Atlet Optimises Efficiency Of Flexpac Warehouse

Contract-packing specialist Flexpac has called upon Atlet to help optimise performance and efficiency in its new warehouse. The warehouse features a mixture of single- and double-deep racking served by an Atlet ATF ride-on extending fork-reach truck. It offers a combination of storage capacity, load selectivity and throughput to support Flexpac's business. Flexpac has a number of customers in the consumer goods and toiletries sectors, for which it packs promotional, gift and retail transit items needed to support marketing and advertising campaigns. Flexpac was based in north London for many years but in 2007 relocated to Iver, close to the motorway network, when it had outgrown its previous site.

The new warehouse was an empty shell and this allowed the business to devise a materials-handling operation matched to its specific requirement. For many of its larger customers, Flexpac works in batches using items supplied in multiple palletised loads. The aim is to hold stock for as short a time as possible and the main requirement, from a storage and handling perspective, is to ensure enough items can be held on site to maintain throughput and meet delivery schedules. Flexpac approached a number of potential lift-truck suppliers for suggestions on warehouse configuration.

Atlet proposed a combination of single and double-deep racking; this led to 756 pallet locations on four levels arranged along three aisles. An aisle along one side of the warehouse is completely double deep, a central aisle has double-deep racking down one side and single-deep down the other and the third aisle is single-deep only. Duplicate bulk loads are generally stored in the double-deep areas, while individual pallets and items that need to be accessed more often are kept in the single-deep sections. Andrew Holmes, managing director at Flexpac, said: 'We wanted to design the racking to utilise the maximum space.

'Atlet was the only supplier to suggest double deep. 'If you're dealing with lots of different products you wouldn't necessarily go for double deep, but many of our pallets are the same, so this combination works well,' he added. With double-deep, two rows of racking are built along the side of the aisle and pallets placed one behind the other. This helps maximise utilisation of available space and is especially useful when the pallets contain identical products and there are no issues with load selectivity or stock rotation. Going completely double-deep and keeping aisle width to the minimum would have allowed Flexpac to store even more pallets in the warehouse.

But retaining some single-deep racking and widening the aisle slightly provides better load flexibility and helps optimise throughput during peak periods. The racking is located at the rear of the building with a marshalling area in front and a mezzanine along one side of the warehouse. This provides space for the main activities of packing and preparation at ground and first-floor level. In this type of warehouse, pallets are handled using a special type of reach truck with extending forks that can access the rearmost rows of racking. Atlet suggested its compact ATF extending fork-reach truck. The choice of the stand-on version made sense in this situation because operators need to get on and off relatively frequently, which would be less convenient on a seated variant.

The truck is typically used sporadically to move pallets between storage and packing areas, so ease and speed of access are more important and help to promote productivity. Like any single-truck operation, one of the biggest fears is downtime. There is some seasonality in the business, with the busiest period coming in late summer, as customers prepare stock for delivery in time for their Christmas and New Year promotions. This means the truck can be used much more heavily between August and October. The truck's on-board diagnostic computer helps engineers to anticipate any issues before they impact on truck performance.

Atlet provides call-out service support and completes a six-monthly routine maintenance check. The wider aisles in the single-deep area of the warehouse allow the company's counterbalance truck, normally used in the marshalling area and to load and unload transport vehicles, to act as a second handling option during busy periods and as a backup for the reach truck. Even so, in the two years since the Atlet truck was delivered, there has not been a problem.

Read More

Home-Appliance Buyers Prioritise Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is the number-one attribute that consumers seek when purchasing new home appliances, according to a survey by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). While more than half of US homeowners (57 per cent) ranked energy efficiency as one of their top two considerations, safety was not at the top of the list. The majority of respondents admitted that they do not always look for a third-party safety certification, such as the UL Mark, on new appliances.

Products that bear the UL Mark have been tested to UL's rigorous safety standards and are found to be free of foreseeable safety hazards. In the coming months, many consumers will consider purchasing new appliances thanks to the US government's USD300m (GBP183m) rebate programme, encouraging the purchase of energy-efficient appliances. The state-run programmes will offer cash rebates to consumers who buy new qualified home appliances.

Homeowners and other consumers can use this opportunity to make sure that the appliances they bring into their homes meet safety standards. Simin Zhou, vice-president and general manager of UL's Appliances, HVAC/R and Components business unit, said: 'It's understandable that consumers are focused on cost and energy savings when purchasing home appliances in today's struggling economy. 'Energy efficiency is an important attribute, but family safety also needs to be part of the decision-making process to avoid potential dangers,' he added.

The most common risks associated with home appliances are electrical, fire or mechanical hazards. A 2009 National Fire Protection Association report states that in 2006, US consumers reported approximately 17,700 home fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines, resulting in 15 deaths, 360 injuries and USD194m in property damage. Zhou continued: 'A UL Mark on a home appliance provides peace of mind because it means the product has been tested and certified to meet the highest standards in safety certification.

'Keeping appliances clean and only using them as intended also can go a long way towards preventing home-appliance hazards or injuries,' he said. Checking appliances for potential hazards and/or the lack of a third-party safety certification mark will help consumers determine if their current appliances are sufficient or it is time for a new purchase during the upcoming state rebate programmes.

Consumers can learn more about the State Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program and understand appliance safety by visiting UL's website. Online content will be updated regularly throughout the duration of the state rebate programmes and beyond. Consumers can find out when their state programme starts and ends, what products qualify for the rebate programme and how much money they will receive if they upgrade one or more of their current appliances.

UL also explains how product features, brands and style considerations can still be factored into safe-appliance purchases. 'Consumers may not always worry about safety risks in their homes, but now they'll know how to keep their current appliances safe for continued use and make smart decisions when purchasing new ones,' said Zhou. The appliance safety survey was conducted by KRC Research on behalf of UL between 15 October and 19 October 2009 via telephone. The survey was administered to 1,391 US adults.

Read More