How a large Belgian retail organisation is betting on ergonomics, safety and efficiency
At a large Belgian retail organisation, with over 30.000 employees spread across a variety of logistics and production activities, internal logistics has a vital role. In one of their distribution centres where vegetables, fruit, dairy and frozen products, among others, are processed, the logistics flow was about to change. More had to be prepared on pallets (manually), so the number of pickings directly on pallets increased significantly.
Where it used to be 20 pallets a day, it has now become hundreds a day. This means not only more handling, but also more physical strain. Think of the manual picking and stacking of pallets; time-consuming and physically demanding work that carries risks.
‘We are a company that pays a lot of attention to ergonomics and want to protect our people from overexertion and accidents.’
Looking for the right solution
Within the company, a specialised team works every day to improve and optimise their production and logistics processes. Investments here are not made purely based on annual budgets, as in many companies, but based on added value. Each investment must deliver a clear benefit in ergonomics, safety or efficiency, and that ultimately determines the budget. Beforehand, a business case is worked out with a project team to get to the best choice on technically, functionally and commercially terms.
The team regularly visits trade fairs to keep updated of suppliers and technological developments, which is also how they got to know KUMATECH. For this particular challenge, the organisation already knew the concept of a pallet dispenser and started approaching parties who offer such solutions, which therefore included KUMATECH.
Important requirements were:
- Ergonomic: Easy and safe to use
- Suitable for a wide range of users (independent of gender, height or strength)
- Deployable without continuous supervision
KUMATECH Pallet Dispenser
As usual with investments, a tender was launched to objectively compare different suppliers. The choice finally fell on KUMATECH’s Pallet Dispenser.
‘KUMATECH’s Pallet Dispensers appealed to us because of their robust and technical design. The components and how it is technically put together gave us confidence that it will have a longer lifetime compared to other systems.’
The organisation has its own technical service department that carries out its own maintenance on all machines. From that experience, quality and reliability were chosen – factors that save costs in the long term.
We want to protect our people from strain and injury. Thanks to the dispensers, they no longer have to lift or drag pallets — this not only makes their work safer, but also more pleasant.
Cooperation
Four Pallet Dispensers have now been installed at a central location in the distribution centre. The dispensers are being used to dispense continuous euro pallets automatically, allowing employees to start work immediately.
Cooperation with KUMATECH went quite smoothly. ‘The contact with their people was pleasant. We had specific preferences for certain sensors and signalling, and KUMATECH was willing to think along with us and offered possibilities to make adjustments. We really appreciate that flexibility and found it a great advantage.’
In terms of safety standards set by the company, it was also important that KUMATECH thought along. Not only the quality of the product, but also the relationship with suppliers is considered essential by the organisation.
The result: Attention to people and process
The dispensers are used intensively, especially in the early morning hours when the first shifts start, many pallets need to be picked in a short time. That’s why the organisation decided to immediately install four Pallet Dispensers next to each other. The pallets can be easily picked by anyone without depending or waiting on anyone else.
‘In our case, mainly ergonomics is the key. So our employees do not have to drag, pull, or hurt themselves with pallets and also the time savings/efficiency of course.’
In conclusion
For this retail organisation, the introduction of Pallet Dispensers is a logical step within their strategy to reduce physical strain for their employees and optimise processes.
‘It is a small change with a big effect. Especially in environments where a lot of pallets are handled on a daily basis.’
