Project in few figures
Length: 55m
Width: 65m
Height: 35m
Capacity: 15,320 pallets
Aisles: 5 double depth
Stacker cranes: 5, double forks double masts (1 400kg / pallet)
Levels: 12
Travels: 22
Cost: 10.5 million €
Starting date: 2012
Start-up assistance for a Mecalux High Bay Warehouse
In Roye (80), Saint Louis Sucre has a site specializing in sugar packaging. Company is part of German group Züdzucker, the largest sugar company in the world.
In 2010, plant was endowed with a HBW (High Bay Warehouse). This automated warehouse allows the storage of more than 15,000 pallets on 5 double depth aisles and 12 levels. Pallet storage and retrieval operations are carried out by 5 double-mast stacker cranes with a capacity of 2 pallets and fed by a monorail loop on which 18 trolleys operate
This equipment was designed and assembled by Mecalux. The self-supporting structure of the building is more than 35m high.
As part of this project of a budget of 10 million euros, I intervened to organize and ensure the startup of this equipment from both a technical and human point of view.
Technical aspects cover mechanical, automatic and computer testing and integration phases.
Indeed, HBW integrates into an industrial environment practically fully automated from the production lines outbound.
With regard to the human aspects, change management was the most crucial. Operators abandoned their forklifts and had to be trained in the computerized control tool of the installation and its supervision. A rather radical change of profession for them. Similarly, maintainers and automation engineers have been trained in the most common interventions. A third quarterly maintenance was nevertheless contracted for the other interventions.
Depending on the circumstances, the different interventions can take place at height, that is to say up to more than 30m in storage.
It was therefore necessary to overcome the apprehensions related to vertigo and the physical capacities of each one before starting the training to these interventions on the machine under these conditions.
A ropeway company came on site to train operators in groups of six.
Once the start was assured, I continued the mission to improve the performance of the installation and continue to support the operators until their total mastery of the installation.