News
Turnkey storage & distribution system for Synutra France
30.10.2014
Egemin Automation has received a new major warehouse automation order from Synutra France. The order comprises the design and installation of a turnkey intralogistics system for Synutra’s new milk powder processing plant in Carhaix, Brittany. The system is to provide automated management of all flows of raw materials, finished products and consumables. It will be operational by the end of 2015.
NEW PLANT TO HANDLE GROWING DEMAND
TURNKEY INTRALOGISTICS SOLUTION
- A conveyor loop in the receiving area
- An automated warehouse with a capacity of 9,000 pallets with 5 automatic storage/retrieval systems
- 6 AGVs to distribute raw materials and consumables within the plant
- A conveyor loop in the shipping area
- A WMS/WCS software system for warehouse management and control of all transport and storage systems.
RECEIVING, PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
In the receiving area, external pallets are identified and placed on a plastic slave pallet. The slave pallet is identified using an RFID tag, then conveyed to the automated warehouse through the conveyor loop. At the end of the production lines, a fleet of 6 AGVs transports pallets loaded with 25 kg bags and 1.2 tonne big bags to a stretch wrapper. Next, these loads are picked by the AGVs once again and returned to the automated warehouse. The AGVs also supply consumables (spoons, boxes, etc.) from the automated warehouse to the production lines.
The big bags for shipment to China are transported to the shipping area on the conveyor system. A pallet exchange system swaps the plastic pallets, used to carry the big bags, for wooden pallets. Its operation is synchronised with the operation of the conveyor system. Milk powder products are also stored in the automated warehouse on plastic pallets. Upon shipping, the products are loaded into containers with a slip sheet. The plastic pallet stays on the conveyor loop to be reused in production. The system makes it possible to optimise the load volume of the containers.
E’wms®, Egemin’s WMS/WCS warehouse software, manages the intralogistics solution as a whole.