The storage and picking of dangerous goods, such as disinfectants, preservatives and additives, brings with it special challenges regarding fire prevention. The chemical-pharmaceutical company Schülke & Mayr in Norderstedt near Hamburg relies on storage systems and adaptation expertise from Bito in this regard.
Schülke & Mayr, founded in 1889, is a chemical-pharmaceutical company which numbers among the international market leaders in the fields of hygiene, infection prevention and chemical conservation. The company, which has been part of the French Air Liquide Group since 1996, today employs more than 600 people worldwide, 440 of which are based in Germany and 90 in international subsidiaries. Annual turnover amounts to 150 million euros. All deliveries and, to some extent, also the internal material flow are today handled by the new logistics and distribution center. Both raw materials and finished products are items which impose special requirements on fire prevention, safety at work and therefore also on environmental compatibility. For this reason, Schülke & Mayr has introduced a management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001, DIN EN ISO 13485, DIN EN ISO 14001, EMAS and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Furthermore, the company is validated by an external environmental auditor. As well as the required transparency, the 2008 sustainability report also incorporates an environmental statement. But it is not only the daily handling of raw materials, finished goods and packaging materials which regularly challenges the production, intra-logistics and logistics staff. Above all, the increasing requirement for hygiene products, cleaning agents and preservatives also presents a challenge. For this reason, the hygiene specialists brought a haulage contractor on board as long ago as 2005 to meet the sometimes major challenges which arose as a result of a lack of storage, picking and logistics capacities.
Not a run-of-the-mill logistics center
As a result of further continuous growth, Schülke & Mayr recently decided to build its own logistics center – in the immediate vicinity of the manufacturing plant. The challenge was to accommodate the different types of containers such as IBCs, Euro pallets and individual containers. And all this taking strict account of fire prevention and environmental protection requirements as well as official specifications and demands. The company therefore brought in Logistikplanung-Rusche based in Hollenstedt, an experienced planning firm, and subsequently issued a classical invitation to tender as a team. It was soon established that, although several suppliers could provide warehouse technology as part of their program, this often could not be adapted flexibly, or the appropriate adaptation was so cost-intensive that it no longer made economic sense. Intensive evaluation showed that this was not the case with Bito-Lagertechnik Bittmann GmbH based in Meisenheim. Holger Blöhs, Logistics Distribution Manager at Schülke & Mayr explains: „We tackled a demanding project under great time pressure, as we had to dispense with various external warehouses and sort out availability as well as transport problems. To do this, we needed a capable, flexible and reliable partner. We found this in Bito. We were looked after in a professional manner, and received very well prepared project documentation.“
The result of the joint efforts of the partners Logistikplanung-Rusche, Bito and Schülke & Mayr is an integrated logistics center, which is divided into four sectors (compartments) and has a total of 18,500 pallet positions. Of these, 14,500 are intended for finished products and 4,000 for packaging material. An additional 650 positions are provided in the picking area and in a further buffer store. The compartments are designed so that they can be quickly hermetically sealed off and submerged under water by means of automatic fire doors and sprinkler systems.
Compact maximum storage
The storage blocks in the compartments are designed as narrow-aisle warehouses with positive rail guidance and inductive lane merging aids. They have a height of 13,500 (14,000) mm and are divided into eight levels (seven plus ground level). Bays with a width of 3,600 mm and a maximum shelf load of four tonnes were chosen for accommodating goods which are randomly put into storage in IBCs, on Euro pallets or on industrial pallets. This enables either three IBCs or alternatively four Euro or industrial pallets to be placed on each shelf.
In order to fulfill the VDS requirements for fire prevention and sprinkler equipment, special sheet barriers are incorporated into every second level. For this purpose, Bito developed individual sheet elements with folded edges for increasing the stiffness and stability. The sheet barriers are also designed and manufactured so that they project 50 mm beyond the compartment and thereby completely cover a pallet. They also form a closed surface between supports. The individual segments can be easily replaced in the event of damage. However, this has not yet been necessary thanks to their robust design. While the central high-bay pallet warehouse is basically used for storing and buffering palletised finished products, the order-picking store is a further central component of the logistics center. This system is located in a different part of the building. It includes a pallet racking system with 650 pallet locations for order-picking on two floors with a platform on top for storing advertising material on standard shelving, and has several special features. On the one hand, an elevator is installed for pallets and for hand trucks. On the other, there is a closed pallet transfer station to enable pallets to be delivered or removed by stacker truck without endangering the picking staff. In addition to the personnel safety mesh, a panel has been installed on the platform to protect against falling packages.
A sliding pallet shelving system is also installed in the same building as a further central component of the logistics center. This is used for buffering and holding group deliveries for for-eign markets. On the one hand, this relieves the load on the order-picking area and, on the other, allows special orders to be picked. This storage area has also been fitted with special safety devices, which, in this case, effectively protect the sprinkler systems when pallets with high loads are brought in. Another special feature is the braking rollers which are installed in all roller conveyors for each pallet position. These prevent damage to the pallet load and the packed products.
Online-Info: www.cpp-net.com/2211454
Share:
