Feature Warehousing & storage
Automated solutions strike the right note
TGW Logistics has provided Europe’s largest musical instrument retailers with automated warehouse solutions that had the flexibility to accommodate higher throughout rates on the run up to Christmas
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usikhaus Thomann is a 59,201ft2 music store in Treppendorf, Germany and is the world’s biggest mail order business of musical instruments, with over four million regular online cus- tomers in Europe alone. Handling 12,000 packages a day, the retailer sought a system that would increase output by up to 50 per cent so it could accommodate the festive season and handle up to 20,000 packages a day. Similarly, Music Store in Cologne has a substantial e-commerce operation that accounts for 70 per cent of its annual turnover of €100 million. It wanted a system that could manage seasonal peaks and allow it to increase its exten- sive product range even further. The Music Store opted to consoli- date all its business areas under one roof including its main central ware-
TGW Logistics has provided some of Europe’s largest musical instrument retailers with the ability to handle higher throughput rates during busy seasons
house and five peripheral warehouses. This centralised approach and the automated solution that TGW has installed has improved operational efficiency by reducing the number of touches on the goods. It has also guar- anteed the immediate availability of products, increased the speed of ship- ping and reduced the error rate. For Musikhaus Thomann, TGW fitted out a new automated pallet warehouse with five stacker cranes serving 18,000 storage locations. In addition, an automated mini-load warehouse has four aisles each con- taining two Mustang mini-load AS/RS machines, which in total reach more than 1,000 double cycles per hour. TGW’s CI_LOG and CI_FLOW soft- ware controls the equipment and assures that all items arrive at a Natrix Sorter as fast as possible.
TGW Logistics T: 01858 468855
www.tgw-
group.com Enter 357
The Natrix Sorter provides high per- formance sortation of goods of varying dimensions into multiple discharge lanes on either side of the machine. The sorter also has the option of increasing the conveying speed, mean- ing that the speed of transfer can be even greater at peak times such as Christmas. With both solutions designed to
adapt to seasonal peaks and future growth, the retailers can be assured that their customers benefit from enhanced product availability and increased shipping speeds both now and in the long-term.
TGW Logistics Group is a leading supplier of highly dynamic, automated logistics solutions for warehousing, production, picking and distribution operations. The company designs, man- ufactures and installs a complete range of solutions, from small conveyor applications to complex, fully auto- mated storage and retrieval systems. Headquartered in Wels, Austria, the company has 14 offices on three conti- nents and currently employs around 1,500 people worldwide.
In the financial year 2011/12, the TGW Logistics Group generated rev- enues of €362.3 million and is com- mitted to continued growth through geographical expansion and invest- ment in new product development. With a regional office in Market Harborough, in the UK, TGW has designed and installed state-of-the-art, automated warehousing systems for major companies including M&S, Kimberly-Clark, Weetabix, Bentley, VOW, Pegler-Yorkshire, and others.
Warning system boosts operator safety in warehouses
n a bid to decrease the risk of traffic related accidents in the workplace, Toyota Material Handling has introduced a new solution for warehouse safety with SpotMe, a warehouse warning system. Designed to protect operators and pedestrians in warehouses, goods being transported as well as significantly decreasing damage to trucks and infrastructure the Toyota SpotMe system is a demonstration of continuous improvement and dedication to providing safety solutions for our customers. SpotMe is built with infra-red director sensitive sensors which detect the
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presence of forklifts and pedestrians at crossroads and alerts them. Whenever a potential impact danger is spotted a warning unit starts to flash which helps to considerably reduce the danger of collision. This accident prevention system is user-friendly, easy to fix on the walls, with no set-up on fleet required and low maintenance needs. The warning unit can be either connected to a standalone battery or plugged into the mains. Toyota SpotMe was developed by Toyota Material Handling Europe to reduce the risk of accidents in warehouses where pedestrians and equipment
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interact. It also contributes to smoother traffic flow and as a consequence, the forklift drivers use less panic brakes, which helps reduce energy con- sumption and better preserve the forklifts during operations. Tony Wallis, sales & marketing director, Toyota Material Handling UK
says: “Warehouses are fast-moving working environments that call for extra attention from forklift drivers and pedestrians alike, especially in blind spots. SpotMe uses alternating flashing lights that are much more visible than flashing beacons or other types of warning lights. The new SpotMe system is a perfect example of Toyota Material Handling UK's safety cam- paign 'Taking Care with Toyota' and how we as a company are committed to increasing safety and decreasing risks in the workplace. Internally, this device has already proven its efficiency, both in increasing the safety in warehouse environments and in driving down costs.” Toyota Material Handling T: 0870 850 1409
www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk
Enter 358 JANUARY 2013 Materials Handling & Logistics
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