Application 009: Building industry logisticsPoloplast, Austria
Lightweight pallets can cause a headache for logistics managers everywhere - not so at Poloplast! The tested "featherweight pallets" run like clockwork through the Interroll flow storage system.
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8,000 kilometres of pipe per year. 18,000 tonnes of pipe systems. A turnover of € 80 million. A proud company's balance sheet. As the international expert in innovative
plastic pipe systems for domestic utilities, drainage and water supply, Poloplast has opted for success with its new Logistics Centre.
Sharply increased prices for raw materials, fuels and energy, higher living expenses, higher inflation rates and the slump in the economy have all put the brakes on the company's
growth rates compared with previous years. Nevertheless the industrial company's exceptional competitiveness, with subsidiaries in Linz (Austria) and Ebenhofen near Munich
(Germany), remains untouched by this. This is not only due to the company's exemplary personnel policies and value-based strategic corporate management system, but also due to its
logistics set-up that is characterised by innovation. Poloplast was given further stimulus by its new Logistics Centre in Leonding that employs a workforce of 20.
Warehouse expansion for improved productivity
The increasing need for storage space has resulted in Poloplast opting for an efficient and innovative expansion of its storage capacity, as the increasing number of boxes
containing sensitive materials need to be protected from too much light and must be stored securely in the warehouse. The expansion and installation of a flow storage area also
resulted in an increase in productivity - previously some of the products had had to be stored in the production building, in spite of the lack of space - promising Poloplast a
fast return on investment.
The wholesale sector always expects ever-faster deliveries: Poloplast now has to be capable of supplying Germany and Austria within 24 hours and the rest of Europe within 48
hours. Poloplast's fast-moving items stay in the flow storage warehouse for a maximum of 14 days before they are picked. A good 200 pallets a day and up to 52,000 pallets per year
flow through this warehouse - no wonder that the company needed a highly efficient logistics solution. Poloplast is now better equipped than ever with ever-shorter throughput and
production times.
This is how it works...
The project, which was managed by Schebl & Partner, as planning engineers and general contractor, the shelving experts Stow and material flow experts Interroll, took just over
a year to complete, from initial concept to commissioning of the system. The promising investment got underway with a visit to the Interroll Test Centre in La Roche-sur-Yon
(France) and, within 10 weeks, the flow storage modules were sitting ready for assembly in Leonding. The 6 kilometre-long roller conveyors were already pre-installed by
Interroll's partner (Stow or Rulmeca?) and some areas were already completed, filled with pallets and operational even before work on site had been completed.
... and this is how it looks now
Poloplast's Logistics Centre in Leonding comprises 4 separate buildings in which the Production, Assembly warehouse and Despatch departments are located. There is also an outside
storage area in which pipes longer than 0.5 m are stored. A, B and C products circulate around the internal warehouse area that has a capacity for 500 different products. The B
and C items, consisting of 1,000 kg big pack "octapen" raw material preliminary products and purchased compounds, sit in conventional heavy-duty racking for raw material pallets.
The A-type items, consisting of fast-moving, boxed items (what precisely??) with a maximum length of 0.5 m, are stored in the single-item lanes in the flow storage area. Rightly
so, because ultra-fast access can be guaranteed by error-free removal and short picking distances.
The flow storage warehouse that measures around 1,300 m2 is made up of two blocks with a total of 34 lanes, each with 15 pallet positions and five levels. Two Europallets, each
weighing a maximum of 50 kg, are stored on top of each other on the first level (double storage), with a maximum height of 1,100 metres. There are 3,060 pallet positions in total
(the photograph refers to 6,060 pallet positions). This double storage means that the four forklift trucks operating in the flow storage area can remove 3-4 boxes at the same time
- and do so at record speed!
Anything intended to roll forever should be tested
Poloplast's basic idea, defined by preliminary decisions, the harmonious collaborative work between the four partners and the extensive testing phase using Poloplast's own pallets
in the Interroll Centre of Excellence for Flow Storage Technology were key factors in the success of the project.
Why were the tests so crucial?
On the one hand the characteristics of the lightweight pallets are a critical factor that cannot be underestimated. Interroll had to demonstrate that its system could handle the
pallets without a problem. On the other hand, double storage is not particularly common in logistics and this type of storage was also successfully tested before use.
The test phase proved that it would be possible to forego safety separators, as the pressure from these lightweight pallets would not cause damage to other pallets, enabling
Poloplast to make significant cost savings.
Is a further extension planned? "The length and width of the plant can be extended. It would be nice if we had to do so because so many products are needed," admitted XXX
Aichinger, Production Logistics Manager.
What the customer says
"Cooperation between the firms involved was harmonious and characterised by each company's expertise. Interroll convinced us, both before and after, with its perfect engineering,
quality and customer care. The tests (test bed constructed and tested using our own products) meant that we could be sure in advance that our investment was the right one. And
today we are convinced more than ever that it was."
Dieter Schuster
Buying, Production and Sales Logistics Manager
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