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FKI Logistex® awarded second major upgrade contract by Wincanton for GSK Distribution Centre
  • Second contract awarded by Wincanton plc to FKI Logistex for an upgrade to a GlaxoSmithKline Distribution Centre
  • Replaces legacy control system with next-generation Logistex Warehouse System (LWS)
  • Upgrades 15 Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) cranes with aisle-changing and return-to-home capability for increased system up-time
  • New aisle-access control system significantly improves worker safety
  • Underlines the importance of long-term partnership in the achievement of greater efficiency

FKI Logistex® – a leading global supplier of automated material handling systems – announce that they have been awarded a second contract by Wincanton plc to upgrade the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) at a distribution centre operated by Wincanton on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

This and a previous upgrade are part of a major ten-year contract, awarded by GSK to Wincanton, for third-party logistics (3PL) and the development of supply-chain infrastructure to support the future growth of GSK’s Consumer and Nutritional Healthcare business.

The first FKI Logistex contract was to upgrade the ASRS installed by FKI Logistex in Wincanton’s GSK Distribution Centre at Middlewich, Cheshire. The second contract is for a major upgrade to an ASRS, originally installed by a different supplier, at Wincanton’s GSK Distribution Centre at Brockworth, near Gloucester.

In the upgrade to the Brockworth system, FKI Logistex will replace legacy control technology, operator screens, motors and drive components with software and equipment based on next-generation technologies. This will introduce significant improvements in system functionality, including providing all 15 cranes with the flexibility to change aisles.

Gerry Bonnar, Wincanton's Contract General Manager, commented: “The new system will not only enhance the centre’s efficiency but also provide a platform for continual improvement on the working environment for employees”.

The current ASRS comprises a total of 15 aisle-changing cranes which operate across 18 aisles and are serviced by Fork-Lift Trucks (FLTs) for the in-feed and out-feed. A major element of the upgrade will be the replacement of the current Material Flow Controller (MFC), which is the obsolete Siemens M7 technology to a new FKI Logistex’ Layer 1 Logistex Warehouse System. Aisle changing and interlock controls will be based on the latest Siemens S7 Profisafe Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) with Siemens S7 PLCs and Control Techniques SP Unidrives at the heart of the ASRM control. This will equip all 15 cranes with the ability to change aisles and provide the flexibility to overcome any significant machine down-time Machines will be able to be removed from a fixed-aisle position and taken to the maintenance bay, and a replacement machine moved into position from the highbay if required. Each crane will be able to operate independently in either automatic or manual/semi-automatic mode.

The new control system will also provide a number of other functional enhancements. For example, cranes will automatically return to the home position when an error is detected and it is safe to do so, eliminating the need for an engineer to climb onto the machine to perform corrective maintenance. A variable service timer will provide the basis for a proactive service plan based on actual machine usage, and better visual diagnostics will allow the maintenance engineers to quickly rectify machine faults

In the highbay, a new light guard system at the rear and an interlock key exchange at the front will significantly increase existing safety levels for personnel working in the area. Access to the aisles will be controlled by a number of panels, each covering a zone comprised of six aisles. The aisle-access control panels, and the individual crane control panels, will introduce touch-screen technology for easier local control, in addition to providing diagnostics and alarm management.

FKI Logistex will upgrade the drive system for the cranes, replacing the obsolete DC inverter drives with new AC Unidrive inverters, and exchanging the existing DC motors with new AC motors. This will increase the energy efficiency of the system and provide valuable savings in energy costs, as well as increasing overall reliability.

Gerry Bonnar commented further: “Typically, the company which installs a system would be given the contract to upgrade it. In this case, the solution presented by FKI Logistex to upgrade the Middlewich site was sufficiently innovative and impressive for us to decide to award them the second contract to upgrade the system at Brockworth, even though this was originally installed by a different supplier.”

     Jerry Woodhouse, Managing Director, FKI Logistex Europe, added: “Refining and developing material-handling efficiency is a continuous process. FKI Logistex’ consultative and flexible approach to system upgrades allows customers to implement ongoing cost-down initiatives which allow them to maintain a sharp competitive edge”.      

 
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