CASE STUDY
SATELLITE RACKS IN THE STORAGE OF FINISHED PRODUCTS
PANASONIC ENERGY POLAND S.A. production plant in Gniezno, it is part of the Panasonic Europe group, whose activities include comprehensive battery production, starting from the production of casings, to printing and sticking labels on finished products, packaging and automatic palletization. The plant in Gniezno has been manufacturing and packing zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries since 1993. Together with the logistics center also located in Poland, they constitute the distribution base for Panasonic products throughout Eastern Europe.
As the production plant developed and expanded, there was a need to build warehouses for storing pallets with the finished product. To make the most of the available space, PROMAG S.A. specialists proposed the use of AutoMAG Shuttle satellite racks. The proposed system is perfectly compatible with the serial production profile of Panasonic and is perfect for storing pallets weighing up to 1500 kg, which is of key importance for a product such as batteries.
Cooperation between PANASONIC ENERGY POLAND S.A. and PROMAG S.A. is an example of a very good understanding of the needs of a business partner and offering an optimal logistics solution. This allowed PROMAG to implement two rack installations with a total capacity of over 4,000 pallet places.
The first warehouse to be equipped in 2016 has 2,064 pallet spaces for handling 1,000 kg pallets. Two AutoMAG shuttle carts with dimensions adapted to handle standardized loads were used to operate the system. These devices are operated remotely with a dedicated remote control. AutoMAG trolleys are responsible for transporting pallets with goods deep into the rack block and storing them with the prescribed distance between the loads. This ensures the maximization of the density of stored goods and very high efficiency compared to conventional methods of storage.
This is the second almost identical installation implemented in 2018 as an effect of a well-chosen logistics solution and proof that the system is reliable. For PANASONIC ENERGY POLAND S.A. the storage capacity increased by another 2,024 pallet spaces and two additional shuttle trucks were added to operate there. This time it was decided to increase the versatility of the rack installation. The structure of the new racks has been designed for storing EUR pallets weighing 1100 kg, which are slightly heavier than in the first installation, as well as industrial pallets weighing 1300 kg. Additionally, two larger AutoMAG trucks with the "multipallet" function were delivered to handle EUR and larger industrial pallets.
During both projects, PROMAG S.A. was in direct contact with the flooring contractor in the equipped facilities in order to harmonize the rack structure with the requirements of the company designing the warehouse hall. Such practices eliminate the occurrence of a collision of the rack installation with the hall structure or damage to the floor as a result of loads generated by the racks. The third stage of implementation is adding another two AutoMAG universal shuttle cars to the system. This procedure further increased the efficiency of the entire AutoMAG Shuttle semi-automatic system.