Beckhoff Speeds Deliveries with Automated Warehouse
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Beckhoff USA, which noticed its U.S. income rising by 33.4% in 2022, accomplished a significant overhaul of its Minneapolis-area warehouse so as to guarantee speedy deliveries. With the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) from OPEX Corp. and different strategic investments, Beckoff has returned to pre-pandemic lead instances.
The AS/RS expands the warehouse capability by 60%, which components in room to develop. The whole undertaking was applied with out main disruptions of buyer shipments. Beckhoff USA President Kevin Barker attributes this success to the power of the U.S. operations workforce and hands-on management of Wayne Schmeichel, Director of Operations.
“Contemplating the scope of this undertaking and the tempo of our warehouse, we knew we’d be primarily altering a tire at 100 mph. However we pulled it off, and that’s a testomony to our superb workforce,” Barker stated. “The AS/RS helps unlock our rising warehouse workforce from repetitive duties to deal with extra fascinating challenges. That’s nice for productiveness, positive. However extra importantly, it presents higher job satisfaction and extra rewarding work.”
The AS/RS is now totally operational with a number of cell robots used to tug totes of product and convey them to operators. Extra conveyor programs make it simple to ship the elements to packing stations earlier than being despatched off to prospects. A number of Beckhoff applied sciences, from EtherCAT and TwinSAFE I/O terminals to a sturdy operator interface, are used all through the AS/RS and conveyance options.
“Earlier than implementing the OPEX® Infinity™ system, we have been operating out of room in our warehouse, to not point out personnel bandwidth to fulfill buyer calls for,” Schmeichel stated. “It’s at all times refreshing to see expertise make folks’s jobs simpler. By automating processes, we are able to work smarter as an alternative of more durable, and slightly than eliminating jobs, we proceed to develop our warehouse workforce headcount to make sure the very best buyer experiences.”
The upgrades at Beckhoff USA coincide with the corporate’s complete manufacturing and logistics efforts across the globe. Its world headquarters in Germany, as an illustration, has invested considerably in new manufacturing infrastructure and just lately introduced a brand new central warehouse. There, Beckhoff will deal with shipments for European prospects and course of orders to Beckhoff subsidiaries worldwide. And with 750,000 sq. toes, the distribution facility will deal with immediately’s wants and scale for continued, speedy development into the long run.
“We count on to continue to grow on the similar speedy tempo for years to come back – at Beckhoff USA and globally,” Barker stated. “With our automated warehouse upgrades in Minnesota, we’re taking a monumental step ahead, however this definitely gained’t be the final step in that journey.”
