 to request membership details.

Dedicated to deliveringthe highest supplychain standards

4 Warehouse Trucks

WAREHOUSE BEST PRACTICEwww.ukwa.org.uk

Furniture Village is the largest privatelyowned furniture chain in the UK. Its100,000 sq ft national distribution

centre (NDC) in Milton Keynes is the hub ofthe organisation, distributing £60 million ofcustomer orders to satellite warehousesacross the country. The company hadextended the NDC’s racking to make fulluse of the building’s height and was look-ing for a forklift truck supplier to providetrucks that could cope with the demands ofits busy warehouse.

As an existing supplier of forklifts at twoof Furniture Village’s satellite warehouses,Atlet, along with four other suppliers, wasinvited to put together a proposal for theNDC’s new truck contract.

Andy Long, Group Warehouse Manager,Furniture Village, explains, “Our existing truckssimply couldn’t cope with the demands on thenew racking and layout. We are now movingheavy furniture at heights of over 11 metres soneeded trucks that would meet our healthand safety requirements to ensure driversafety and comfort.”

Solution providerMatt Prentice, Atlet’s dedicated FurnitureVillage account manager, visited the NDCto assess its operations and requirements.As a company Atlet is committed to improv-ing the profitability of its customers’ materi-al handling, so Matt took the time to gain athorough understanding of the centre’srequirements before proposing the mostsuitable and economic solution.

Atlet was delighted to be awarded thecontract. Andy Long explains his selection cri-teria, “Out of all the suppliers we approached,Matt was the only one who really took the timeto understand what we were trying to achieve.He looked in a lot of detail and talked us

through various options to give us the bestsolution possible.”

Atlet has supplied Furniture Village withone ET-15 counter balance truck, threeTempo PPL low level order pickers andthree of its new generation heavy-dutyreach trucks, the Tergo UHX. Designed toperform almost any heavy-duty 24/7 mate-rial handling task, the UHX is the idealreach truck for extremely high stacking. It isalso one of the world’s fastest and mostergonomic reach trucks, as Matt Prentice,Account Manager, Atlet explains, “Our newgeneration of heavy duty reach trucks pro-vide the ideal solution for Furniture Village’sdemanding operations as they are extreme-ly stable at height due to the strength of themast and smoothness of the controls.”

Improved battery changeAs part of its proposal Atlet suggested intro-ducing a new battery change area.Improving a warehouse’s battery changecan not only reduce battery changeovertimes, but also increase vehicle uptime andhelp achieve a more efficient deployment ofmanpower.

Furniture Village were opportunity charg-ing during shifts which was bad for batterylife. Atlet provides complete end-to-enddesign, manufacture and installation servic-es for battery handling applications, anddesigned and installed a space track systemfor the reach trucks and a transfer tracksystem for the pickers. Not only is it a lotsafer, but is has significantly improvedFurniture Village’s operational efficiency.

Andy Long comments, “We took Atlet’sadvice and now have a dedicated batterychange area where batteries are changedquickly and easily. It is safer, much less labourintensive and has improved productivity.”

With Atlet’s trucksFurniture Village reach

new heights

As an existing supplier of forklifts at two of Furniture Village’s satellite warehouses, Atlet was invited toput together a proposal for a new contract to supply trucks at the company’s NDC

ABOUT ATLETAtlet is one ofEurope’s leading truckmanufacturersand materialshandlingexperts and iscommitted toimproving theprofitability ofits clients’materials handling operations.The companyoffers a rangeof counterbal-anced andwarehousetrucks whichare producedat Atlet’s headquartersand productionplant outsideGothenburg,Sweden.


Warehouse Trucks 5

Driver comfort Furniture Village takes the comfort andsafety of its drivers very seriously and hasbeen delighted with the response Atlet’strucks have received. Andy Long reports,“Atlet’s trucks are far more comfortable anduser friendly than our previous models. Ourdrivers are happy to sit for a lot longer,which has again had a positive impact onoperational efficiency.”

Safety and efficiencyTo improve safety Atlet advised fitting acamera monitoring system to each reachtruck. Picking and putting heavy furnitureaway at heights of up to 12 metres requiresconsiderable accuracy and the camerasenable the drivers to see what they are doingclose up, without straining their necks. AndyLong comments, “The cameras have helpedwith accuracy and also stock identification aswe can use them to check stock codes.”

The trucks are also fitted with a keypadwhich enables Furniture Village to allocatetrucks to drivers. Andy adds, “The system isreally useful as it means we can give a driv-er a dedicated truck and then assess andcost out the efficiency of people and picks.”

Single point of contactAtlet prides itself on its personal approachand providing customers with a single pointof contact is an important part of its cus-tomer service. Furniture Village’s accountmanager keeps in regular contact with itswarehouse managers to ensure the fleet isworking at optimum efficiency and any pro-posed changes to operations are managed.Andy Long comments, ”I really valued theamount of time and considered approachAtlet put into understanding our require-ments. It was invaluable in helping mechoose the right equipment. It’s also reallyhelpful to have just one point of contact toaddress all my needs at any time.”

ConclusionAndy Long concludes, “Atlet has workedhard to establish a very good working rela-tionship with us. We feel very well lookedafter and in capable hands. Its trucks haveimproved operational efficiency and healthand safety at our NDC and I’m confidentthat as we continue to grow, our partnershipwith Atlet will grow too.”www.atlet.co.uk

6 Warehouse Trucks


As every good logistics manager knows,the art of profitable warehousing anddistribution is to achieve the swiftest,safest, most reliable and most cost-effective handling of goods betweenpoints. This means ensuring that everysingle inch of storage space pays itsway. But while many warehousedesigns consider the best use of thewidth and depth of the building, farless make the best use of the height,especially in warehouses where a wideaisle storage configuration is required.

Plenty has been written over the yearsabout gaining additional storage locationsby utilising height warehouse but, in manyinstances, this gain in height has beenaccompanied by the need to select a VNAstorage solution. With the development ofsuper high lifting reach trucks, additionalstorage locations can be added by increas-ing racked levels. But now throughput flexi-bility can be achieved by allowing trucks topass one another in the aisle.

Beyond 13 metresThe development of reach truck lift heightshas progressed year-on-year. Where 10.2metres had been the lifting benchmark inthe late 1990s, we now see reach trucks notonly having the stability to raise 1,000 kgup to 12.75 metres but lifting beyond13 metres as well.

This increase in lift height andcapacity in a wide aisle storage solu-tion enables, in most cases, for anadditional layer of storage to be added whereroof clearance allows.

Economic solutionBuilding new higher warehouses, extending existingwarehouses or simply making better use of the heightyou already have makes good sense on a number oflevels. (No pun intended.) A dearth of speculativeindustrial property development in recent years hascontributed to a shortage of good quality, high specifi-cation warehousing space. Aided and abetted by eco-nomic uncertainty and the Euro crisis, rents have beenpushed upwards and margins that logistics providers

would already describe as ‘tight’ are being squeezedfurther.

By expanding existing property upwardsor building brand new higher warehouses,

less land is required. And with the everincreasing cost of land, this not only createsenormous financial savings, it also helpsreduce a company’s carbon footprint.Additionally, reconfiguring existing facilities tomake better use of the height you alreadyhave avoids the expense and inconvenience ofextending, moving elsewhere or building newfacilities.

Easy accessNeedless to say, creating additional heightand storage capacity means being able to

reach and use that space easily. That’swhy Atlet introduced the TergoUHX, the first reach truck tooffer a 1,000 kg lift to 12.75metres. With its impressiveload/height performance, thetop-of-the-range Tergo UHXenables operators to increasesubstantially their storagecapacity within a current ware-house footprint, where spacefor expansion is limited or non-existent, or in high cost-per-footapplications, such as cold stor-age.

Additional savingsThe benefits of such a highreach truck doesn’t just mean

storing more at greater heights,it also means the freedom to put away even heavy pal-lets without the need to find low-level or floor locations,saving time and cost while boosting safety margins.

Whether you are looking to store more on your cur-rent site, either by using existing racking height or byextending, or whether you are planning for a new site,the flexibility offered by the Tergo UHX reach truck pro-vides a safe, reliable and tried and tested solution forgetting the most from every square foot. In short, how-ever challenging your storage needs, Atlet really doesreach the parts other trucks cannot reach! www.atlet.co.uk

Aim high with warehouse efficiency

8 The Loading Bay


Loading bays and industrial doors have benefittedfrom numerous technological advances in recentyears, particularly in response to growing demand

for improved environmental and operational perform-ance. Heat and light saving measures are becomingincreasingly popular and energy efficiency is now firmlyat the heart of many operations; however, improvingsafety remains the highest priority.

Health and safety planning has consequentlybecome a central part of warehouse and loading baydesign. As with other elements, safety needs to be care-fully considered and a building’s operational require-ments (and any resulting risks) should be thoroughlyassessed, and if possible designed-out.

Consultation, planning and design are part of thecomplete package that Hörmann supplies to the ware-house sector and also make a significant contributionto new product development. In the last year alone, anew intelligent dock buffer, light guide and non-contactsafety device have been added to the Hörmann productportfolio.

The Hörmann HIB-Pro intelligent dock buffer is oneof many safety options that can be included as part ofthe manufacturer's comprehensive dock control system.An integral sensor links the buffer to the door controland to the external traffic lights. A driver reversing ontoa bay will see the green light to approach, an amberlight as the vehicle gets close to the buffer and a redlight on contact. More than a reversing guide, the sys-tem allows vehicle to dock before the external door canbe opened. This safety feature also ensures that thegreen light for a vehicle to leave a bay is only givenonce the external door is closed.

The LED light guide is a simple addition to a loadingbay that helps drivers to position their vehicle correctly,particularly when there is limited visibility, at night or inpoor weather for example.

The award winning Light Grille non-contact safetydevice, originally developed for fast action curtaindoors, has now been re-engineered for use with sec-tional doors. The new element can also be retrofittedinto existing sectional door frames or alternatively, canbe housed in Hörmann STL post sets made of weatherresistant anodised aluminium.

The design incorporates LEDs and sensors into the

door frame, taking away the risk of safety being com-promised by impact damage. An array of light beamsconstantly monitors the door opening to a height of 2.5metres and will simply stop the door if any are broken.This offers a number of safety benefits. There is noneed for a rigid or battery powered safety edge and thedoor can operate quicker and react faster to anypotential impact. With no moving parts, only limitedmaintenance is needed to ensure a long, reliable serv-ice life.

With the increased integration of loading bay equip-ment there has come greater demand for manufacturerbacked service support. Ensuring that all components,such as doors, dock levellers, traffic control systemsand safety devices, are operating efficiently is recog-nised as both a safety measure and can lead to costsavings by reducing downtime and extending the life-cycle of equipment.

Hörmann is meeting this demand by increasing thenumber of its field service engineers and offering multi-brand servicing, as part of its 24/7 repair and mainte-nance support for industrial doors and loading bayequipment.

Adding the ability to service other makes of equip-ment not only gives the customer a more responsiveservice through a single point of contact, but withHörmann's real time reporting, it also offers almostinstant access to the relevant data for insurance andrisk assessment requirements.

From initial planning and design through to installa-tion and ongoing servicing, Hörmann can meet all yourloading bay needs.www.hormann.co.uk

Loading safely with Hörmann

Consultation, planning and design are part of the complete package that Hörmann supplies to thewarehouse sector and also make a significant contribution to new product development

www.hormann.co.uk ref:

UK

WA

Loading technology

Industrial sectional doors

Rolling shutters

Europe’s largest industrial door programme

arriving in containers but as most of the pal-lets spaces were taken, or we couldn’t accessthem, we had no option but to store them onthe floor in the aisles which gave us prob-lems with stock access, rotation, picking anda potential health and safety hazard”

RGM turned to their materials handlingpartners Western Mechanical Handling fromWiltshire and Headway Storage, who afterconducting a detailed site and operationalsurvey made a number of recommendations

10 Articulated Forklift Trucks


Founded in 1976 by company principalPeter Rochford, the company was origi-nally a garden machinery retailer.

Following continued growth the business,based in Wincaton - Somerset, began distrib-uting products to other dealers in the area,and eventually to its current national dealernetwork of over 1000 specialist dealers.

Rochford Garden Machinery prides itselfon a wealth of resources, customer service,spare parts and technical support and with astrong belief that service is second to none.By taking pride in everything they do andensuring that their customers receive highlevels of service and support, the RGM busi-ness has seen rapid growth over the last 3years, which as a result led to challenges inthe Warehouse facility.

“As the product range increased it becameall to obvious that we needed to change theprofile of our storage to allow for the newproducts and to free up additional floorspace, “comments Martin Haselup, TradeSales Office Manager. “New products were

RochfordGarden

Machinerygains over 30%

more palletpositions

with Bendi

The transition to Bendi articulated truck technology hasrevolutionised the way in which Rochford Garden Machinery

operates


Articulated Forklift Trucks 11

including replacing the existing reach truckwith a Bendi Articulated Forklift Truck andreorganising the racking layout to reducethe aisles from over 3m to 2m, but asMartin explains there were a few initial con-cerns.

“The thought of reducing the aisles by athird and operating with a type of truck thatwas unknown to us was a little daunting atfirst but any concerns we had were soonforgotten when we saw the Bendi in action

and realised just how versatile it could befor our warehousing operation. We neededa truck that was easy to operate and wouldallow us to optimise storage density whilstat the same time permit fast and efficientindividual pallet accessibility – and theBendi was the answer”

The new warehouse layout, which wasachieved by utilising some of the existingracking together with brand new compo-nents has resulted in a storage capacity

12 Articulated Forklift Trucks


increase of over 30% as the number of pal-lets stored has grown from 1000 to over1300; and the aisles which are now com-pletely free of pallets and obstructions allowfor a safer and more efficient picking envi-ronment.The Bendi model chosen for theoperation is the B318 - a 3 wheel truckthat has excellent visibility and unrivalledstability as it easily accommodates loads of1800kg and can lift up to a height of 9mwithout any special floor requirements. Theunique Bendi front end design and 220degree steering means that the Bendi willoperate in the tightest of aisles and isequally at home unloading vehicles outsideon yards as it is working in warehouses andproduction areas.

Although capable of working in a 1.8maisle with a 1.2m deep pallet, the aisle wasset at 2m once the optimum storage capac-ity was achieved thus increasing operatingefficiencies even further.

The transition to Bendi from Reach andCounterbalance was made simple with allof the operators attending a driver trainingconversion course, and one of them in par-ticular achieved a 100% pass rate.

“The Bendi has revolutionised the way inwhich we operate,” concluded Martin “Thenew layout and additional capacity meansthat pallets can be taken direct from thedelivery vehicle and straight into the racksinto predetermined locations and the wholeoperation of handling 30+ pallets onlytakes between 30 to 45 minutes. Clearaisles also mean that we can pick andoperate more efficiently in a much saferenvironment and ensure that the productsare delivered to our customers, accuratelyand on time. All in all we believe thechange has created a more efficient systemboth allowing for future growth andenhancing customer service.”www.bendi.co.uk

14 Warehouse Management Systems


Before you start…

It is essential that before you embark ona review of any system within yourorganisation that you are clear of your

reasons for reviewing and the rationale forinvesting the time in doing so. A gover-nance framework for the review is essentialas is equipping yourself with adequateresources.

So, how do you know when it is time toreview? Here are some common reasonsorganisations use as indicators:• Existing system is discontinued or is nolonger supported• Paper-based system is no longer able tofulfil its function• Consolidation and integration of ware-house processes into a single system• Reducing costs associated with shrinkage,wastage, damage and obsolescence• Reducing manual administration throughautomation of processes• Significant growth either organically orthrough acquisition, new contract in case ofThird Party Logistics businesses• Better integration across the back office• Enhanced visibility, efficiency or control ofthe warehouse processes• Existing system is cumbersome andexpensive to maintain.

If any of the above are true of yourorganisation or your current system thenmaybe it’s time for a review? Here are 3essential steps to follow:

STEP ONE: Assess your needsThe first stop on your road to review isan internal assessment of your currentactivities.

• Current Pains – At present, what elementsof your current set-up could support you bet-ter? Do you require better integration with yourexisting back office solutions? Would you liketo increase labour productivity through theautomation of routine tasks? Do you needaccess to real-time stock information?

• Existing System/Supplier – Does your‘paper-based’ or in-house system live up toyour expectations? If you have a currentsoftware provider, how do you currentlyview them? Is the system a good fit for yourbusiness? Do you find their account man-agement and system support to be of ahigh enough standard considering yourmaintenance payment? What is the strengthof their future product Roadmap? Will therebe continual investment? Are they able toprovide value-added solutions to widen thereach?

• Features & business specific requirements– It is important to analyse what makesyour business different from others. Are yourequired to comply with local / national /international regulations? Do you need todeliver excellent KPIs - e.g. picking accuracy- in order to remain compliant? Whatdetailed functionality is most important?

Make a list of specifications either aspart of a business case or as an isolatedactivity and prioritise them as key featurerequirements, not important or ‘nice tohaves’. This specification list should consid-er not only the features and operation ofthe warehouse management system, butthe desired relationship with your futuresupplier. Are they financially stable? Whatexperience do they have? Do they offer asuite of products to complement the ware-house management system? What compa-nies similar to yours have they workedwith? You should also consider what tech-nological specifications you require in linewith IT policy and strategy.

STEP TWO: Know your projectOnce you have carried out the inter-nal review of your requirements, thenext step is to outline the scope of theproject and the availability of keyresources.• Personnel – It is important to designateindividuals to take responsibility for the suc-

The road to review

Are you considering a review of your warehouse management system? It’s not as hard as you think.Use ABS’s 3 step guide to help you navigate past some of the common obstacles and help you identify

the things you should consider whilst on the ‘Road to Review’


Warehouse Management Systems 15

cess of the project. This can vary betweenorganisations. Some organisations willassign owners from key departments(Operations, Logistics, IT, Purchasing) toform a project team and oversee the accu-rate and successful implementation. It mayalso be advisable depending on the amountof knowledge residing in your organisationto outsource some responsibility to an exter-nal consultant.

• Methodology – This is the choice of a for-mal framework to assist you through yourproject in order to outline systems of control,identify areas of risk and contingency plan-ning. The methodology used will range fromone organisation to another based on anumber of factors: size, sector, organisation-al culture, existing project plans. Advancedhas identified the following as three to con-sider if you are unsure as to what yourorganisations uses. These are: Waterfall,AGILE or the more formal Prince II.

• Budget & Timescales – What is yourbudget for a new system? Assessing yourbudget is important as it will refine the num-

ber of suitable suppliers. It is important toalso consider what your initial budgets arefor implementation and licence fees, for anyproject contingencies and future mainte-nance payments.

It is also important to understand thetimescales you are working to. Is the currentsituation critical to business performance?What monetary effect would missing adeadline cause? Outline only realistictimescales that provide your organisationthe necessary time to complete all analysisand implementation.

• Connectivity & Compatibility – It is impor-tant to understand what your technicalrequirements are in terms of the migrationof old data, the user licences and hardwareplatforms required to support this new tech-nology and its compatibility to current sys-tems.

STEP THREE: Choose your supplierThe final step is about taking theresearch you have undertaken andmatching the results to the mostappropriate supplier.

• Outline the steps for your purchasingdecision – You are not going to purchaseany warehouse management system afterjust a quick demo. Be sure to structure yourapproach, starting with a wide net of suppli-

16 Warehouse Management Systems


ers and refining them down over time.Communicate your selection process andtimescale.

Common stages when selecting a newwarehouse management solution include:• Documentation and response – Therelease of an RFI document or formal invi-tation to tender (ITT) outlining your require-ments and providing suppliers the opportu-nity to respond• Demonstration – Inviting 4-5 suitablesuppliers to present their software and anoverview of their experience in the sector• Shortlisting – Down to 2 or 3 suppliersthat fit your requirements and yourresources.• Secondary meeting which focuses onspecific areas of the system which areimportant to the business. You may run aworkshop session at this stage which askssuppliers to demonstrate against a set ofscenarios specific to your business• Reference site visits - requesting your pre-ferred supplier(s) to take you to the premis-es of their existing customers• Choosing a preferred supplier andreviewing contract requirements and finalpayment terms.

• Future as well as functionality – It isimportant to remember when choosing asupplier that many warehouse management

systems will have similar, if not the same,functionality as one another at their core.There will obviously be some that havegreater experience or technology incertain sectors, but much of the racefor functionality is over. Factors whichare extremely important, but often for-gotten, provide a sustainable relation-ship with the organisation. Is the chosensupplier:• Financially stable – A safe pair of handsthat will be there in the future• Committed to the product Roadmap andactively investing to improve the product• Able to offer upgrades as standard. Manyorganisations discontinue products every 3-5 years and force upgrades on customersto new systems• Able to reference happy customers withsimilar requirements to you• Able to offer a range of collaborative andsupporting applications to support yourfuture IT strategy• A business and team you think youcan work with and who will support you.

Changing your warehouse manage-ment system has the potential to bethe most challenging project yourfinance team will ever undertake,but it could also be the most reward-ing.

If you are thinking it’s time to review then let Advanced be your guide.www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/roadtoreview

THE ROAD TO REVIEWReplacing your current or implementing a new warehouse management solution could be seen as the most challenging project your team undertakes...it could also be the most rewarding.

WITH ADVANCED IT’S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK.

REPORTINGEFFICIENCY

AUTOMATION

PROFITS

WAREHOUSING

Visit our dedicated website and download our guide if you are considering taking the road to review.

www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/roadtoreview01582 714 810 . [email protected]

18 Warehouse Flooring


It has long been acknowledged that theconcrete floor slab is one of the mostimportant components of a modern

warehouse facility – day to day operationsand efficiencies depend on it.

In the current economic climate cost hasoften become the driving factor and meshfloor slabs with sawn induced contractionjoints have seen a rise in popularity as theycan often offer a cost saving at constructionstage, but purely cost driven tendering andprocurement is commonly reflected in per-formance and durability; short term finan-cial benefits can often become long termmaintenance and operational losses.

It is well documented that reducing thenumber of joints in a floor slab will have amajor impact on operational efficiencies aswell as floor and MHE maintenance costs.So why consider a return to designing morejoints into a floor slab?

The inclusion of sawn cut contractionjoints within a design translates into thewarehouse operator having up to 75%more joints to maintain on a regular basisand having a floor slab more likely to expe-rience curling and to require remedialworks to repair the breakdown that willoccur where no edge reinforcement is pres-ent.

Consider the benefits of a ‘jointless’slab:• Significantly reduced floor slab jointmaintenance costs – year on year• Fewer joints = greater MHE operationalefficiencies• Fewer joints trafficked daily = lowerMHE maintenance

• Increased operator comfort = improvedoccupational health• Reduced slab thickness = increased sus-tainability credentials

Floor slab innovation : JointsThe correct installation of a qualityarmoured construction joint is essential andon-going innovations in this area willensure that the end user reaps the benefitsof a truly ‘jointless’ floor slab. One suchexample is the HC Sinus-slide® expansionjoint (see pic below) that provides continu-ous support for passing wheels, enablingvibration free crossings and creates smoothand optimal load transfers.

To gain optimalperformance ofmechanical han-dling equipment itis crucial to min-imise the contactpressure of thewheels on thefloor slab/con-struction joint.Contact pressure is exacerbated by trans-porting heavy goods and MHE with smalldiameter hard tyres. The sinus profile of thejoint ensures continuous support for passingwheels regardless of the direction of travel,size or form of the wheel. The permanentcontact between wheel and concrete flooracross the joint creates a smooth andnoiseless load transfer.

Tests carried out at the Magnel laborato-ry in association with Ghent University,Belgium have demonstrated that the HC-

Twintec: flooring for warehouses and distribution centres

The floor slab in a distribution warehouse is, put simply, the foundation that many other componentsrely on to operate effectively and a floor slab that restricts efficient operations on a day to day basis orrequires intensive ongoing maintenance will significantly impact on the business activities and profit

capabilities of the operation


Warehouse Flooring 19

Sinus Slide® joint will withstand loads inexcess of 300Kn/m before the concretebreaks and 100% vibration free loadtransfer.

Floor slab innovation : RecycledFibresSteel fibres used to reinforce concrete havetraditionally been manufactured from newhigh carbon steel wire. However, steel wireof a much higher quality is used in themanufacture of truck tyres and a significantvolume of this material is recovered eachyear when end-of-life tyres are recycled.

This recovered steel tends to be of small-er diameter and length than traditional steelfibre and a research programme initiated in2000 at the University of Sheffield, UK,identified the range of fibre geometries thatare most effective when used as reinforce-ment. The innovative nature of the technol-ogy has been recognised by the award of anumber of worldwide patents.

This breakthrough in technology is theresult of an extensive R & D programme.Recycled fibres and hybrid blends havebeen extensively tested and verified by theUniversity of Sheffield in a GBP £2 millionprogramme of on-going laboratory testingand full-scale field trials. These trials havecovered all aspects of structural perform-

ance including flexural and shear strength,crack control, shrinkage, freeze / thaw,fatigue and durability.

When used on its own, the R-AFT 01/25recycled fibre results in delayed crack initia-tion and a much improved carbon footprintdue to a reduction of about 97% in theenergy needed for its manufacture. Duringthe extensive research & development pro-gramme, significant benefits to blendingdifferent sizes of steel fibres, into one mixwere identified and are available in reportform. When blended with a reduced quan-tity of the standard AFT 08/55 fibre theusual level of excellent structural perform-

ABOVE: Traditional vs Jointless flooring

ABOVE: Recycled fibres

20 Warehouse Flooring


ABOUT TWINTECTwintec hasbeen at theforefront ofindustrialflooringtechnology

for more thanthree decadesand producesmore than fivemillion squaremetres ofindustrialflooring slabsevery year. Inaddition to itstechnicalexpertise, thecompanyoffers a comprehen-sive servicepackage.

ance is maintained along with significantimprovements in its environmental creden-tials. This blend uses carefully recycled,locally sourced high quality steel tyre wireand provides reduced greenhouse emis-sions and a reduction in water consump-tion.

These fibres are now being used in floorslab designs worldwide.

The importance of maintenanceTimely, regular and an appropriate mainte-nance regime are essential for on-goingoperational efficiencies and to avoid unnec-essary future maintenance costs on the floorslab. Once a floor is operational a definedmaintenance plan should be adopted toinclude regular inspection and cleaning.Consider the use of non-marking tyres onall materials handling equipment to main-tain floor slab appearance and prevent sur-face damage from over exuberant cleaning.Joints can be exposed to high levels ofimpact from MHE, specifically small hardwheels, which can cause damage, especial-ly to sawn cut joints. Inspect regularly forsigns of wear or damage.

The 4th edition of TR34 ConcreteIndustrial Ground Floors advises that tomaintain the appearance and service life ofthe floor, the following basic tips:• Clean regularly• Remove debris before it causes damage• Give higher frequency of maintenance

and care to heavily trafficked areas• Clean up spillages immediately• Remove oil and grease immediately• Install spill and clean-up kits at regularlocations• Ensure cleaning agents are suitable forconcrete surfaces – trial areas before use• Follow instructions from manufacturers• Remember all floors need maintenanceas soon as you start using them

The Twintec Group is the global marketleader in ‘jointless’ steel fibre reinforcedconcrete (SFRC) industrial floor slabs withoffices in 22 countries. The companyderives its name from the twin technologiesof concrete and steel fibres and, as a spe-cialist flooring contractor, designs andbuilds in excess of 6 million m2 worldwideeach year.

Offering a unique Design-Build-Insureservice, Twintec understands clients’ needsand provides optimised designs to meetspecific requirements on a project by proj-ect basis. Twintec advocates value engineer-ing as an integrated and detailed planningprocess that considers techniques andmaterials that could provide better perform-ance and better value over the life of theproject. Design concepts, materials andmethods of construction should be carefullyconsidered by all parties without compro-mising functionality and operationalrequirements of the client.www.twintec.co.uk

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22 Storage Systems


Safety makes supplychains more efficient

Safety measures enhance, rather then hamper supply chain efficiency, says Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems

The pace of supply chain activity is con-stantly accelerating under the pressureto shorten lead times for faster deliv-

ery. Together with the constant challenge ofreducing costs and improving efficiency, isthis likely to make supply chains less safe?

The supply chain is all about moving,usually, heavy loads, often in fast movingvehicles with a plethora of mechanical han-dling equipment along the way. The mostrecent HSE figures show that in 2009/10the storage, warehousing and roadhaulage industries reported over 8500 workrelated accidents to the Health and SafetyExecutive (HSE) and Local Authorities.Almost 1600 of these accidents were classi-fied as major injuries such as fractures andamputations.

Warehouse accidents are primarily the

result of slip, trips and falls; ergonomicstrains; and incidents involving materialshandling equipment such as forklift trucks,dropped boxes or racking collapse.Between facilities in the supply chain, acci-dents frequently happen during loadingand unloading or maintenance of vehicles:as well as falling loads and from beingstruck by a moving vehicle.

Ensuring the safety of their staff will com-pel supply chain managers into action,while increasingly onerous legislation thatwill see managers responsible facing seri-ous penalties if they are found to be guiltyof not providing a safe environment.

The interesting thing about safety meas-ures from a supply chain point of view isthat they generally enhance, rather thanhamper, efficiency.


Storage Systems 23

Take the biggest obstacle for fast movingforklift trucks: racking. Monitoring and pro-tecting a racking structure from damageand, consequentially, potential collapse isone of the most important warehouse safetymeasures to take. However, catastrophicracking failure rarely happens from a singleimpact, it is more likely to occur as theresult of cumulative impacts from carelesslift truck operators. Well-trained drivers willnot only reduce this risk but they will alsoperform their task more efficiently.

When it comes to active protection ofracking, it is vital to check the plethora ofracking protection products on the marketfor their: premium quality products mayhave a higher initial cost but they will pro-vide greater resilience over a longer periodof time, so can be considered a wise invest-ment.

The quality of the racking itself will bethe key element in its safety. Higher qualityracking will be better at maintaining itsstructural integrity – a key consideration in avery price competitive market. For qualityracking frames look for a galvanised finish,which gives a high corrosion resistance andhave a solid anchoring into the warehousefloor. Bolted frame construction will alloweasier exchange of damaged components,thus ensuring structural integrity is main-

tained.For the beams, a boltless system provides

rapid adaptability - solid safety hookssecured by a 90 degree turn will preventthem being accidentally lifted. This systemnot only provides a high load capacity butalso excellent lengthwise rigidity for theracking system.

A further serious racking safety issue ispreventing a pallet falling out of the rackingfrom behind and down to the aisle below.Anti-collapse wire-mesh cladding to the rearof the rack will do this and will also preventgoods on open, unwrapped pallets fromfalling out of the racking. Backstops willprevent pallets from being pushed too farback. All of these measures allow ware-house staff to perform their operations notonly in safety but with assurance they needto perform their functions without hesitancy.

Live storage systems are one of the bestexamples of how a design can promoteboth functional efficiency and safety at thesame time in a warehouse. This increasinglypopular order picking solution combines thevirtues of dense, FIFO storage - up to 60per cent higher than conventional racking -with improved pick cycle rates and at amuch lower cost than full blown automatedstorage and retrieval systems.

Because live storage lanes are loadedwith pallets from the aisle at the replenish-ment side – the ‘back’ - while picking ofproducts takes place from the aisle at the‘front’. This separates loading, which ofteninvolves lift trucks, from the more pedestrianfunction of order picking. This is not justsafe, it makes live more convenient andobstruction free for both replenishers andpickers.

Furthermore, because goods can bearranged in order-oriented pallet groupingin the live storage lanes for dispatch, thiswill make loading more efficient – thusreducing lorry waiting times and the poten-tial for accidents in a high risk area.

Like any handling equipment, the dura-bility of a live storage system will impact onsafety and economic lifespan. Robust com-ponents for the frame section will guaranteestructural safety and rigidity. This will keeppeople safe and protect against significantfinancial loss due to damaged product.

Replenishment is assisted by in feedguides, which guide the pallet into the cen-tre of the lane. Load separators are used to

24 Storage Systems


With its headoffice and mainproduction facil-ities inGermany, BITOis an interna-tionally operat-ing manufactur-er of storageand order pick-ing systems.The company’sproduct rangeincludes shelv-ing and racking;storage andorder pickingsystems; binsand containersand warehouseequipment andaccessories.

ABOUT BITO

STORAGE

SYSTEMS

separate the first pallet from the others inthe lane. This allows pallets to be removedat the picking face without line pressure,which reduces the risk of accidents. Thismaintenance free component guaranteesthat the next pallet moves automatically tothe picking face in lift truck serviced instal-lations.

Conveyor rollers with smoothly operatingball bearings will give a pallet a good startand will keep it moving, by preventing itfrom standing still in the lane. Equippedwith a robust steel housing the ball bear-ings have a long service life. Breakingrollers, which have a continuous breakingeffect on the pallets, will also contribute toan even pallet flow. All of these featurescontribute maintain the workflow and con-tribute to safety.

It can’t be stressed enough that equip-ment which fully complies with the latestsafety regulations will protect operativesusing the system as well as goods within it.It is also wise to test designs intended forprojects, particularly using your own palletsor containers, in a mock up trial system.This will ensure everything operates asexpected when installed and any unsafeelements are revealed.

In BITO’s manufacturing plant for shelv-ing and racking systems - in Meisenheim,Germany - the optimum flow of goods istested with a customer’s original load carri-er in a live storage racking made to theirspecifications. During this process all theparts are tested for the required load

capacity, moreover the lane incline as wellas the appropriated braking rollers aredetermined. Only after a number of suc-cessful test runs have been made will aracking system go into production.

Given that strains induced by poorergonomics is one of the biggest causes ofdays lost to incapacity, mock-ups are also agreat way to refine ergonomics. Being ableto access products within the system easilyis also an important factor in reducingproduct damage, particularly in order pick-ing systems.

Supply chains are feeding a growingnumber of manufacturers pallet boxes con-taining larger and heavier componentsdirect to the factory line for assembly.Inclined pallet positions and pull-out palletpositions improve access to products andtherefore reduce the potential of productscolliding with the storage structure or beingdropped by a picker stretching too far.

Plastic bins and containers used through-out supply chains have safety implicationstoo. Multi-purpose containers must beheardwearing but also light in weight withergonomically designed handgrips. Emptycontainers can be nested to save space andto cut down freight costs - reinforced cor-ners will enhance stacking safety. Whenused in airfreight, it is important to ensurethat containers are modified to meet trans-port safety regulations.

Another manufacturing trend is thatlarge parts being delivered using a verystrict reusable packaging ethos. In the auto-motive sector, for example, many manufac-turers are asking suppliers for completesub-assemblies, such as a pair of rear andfront light cluster units for example, sup-plied with the correct protective packaging.Where once these parts would be simply bewrapped in cardboard or foam today man-ufactures require returnable containers cre-ated from standard components using afoam inlay that protects a specific part,which makes them inexpensive and canreusable. A combination of the fork entryshoe and side opening makes line-sideparts picking far more efficient, whilehinged interlocked lid helps keep producesinside safe and secure.

As these examples show, by making yoursupply chain safe, you will also be makingit more efficient.www.bito.co.uk

For the very best solutions in dynamic pallet storage and handling...

Ask for your free copy now and get the best from BITO Pallet Live,

Shuttle and Racking. The 212 pages of know-how, developed

over 50 years’ of advising and supporting our customers, will

provide you with the very best storage and handling in the market.

T: 024 7638 8852 E: [email protected] www.bito.co.uk

...the Bito Project Guide is essential reading

Scan for brochure PDF

26 Warehouse Automation


It is true that the grocery retail sectorneeds considerable flexibility in its logis-tics operations. The continuing growth of

online sales, the demands of ever-changingpromotional activity and the emergence ofnew products certainly keep the logisticsteams of the major supermarkets on theirtoes. However, advances in technologyhave allowed significant elements of super-market warehouses to be automated highlysuccessfully, cutting costs and improvinglead-times. This automation can involve thepicking of full trays or cartons of product,picking of individual items from trays orcartons, or picking of units from pallets.

Full-case pickingWhen picking at full case level, pallets oftrays arriving at the warehouse are depal-letized automatically and conveyed to anautomated store, from where they can beretrieved when required and automaticallyrepalletized with other goods required byeach store. This is the solution supplied byKNAPP recently to the leading Swiss grocer,Migros, at its distribution facility in Zurich,where an OSR ShuttleTM system acts as astorage and picking buffer.

Picking from traysWhen picking individual items from trays,incoming goods are first depalletized, eitherfully automatically or semi-automatically,and then placed in an automated store.They are later retrieved and sent to agoods-to-person workstation, where therequired goods are picked. Picking caneither be into totes or – using KNAPP’s Pick-it-Easy Tray solution – goods can be placeddirectly onto a pallet or into a roll contain-er. As well as being efficient, Pick-it-EasyTray is designed with ergonomics in mind –the workstation minimises strenuous tasksthrough automatic height adjustment of thesource container and roll container or pal-let, as well as through the use of slidingrather than lifting of goods. A touch-screen

shows operators which goods to pick and inwhich position in the roll cage or on thepallet to place them, for optimum load for-mation. This combination of automatedstorage and ergonomic picking has beeninstalled by KNAPP recently in a system forthe Spanish online supermarket,

Tudespensa.com. A space-saving OSRShuttle™ store – part of which is used forambient goods and part of which is cooledto 6˚C for fresh foods – feeds the Pick-it-Easy workstations at Tudespensa.com.Goods-to-person picking for slower-movingitems is combined with person-to-goodsmanual picking from pallets for the fastest-moving products in KNAPP’s E-Grocer solu-tion.

Picking from palletsPicking of goods directly from pallets hastraditionally been very difficult to automatebut KNAPP has developed a brand-newsolution in co-operation with SPAR for useat its distribution centre just outside Vienna,now under construction. The solution – Pick-it-Easy Move – enables ergonomic and effi-cient picking of fast-moving products direct-ly from pallets using the goods-to-personmethod. Pallets of goods of one type aredelivered by a conveyor system to a movingshuttle with integral operator platform. Thisshuttle moves automatically between adozen target locations – six on each side –featuring roll containers on lifts. Requiredgoods are picked from the pallet accordingto instructions on a computer screen infront of the operator, with cartonsbeing simply pulled and pushed fromthe pallet to the roll container. Withboth the pallet and the roll containerautomatically adjusted for height, there isno need for lifting at all. Pick-it-Easy Movealso indicates exactly where each pickeditem should be placed for optimum spaceutilisation. The solution is designed toensure shop-friendly picking of up to 600cartons per hour.

Grocery automation

Traditional thinking has it that warehouses in the grocery distribution sector are simply not suited toautomation. Craig Rollason, Managing Director of KNAPP UK Ltd (pictured), explains why supermar-

kets should rethink in order to stay ahead of the competition


Warehouse Automation 27

Automatic transportGrocery warehouses can also benefit fromdriverless transport, provided by automatedguided vehicles (AGVs). Each AGV canundertake tasks such as collecting emptypallets or delivering completed orders todispatch on its own. AGVs can also auto-matically escort a picker, equipped withvoice technology, around the requiredpick locations. This solution ensuresmaximum staff availability for pickingand leaves both of the picker’s handsfree for this task. KNAPP’s KiSoftAutomove AGVs have been implement-ed successfully for a number of groceryclients including SPAR in Austria, TUS inSlovenia and the Co-op in Sweden.

Integrating fashionAn increasingly important category for thegrocery giants is fashion. Having the lead-ing overhead conveying and garment sorta-tion specialist, Dürkopp Fördertechnik, as amember of its group allows KNAPP to offerintegrated solutions for the handling of bothflat-packed clothing and hanging garments.Dürkopp’s technology has been implement-ed successfully by many blue-chip retailersincluding Marks and Spencer, ASDA andSainsbury’s.

In conclusion, there are a number of sim-ple, efficient and ergonomic warehouseautomation solutions for grocery applicationsthat could provide crucial advantage in what isan increasingly competitive market.

ABOVE: KNAPP”sOSR shuttle system can beengineered tohandle ambientor chilled;LEFT: KNAPPP’sPick-It–Easy Moveallows retailers topick efficientlyfrom pallets toroll cages

28 Warehouse Automation


Casestudy:Migros KNAPP has developed aninnovative order picking solu-tion for containers in the foodretail sector and the firstinstallation – for Migros Zurich,part of the Swiss grocery giant– went live recently.

Branded as the FAST – FullyAutomated Standard Tray – pickingsystem, the new solution handlesproducts automatically from goods-in to goods-out. The first systemwas installed in the distribution centreof the Zurich region co-operative ofMigros. As well as being Switzerland’slargest supermarket chain, Migros isthe country’s largest retailer andbiggest employer – which, along withits orange logo, accounts for its nick-name among the Swiss of ‘theorange giant’.

Gentle and error-free handlingWith the containers that are typicalin grocery retail for fresh produceweighing up to 30kg each, Migroswanted to avoid manual handlingby its employees. The Zurich ware-house handles the distribution forsome 400 SKUs of fruit, vegetablesand eggs. The new FAST technologyis suitable for handling not onlyreusable plastic containers but alsothe disposable cardboard cartonsused in food distribution. The FASTsystem does all this while also meet-ing the sector’s requirements forgentle and hygienic handling, error-free picking, product traceabilityand shop-friendly deliveries. Inaddition, a newly developed trayemptying system at the site facili-tates tray washing and makes theoperation very clean.

Compact storageAll incoming fresh products aredepalletized, stored, picked andpalletized – according to storeorders – fully automatically. At theheart of the solution is a 4-aisleOSR Shuttle™ system and brand-new destacking and stacking mod-ules. With limited space available atthe site, the compact construction ofthe OSR Shuttle™ allowed the stor-age system to be installed within afootprint of just 2000m?. The OSRShuttleTM combines high performancewith energy efficiency; with low shuttleweight and energy recuperation, thesystem requires only 5% of the energyneeded for equivalent performance bya stacker crane.

Stacking algorithmAt goods-in, loads are automaticallydepalletized and a pair of containerstacks is delayered, using a lift in a

frame tower, in each of two paralleldestacking machines. The contain-ers are stored temporarily in theOSR Shuttle™ as a fast bufferingsystem. When all store orders havebeen received, the order data fromthe Migros ERP system is transmittedto the KNAPP warehouse manage-ment software, KiSoft WCS. Basedon all the container and productdata, a stacking algorithm is usedto calculate a retrieval strategy –taking into account load stability,shop-friendly delivery sequencingand packing density on the pallet.The containers are retrieved fromthe OSR Shuttle™ according to thestacking sequence and transportedto a series of buffer lanes, each ofwhich holds the exact amount ofproduct needed to build an orderstack.

Optimal load constructionFour specially designed stackingmodules allow standard crates, col-lapsible crates and cartons to bepicked in a stable and secure way –even for fragile goods such as eggs.The system achieves high packingdensity, which results in optimalspace utilisation in the delivery vehi-cles and at the retail stores.Completed loads are secured fortransport, automatically labelledand then conveyed to a pick-uppoint for loading onto a vehicle bya forklift truck.www.knapp.com

In business it’s never tooearly to start thinking about

your successor

For details of this and other UKWA member services, please contact Michael Davison on (tel) 0207 836 5522

UKWA members have access to FREE business advice

If you’re considering succession planning, mergers and acquisitions or

exiting your business, UKWA members have access to a team of

experienced professionals who can guide you every step of the way

Call UKWA on 0207 836 5522 for further information

30 Forklift Trucks


Forklift trucks are designed to facilitate safe loadhandling and transportation However, without thecorrect safety procedures a forklift truck can be a

danger and every year incidents occur due to negli-gence and incorrect use. Below are a few simple anduseful tips to keep both your operators and workingenvironment safe. • Inspect the forklift before use, we would recommenda daily operator check list. A check list is available aspart of Toyotas free safety resources. • Only authorised and duly trained persons areallowed to drive forklift trucks. Pin- code access canhelp to manage this. • Wearing seat beltsis mandato-ry on fork-lifts thathave a seatbelt fitted. Doyou have sig-nage to rein-force thisto

yourteam?• Donot over-load theforklift truckand complywith the forklifttruck capacityplate. This is usu-ally located on thedashboard. • Use both forks andan approved palletwhen lifting and movingpallets. • Do not drive with raisedforks.

• Only handle loads that are stable and properlysecured.• Make sure you have a clear view while driving for-ward or backward.• Always look around and brake in good time. Usethe horn when your view is obstructed.• After use, always apply the handbrake, select neutraland switch off forklift and remove key from ignitionswitch.Toyota Material Handling UK offers a range of freesafety resources including posters and guides which can

be used as a visual reminder for yourteam. Order online at

www.toy-ota-fork-lifts.co.uk.

Working safely with forklift trucks

Toyota offers a few simple and useful tips to keep both your forklift operators and working environment safe.


Forklift Trucks 31

Toyota offers a simple method of pur-chasing a range of horizontal movertrucks including BT Lifter hand pallet

trucks and BT Levio powered pallet trucks atwww.btpallettruck.co.uk. All these trucks aredesigned to help reduce manual handling.

The range of pallet trucks on www.btpallet-truck.co.uk offer a simple solution to a widerange of horizontal transport needs. One ofthe simplest but most popular models avail-able is the BT Lifter LHM230 hand pallettruck. This universal product offers loadcapacities up to 2300kg and comes with aLifetime guarantee of the fork frame,helping to provide customers with alow cost of ownership. The uniqueBT Pro Lifter is also available online,this truck requires up to 67% lesseffort than a standard hand pallettruck to get a load moving thank tounique Pro Start technology, which helpsto reduce the risk of back strain for theoperator. The latest addition, the BT LevioLWE130 provides a low cost introductionto powered pallet trucks, which furtherreduces manual handling for opera-tors.

Recurrent and heavy liftingand handling can result in backinjuries for the operators, plusthese types of injuries canreduce operational efficiencyand increase costs for compa-nies. Information from the HSEreports that over one in five ofall work place injuries arecaused by lifting, causing a lossof almost 1.6 million workingdays in 2013, plus 90 percent ofthe 17,470 handling injuries wereover seven day injuries, costing companies

thousands*. Using the correct equipment canreduce or in many cases remove the risk ofinjury and keep all employees safe at work.

Tony Wallis, Sales and Marketing Directorexplains “The cost and effect of manual han-dling injuries on businesses is shocking. Byproviding simple, efficient and safe equip-ment that is suitable for the task and thecapabilities of the operator it will preventinjuries, increase productivity and reducecosts. We feel by making the BT LevioLWE130 available online its makes purchas-ing pallet trucks safe, simple and easy”.

Toyota currently has offers available forthe BT Levio LWE130 powered pallet

truck starting from £19.75 per weekfor rental or to purchase from£2,595. On the same website youcan also purchase the UK’s best sell-

ing hand pallet truck for £295 includingdelivery (**).

Visit www.btpallettruck.co.uk or call0870 850 1409.

*Information from the HSE, HandlingInjuries in Great Britain

(2013) ** All prices excludeVAT

www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk

Toyota expands its rangeof pallet trucks available

to buy online Toyota Material Handling UK has expanded its range of pallet trucks that can be ordered online with

the addition of the LWE130 entry-level powered pallet truck

@ToyotaMH_UK /toyota-material-handling-uk

/ToyotaMHUK

0870 850 1409 or visit www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk

Strength & ReliabilityBUILT-IN


Pallet Wrapping 33

Paddy McCartney of Aetna UK Ltd and Becky Goy of First County Finance offer some opinions on the cost of pallet wrapping

The true cost of wrapping pallets

In recent weeks there has been some debate on the prosand cons of the cost of wrapping pallets from the point ofview of just paying a cost per pallet rental type scheme,

which seems to be anything from 70p to £2 per pallet, versus34p to 48p when owning your own pallet stretch wrappereither by buying the machine outright of purchasing it with thehelp of a finance house.

Owning your own machine of course allows you to pur-chase the film from existing suppliers competitively.

Paddy McCartney, National Sales Manager of Aetna UKLtd and Becky Goy of First County Finance, who have workedwith Aetna clients for many years, have made the followingobservations on the subject.

Paddy commented: ”In some ways the idea of simply pay-ing a cost of 70p a pallet seems reasonable however the morepallets you wrap the more it costs you. A part pallet and a filmbreak during a cycle will also count as a pallet wrapped at70p. 50 pallets/day is 12,000 pallets/year and the cost wouldbe £8,400.00/year. 125 pallets/day is 30,000 pallets/yearand the cost would be £21,000/year

You are however locked in to a contract, if your businessgrows then the fixed cost of rental can become a real burdenfor your business. Most financial commentators are sayingthat the UK economy is now on the turn after four longyears of relative hardship, so to put yourself into aposition of stifling growth could end up being adouble whammy on your business.”

Paddy continues: “I would like to outline someobservations on the above. For a customer wrap-ping 50 pallets a day this amounts to 12,000 palletsper year. If a customer takes a 3-year lease purchase withan Aetna 3 year parts warranty, this will cost £224.69 amonth. The machine amortised on an annual rate of 12,000pallets would then cost 22.5p per pallet with film costs ofunder 25p per pallet, a total cost is 47.5p per pallet. 12,000pallets/year = £5,700.00

If the customer was producing 125 pallets a day, 30,000per year, the same machine cost would reduce to 9p per pal-

let and even if you kept the film cost the samethis would bring the cost down to 34p per pallet.30,000 pallets/year = £10,200.00

At the end of the lease you own the palletwrapper. Of course this means that no furtherpayments are made for the machinery and thecost per pallet falls to under 25p/pallet.

As you can see from the above examples con-tinually paying a fixed fee of 70p per pallet canbe very costly. Over the short term it may seemconvenient but by making the comparison withleasing a machine and arranging your own sup-ply of film the ‘pay per pallet scheme’ is verydetrimental to cash flow and budgets.

Furthermore the long term costs of paying perpallet show that customer’s could actually end uppaying for the machinery several times over.

Becky Goy continued: “The computationsclearly show the lease purchase option is ofreal benefit to any user, giving com-plete control over where you buy thefilm, and after

salesand serv-ice sup-

port of acompany

that has to-dateproduced 130,000

machines. We have worked closelywith Aetna UK helping customers with Lease options, and it isby far the most cost effective solution for any business nowand in the future.”Email: [email protected]

34 Forklift Battery Changing


Part of Groupe Guillin, Sharpak is theUK's leading manufacturer of rigidplastic packaging. The company oper-

ates three facilities in the UK – in Somerset,Kent and Gloucestershire.

At its site in Yate,Gloucestershire, concerns overthe safety of the lift truck batterychanging process led Sharpak toswitch forklift suppliers and intro-duce a fleet of Jungheinrich electric-

powered coun-

terbalanced, powered pallet and reachtrucks.

Several million plastic trays are producedeach day at the Yate facility for a range of

customers in the food-process-ing sector. The factory and fin-ished goods warehouse sitside-by-side on the same siteand the materials handlingequipment in operation thereis used to undertake a broadrange of tasks.

Within the factory side ofthe building, for example,counterbalanced trucks arerequired to unload incomingraw materials, which can bepalletised or delivered in bulkbags. Meanwhile on theother side of the dividingwall which separates the fac-tory from the pallet capacityvery narrow aisle finishedgoods store, counterbal-

anced and pow-ered pallettrucks deliverpalletised loadsto the racking,collate orders inthe loading baymarshaling areaand load outgo-ing deliverywagons in theyard.

Safer charging

Following an accident during a routine battery swap at its Gloucestershire factory, rigid plastic packaging manufacturer, Sharpak, decided to seek a forklift truck provider that could offer a system

capable of avoiding any chance of a repeat


Forklift Battery Changing 35

Because it serves the food sector,Sharpak has to adhere to strict hygiene reg-ulations and, as a result, all the materialshandling equipment employed across thesite is electric-powered. An efficient batterycharging and changing regime is thereforeessential.

Battery changing and re-charging takesplace within a dedicated area of the build-ing, but during a routine battery swap anexperienced lift truck operator managed tospill the battery she was removing from acounterbalanced truck on to the floor.

The subsequent battery acid clean upprocess was costly and disruptive toSharpak’s intralogistics processes, and, asthe mishap occurred a matter of monthsbefore its existing and long-standing con-tract with another forklift manufacturer wasdue to end, Sharpak decided to seek a fork-lift truck provider that could offer a systemcapable of avoiding any chance of arepeat.

“Our forklift supplier at the time of theaccident – who had been our supplier forsome 20 years – shrugged the event off ashuman error,” recalls Sharpak Yates’s logis-tics manager, Karl Traynor.

“Of course, people are responsible for99.9 per cent of all accidents but we want-ed to see if there was something availablethat minimized the likelihood of the samething happening again.”

The solution came in the shape of trucksfrom Jungheinrich’s EFG Series fitted withJungheinrich’s SnapFit battery changingmechanism.

The SnapFit device locks to the undersideof a 48 or 80 Volt battery to allow the bat-tery to be removed easily, quickly and safe-ly. All the operator needs to do is positionthe battery removing truck directly below thebattery, at which point the SnapFit system

automatically locks the battery into place.The battery is guided into position byrollers, which means it cannot get wedgedin during battery changing. The systemensures the battery is safely fixed on the‘removing’ truck during removal and trans-portation.

“The SnapFit system is a simple but high-ly effective piece of design that is not onlysafe but also speeds up the battery chang-ing process,” says Karl Traynor.

The Jungheinrich trucks also offeredoperational efficiency benefits thatSharpak’s existing provider couldn’t match.

The EFG Series trucks feature fourth gen-eration AC technology that gives the trucksan exceptional efficiency ratio and constant-ly low energy consumption. The low energycosts are further reduced through energyreclamation during braking which extendsthe time that trucks operate for betweenbattery charges.

Fourth generation technology alsoenables trucks to accelerate far more quick-ly than less advanced systems – whichmeans more loads can be moved per shift.

“It is never easy to say ‘good bye’ to along term supplier but we are delighted thatwe made the change to Jungheinrich,” saysKarl Traynor.

He continues: “Our lift truck operatorsfind the trucks more comfortable and thecontrols more responsive.

“We are also benefiting fromJungheinrich’s customer care. I now haveregular meetings with my contact atJungheinrich at which we discuss any issuesthat may arise to ensure that our needs arebeing met by the trucks. This is so differentfrom my relationship with our previous sup-plier who I only saw when our contract wasdue for renewal!”www.jungheinrich.co.uk

The EFG Series trucks feature fourth generation AC technologythat gives the trucks an exceptional efficiency ratio and constantlylow energy consumption. The low energy costs are furtherreduced through energy reclamation during braking which extendsthe time that trucks operate for between battery charges.Fourth generation technology also enables trucks to accelerate farmore quickly than less advanced systems – which means moreloads can be moved per shift

simplemaking complexitymaking complexity

simple

KNAPP designs, installs and supports warehouse automation projects – from small handling systems to large distribution centres – in a diverse range of markets. Specialising in paperless order picking, our solutions feature seamless integration and intelligent software.

KNAPP UK Ltd | Unit 14 | Meadow View | Crendon Industrial Park | Long Crendon | Aylesbury | Bucks | HP18 9EQ | Tel: 01844 202149 | Email: [email protected]

warehouse best practice - logistics executive · @toyotamh_uk /toyota-material-handling-uk ......

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