TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION ADVERTORIAL
nion Industries, the Great British manufacturer, has been working overtime to complete a series of installations for the German discounter, Lidl UK, which will help transform operations at one of the grocer’s largest multi- temperature warehouses. Lidl, a long-standing client of Union Industries, has invested in four new high speed doors for its Kent-based site that will facilitate significant efficiency gains. Three Ramdoors and one Bulldoor have been used to replace four existing doors at the warehouse which were supplied by one of Union’s competitors when the distribution centre was built in 2014. The original doors frequently required costly new parts, mainly as a result of impact damage by forklift & ride-on ped trucks. The new Union rapid roll doors will drastically reduce the downtime that Lidl experienced with the previous doors, which was caused by excessive lead times for parts and repair.
Union Industries’ doors have an excellent reputation in retail distribution for very high traffic use openings between various temperature controlled zones. The robust construction of the doors, coupled with Union’s ability to deliver exceptional after-sales service has been key to its success in securing contracts with multinational companies such as Lidl. Alternative suppliers in the industry tend to be agents and distributors rather than OEM manufacturers so cannot match the speed at which Union can react to customers’ requirements. A team of Union’s highly trained technicians carried out the installations in
a way that caused as little disruption as possible to Lidl’s operation, which involved working throughout the weekends and on evenings, when traffic in the warehouse was at its lowest. In common with the other doors in the range, the Bulldoor and Ramdoor also features Union’s highly-regarded ‘Crash-Out’ damage protection facility which ensures the doors remain operable if the heavy duty steel composite bottom beam is hit by a vehicle.
Both door models are also covered by Union’s Lifetime Warranty Scheme, which was introduced several years ago. This cover not only provides an extensive guarantee but also includes service visits from Union’s highly trained technicians as required. Lidl saw the benefits of the Lifetime Warranty from day one and so have agreements in place for Union doors on their all warehouses in the UK. Henry Patterson, Technical Sales Engineer for the South at Union Industries,
said: “Businesses operating in industry are recognising the importance of investing in a high quality product, which is complemented by a responsive after-sales service.
Union secure repeat orders from Lidl U
Stacy Copley, Head of Logistics for Lidl UK in Northfleet and Henry Patterson, Technical Sales Engineer for the South at Union Industries
“Too often cheaper imported doors, which are not durable, are used at
warehouses and end up leading to spiralling costs. On the other hand, Union Industries’ doors can complete thousands of cycles without any maintenance and so should be seen as a long-term investment.” Stacy Copley, Head of Logistics for Lidl UK in Northfleet, said: “Having reliable rapid rise doors between our temperature controlled rooms is important; however, having even better after-sales service support is our main priority as it ensures a fast response time on any repairs required that could affect our cold chain. “We previously had to pay for regular call-outs,
repairs, parts and
maintenance of the doors we used, but since we invested in Union’s high quality doors with their brilliant warranty scheme, these problems have gone away.”
Union Industries 0113 244 8393
www.unionindustries.co.uk
AutoCoding Systems have a JOGLER and a DIVA
utoCoding Systems colleagues Aled Edwards and Nicola Bebbington recently took part in two separate gruelling events. After months of training software developer Aled and six fellow cyclists set off from John O’Groats with the objective of arriving at Lands’ End 9 days later, having cycled 900 miles. The team, made up of non-cyclists and amateurs, achieved their goal in the allotted time and raised over £6,500 for their chosen charity Breast Cancer Care, surpassing all expectations. Business support manager Nicola kept the fact that she was entering
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the Deva Divas Triathlon a closely guarded secret. She wanted to ensure she could complete the three stages successfully, having never attempted anything similar in the past. She completed the 750 m swim, 25 km bike ride and 5 km run within her 2 hour target and finished 141/277 participants; a very respectable result for a first timer. Although she admitted to finding the bike ride tough going it wasn’t enough to deter her from signing up again for next year’s event when she’ll be swimming, cycling and running for charity.
AutoCoding Systems Ltd 01928 790 444
www.autocodingsystems.com
/ FACTORY EQUIPMENT
Return of the Grads
Science, or a similar discipline. As part of the scheme, Wilf Glover and Ryan Kelly spent their 3rd year working with the Software Development team where they were mentored by AutoCoding’s lead developers. Having successfully completed their placement year, they both returned to Liverpool University for their final year and have both recently graduated with a first class degree with honours in Computer Science. Wilf and Ryan have now returned to AutoCoding Systems as full time employees to continue working on the extensive range of AutoCoding modules designed to automate the packaging and production areas of a factory.
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During their placement year, Wilf and Ryan participated in the full software lifecycle,
from requirements gathering, design and
implementation, through to testing and validating the suitability of the software for customers. They also contributed towards the development of new software features to suit the requirements of overseas markets, specifically in the US and Australia.
AutoCoding Systems Ltd 01928 790 444
www.autocodingsystems.com
FACTORY EQUIPMENT | SEPTEMBER 2016 27
utoCoding Systems runs a comprehensive Graduate Training scheme offering placements for Undergraduates studying Computer
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