Many businesses are investing in warehouse automation. The potential benefits include; improve safety, inventory data and control, maximise space utilisation, reduce off-site storage, manage shelf-life, reduce product handling, accelerated dispatch turnaround, and more.
In this 30,000sqm warehouse automation project Debtech spent significant time up front with the client to define the project requirements, production rates, product movements, labelling, business information, quality checking and return, truck movements, storage and stacking requirements, to create a performance based automation specification and a rigorous testing regime. The new warehouse receives and dispatches up to 3000 pallets per day, and with over 50,000 pallet spaces managed by the fully automated stack and retrieval system.
The project success relied on defining the system performance requirements, reaching agreement with the major technology vendors to achieve this performance reliably through an agreed testing regime, and considering the implementation of all components to avoid interruption to ongoing production.
Specifically the project included the rebuild of major pallet transport system on the site, new collection and drop off conveyor locations, a fleet of AGVs handling the product into storage, managed product delivery to truck staging locations for transport. The mechanical upgrades improved the range of product that could be transported by the warehouse, improved equipment safety and control, allowed maintenance access to all components without halting production (redundant pathways), removed bottlenecks, increasing product throughput and included innovative, redundant, high-speed lifts.
The installation was planned in stages to avoid production impacts and to start-up in parallel with the existing warehouse systems until the new system performance was achieved and placed into full service and control.
Debtech services included defining the project requirements, design development and procurement of automation systems and contract negotiations for warehouse construction.
