Feature Conveyors Conveyor system streamlines order picking
With increasing sales and a determination to maintain its promise of next day delivery, dstributor of hand and power tools, Toolbank appointed Conveyor Systems (CSL) to streamline the labour intensive order picking process and flow of product from its stores located on three floor levels, through to packaging and despatch from their national distribution centre at Halesowen
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oolbank was presented with system proposals by CSL which used its latest 3D CAD service that enables the customer to eval- uate design concepts in terms of throughputs and product sortation. The system was designed and man- ufactured to reduce manual handling, improve efficiency and accuracy of order picking. Increased productivity was achieved by enabling staff to pick and place products directly into tote boxes to be conveyed to a central order consolidation and packing area. On the upper floor, slower moving items are picked from storage and placed into individual tote boxes. On completion of an order, the tote is placed onto a heavy duty powered roller conveyor that runs along the end of each picking aisle in order to enable the fastest and most efficient batch picking process.
From the upper mezzanine, totes are transported down an inclined belt conveyor onto a powered roller con- veyor fitted to the outer edge of the middle floor. This saves and optimises available space but enables totes from the upper and middle floors to use the same conveyor.
Regular product lines are located on the middle floor, picked to order from storage into tote bins and placed at any point along the whole length of the powered roller conveyor, which runs alongside the outer edge of the mezza- nine. CSL designed a strengthened framework to support the mid-floor conveyor above the length of a ground floor corridor, while ensuring that a clear access is maintained.
From ground floor storage areas, orders are picked and located in totes to be placed on a powered roller con- veyor feeding onto a 12m inclined belt
conveyor to eventually merge with the middle floor conveyor.
As part of the contract, CSL installed offices and a separate mezza- nine to create a separate order consoli- dation and packing area. The two conveyor lanes carrying completed orders from the three floors are merged into one automatic zero pressure accu- mulation conveyor, located on the new mezzanine at the same height as the existing middle floor.
CSL designed a conveyor system to streamline the order picking process across three floors for Toolbank
Conveying and handling system for Jaguar Land Rover W
orcester based Exmac Automation has designed and installed a materials handling system for a new Completely Knocked Down (CKD) facility at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant at Halewood, where complete car sets are pre-
pared for shipping to various locations around the world for local re-assembly. The team needed to create a system that would enable bodies and other components to be taken from existing production facilities and transported to the CKD facility where they could be packed to ensure that vehicle kits are safe for shipping. First, the Exmac powered ‘Take-out’ roller bed system transfers painted Freelander 2 bodies onto a roller bed trailer, which tows them to the new CKD Building. There, the trailer is aligned with a cross transfer shuttle that takes bodies to one of three storage lanes, each able to accommodate four bodies. Phase two saw the installation of a crane and jib arm hoist systems as well as a shuttle and specialised conveyor line for a ‘Take-out’ system that moves vehicle components and bodies from the existing Freelander production line into the new CKD facility. A powered roller system in the CKD facility itself has also been installed to transport painted bodies on skids, together with specially designed slings to handle and manipulate the heavy components such as vehicle bodies and engine and powertrain components. A fourth lane runs in the opposite direction to enable bodies to be re-circulated within the store. At the other end of the
store another cross transfer shuttle, also equipped with a power roller bed, selects a body from one of the three storage lanes and powers it into the first of two stations. Here the doors are taken off the body and placed in a ‘toast rack’ while an overhead crane and hoist loads seats and a cockpit into the body. Next, the body is lifted from the workstation and placed onto a shipping pallet that has been pre-loaded – using an Exmac designed overhead hoist – with the engine, gearbox, transfer boxes, exhaust, wheels and tyres and various other components that comprise the complete car kit. The Exmac roller beds and slings used to manually handle components from stillages to platen, were designed to ensure that parts are balanced for safe handling. The body transfer skid is now powered forward onto a sec- ond roller bed and stacked, awaiting a full stack, which is then transferred onto the empty trailer and returned to the body take-out area. The doors are removed from the ‘toast rack’ and re-loaded onto the pallet and sup-
ported by a holding fixture while the various components comprising the complete kit are then arranged with the body on a single platen and securely packed.
Exmac Automation T: 01905 721500 S10
exmacautomation.co.uk Enter 352
Using a drive concept involving 24V motorised rollers with zone sensors to construct the conveyor modules, this provides for a compact, low profile design that is extremely energy-effi- cient. The individual conveyor zones, which ensure product gapping and easy removal of the tote bines, are automatically fed and only run when there are containers on the line. Located on the new mezzanine, the single conveyor lane is flanked by packing tables that can be manned by 16 personnel. Once a tote bin has been removed onto a packing bench, the empty zone signals other totes upstream to index down one position. Once the order is consolidated and packed, the tote is placed at any point on a conveyor running around the perimeter of the mezzanine to be trans- ported down a compact 3.5m spiral elevator to accumulate at ground floor level for marshalling in the despatch area and re-sorted by van route. Phil Corby, Toolbank logistics direc- tor says: “CSL made an excellent three dimensional presentation of the pro- posed installation that quickly con- firmed they understood our needs. They met our project criteria to the full, overcoming the possible difficul- ties of operating on three floor levels. CSL provided an energy efficient scheme including software and user friendly controls. Flexiblity in design enables the system to be evolved to cater for future extensions or to include automated sortation.” CSL T: 01283 552255
www.conveyorsystemsltd.com Enter 351
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 Materials Handling & Logistics
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