MOVING & LIFTING


reach trucks were acquired for operation at The Park but such has been the success of the system and, with throughput rising at the site, a further three machines have been ordered. The trucks are part of Toyota’s Autopilot series of operator-free materials handling equipment that also includes counterbalanced trucks, powered pallet trucks and heavy-duty tow tractors. Safety is a feature of all Autopilot products and,


with built-in scanners and obstacle detection units preventing collisions, the machines can operate in the same area as manual workers and other materials handling equipment. The trucks at The Park are controlled by


Toyota’s in-house-designed Order Manager software. Capable of working as a standalone or communications layer with most WMS and production systems, Order Manager tracks goods storage, orders, traffic and flow.


In addition to the obvious saving in labour


costs that opting for a fleet of automated reach trucks has delivered, other benefits include: reduced damage to goods, racking and trucks; greater picking accuracy; and more efficient use of the available storage space. Given the scale and complexity of the project, integrating the Toyota AGVs and Radioshuttle


units to The Park’s existing WMS and conveyor systems was challenging, as John Hobbs, Toyota Project Manager – Logistics Solutions, explains: “A lot of integration was required to automate what had originally been done manually. Several different systems had to be brought together and made to read and understand the messages that were being sent. In other words, we had to be sure that messages were going back and forth correctly between the client’s WMS and the system that controls the new hardware.” The project went live in June 2021 and it


is estimated that when the financial benefits accruing from the site’s improved throughput efficiency are added to the reduced cost of the wage bill that the automated handling technology delivers, The Park’s total annual cost saving will be extremely significant. Richard Lloyd comments: “With automation


costs decreasing and becoming more available with better paybacks, we were very aware of the importance of embracing the technology but, at the same time, we were also conscious of the need to invest wisely to ensure that our automated handling systems deliver maximum impact. We have to remain cost competitive and keep driving productivity forward, but will not


invest in automation that will become obsolete in three years’ time because demand has changed.” Toyota’s John Hobbs adds: “The growing


pressure to make the most of every square foot of storage capacity along with the fact that experienced workers are becoming increasingly difficult and costly to employ, means warehouse automation is now a highly attractive intralogistics option for companies across the beverage sector. “As The Park demonstrates so clearly, automating those aspects of a wine warehouse’s operation that follow a predictable pattern makes a lot of sense – particularly since relatively recent developments in automation technology have seen the emergence of flexible and scalable products that deliver a rapid return on investment by driving productivity, saving costs and improving on-site safety.” Toyota Material Handling has successfully


delivered more than 270 automated projects featuring over 1,000 automated guided vehicles across Europe. For more information visit www. toyota-forklifts.co.uk/automation


Toyota Material Handling www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk


FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | JULY/AUGUST 2022 41


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