Gebhardt Fördertechnik GmbH has completed the installation of a $3.7 million materials handling system in a new 42,500m² master warehouse with 145,000 storage points opened by Mercedes-Benz in New Jersey, USA.
The installation, one of the biggest and most prestigious handled by Gebhardt in recent years, recently won the Productivity Achievement Award for the best warehousing solution from the US publication Modern Materials Handling. Five years ago Gebhardt's UK partner European Conveyor Systems Ltd installed a similar system at the company's parts distribution centre in Milton Keynes.
Rising sales in the USA prompted the company to re-organise its parts distribution systems and build a new master warehouse at Robbinsville, NJ, which currently holds around 65,000 different parts. The conveyor system carries replenishment stock to the appropriate locations in the warehouse at a rate of 3500 tote bins a day, with each bin being automatically checked to ensure it is below a safe weight limit. From the storage shelving around 15,000 individual parts a day are conveyed to the despatch area for delivery to the 330-strong dealer network, either by HGV or over-night by air freight.
Gebhardt was appointed as the main contractor for the materials handling system, which involves 2350 metres of various types of conveyor, including sections of Gebhardt's special zero-pressure accumulation conveyor. There are also 330 drives, 495 photo-electric barriers and 58 bar-code scanners. The contract was completed in less than ten months from initial design to final commissioning.
For sales inquiries contact European Conveyor Systems Ltd on 0115 987 4363