Automated storage has reduced manual handling while improving stock visibility and production planning
A French manufacturer has doubled the volume of aluminium profiles it can store within the same warehouse footprint after introducing automated storage and material-handling systems.
TIR Technologies, which makes outdoor solar protection products including blinds, awnings, roller shutters and pergolas, has automated much of its warehousing operation at its headquarters in Kilstett.
The business handles around 3,500 tonnes of aluminium profiles each year, with some lengths reaching 7.5 metres.
It employs 330 people and reports annual turnover of €110 million.
TIR Technologies has installed two KASTO automated honeycomb storage systems to manage the movement of profiles between storage and production.
The first UNIGRIP system was introduced in 2019 with 1,200 storage locations and supplies profiles to the company’s pergola assembly operation.
A second system followed in 2022 for the awning production area.
Standing 13 metres high, the newer installation incorporates 2,000 storage cassettes and has been designed to handle different profile lengths within the same system.
According to KASTO, the move to three-dimensional automated storage means TIR Technologies can now hold twice the volume of aluminium profiles within the same floor area.
Incoming and outgoing movements are also recorded automatically, reducing the need for manual stock transfers and paper-based lists.
The company says this has improved visibility of material flow while reducing the risk of errors and easing the workload on warehouse staff.
Another benefit has been the ability to bring material previously stored outdoors into a dry, protected environment.
TIR Technologies says this has reduced the need for extensive protective packaging, cutting both material waste and the volume of packaging transported by suppliers.
The warehouse is managed using KASTOlogic software, which coordinates incoming and outgoing stock, monitors material movements in real time and directs profiles to production.
The second storage system required additional engineering because of the different material lengths involved.
Its gantry crane can handle six-metre profiles stored in cassettes on one side of the system and 7.5-metre material on the other.
Sensors identify the cassette type and its location, allowing the system to control braking and load transfers automatically.
Patrick Barbier, IT manager at TIR Technologies, said: “Due to this customised solution, we were able to implement a storage system that would not otherwise have been feasible within the available space.”
He added: “Additionally, the automated system allows us to achieve significantly more efficient production, making it easier to plan our operations.”
The factory also uses KASTOfenestra align, an automated storage, order-picking and handling system designed for long aluminium, plastic and composite profiles used in window, door and facade manufacturing.
At Kilstett, the system is used to move racks containing profiles for individual customer orders before awning assembly.
Forklift operators position the racks above a horizontal centring guide, after which hydraulic lifting equipment lowers them into the required cassette.
Two cassette positions allow one rack to be stored or retrieved while another customer order is being prepared, reducing waiting time between operations.
TIR Technologies says the combination of automated storage, stock management and material handling has increased storage density while making production planning more predictable.
Barbier said: “KASTO has demonstrated itself to be a reliable partner for us. The relationship will significantly benefit our future logistics development plans as we continually improve our internal processes and expand our business.”
KASTO said similar automated storage and material-handling technology is available to manufacturers in the UK and Ireland through its Leicestershire subsidiary.