Automated warehouse systems increase efficiency and ergonomics

Looking for a system to store small parts, components and other materials in an efficient and compact way? Then Hänel's Rotomat® warehouse elevator and Lean-Lift® platform lift system certainly offer a solution. These compact, automated storage systems make maximum use of the available height in a building. DDD Technics (Stekene) is the official dealer for all Hänel products in Belgium. Together with a Belgian partner, they also design, engineer, manufacture and install the YOU-STORE plate warehouses. The team also supports its customers with relocation or sales, maintenance or repair of systems 24/7.

Automated vertical storage systems are ideal for those who want to store many materials conveniently on a limited ground surface. After all, the Rotomat® warehouse elevator and the Lean-Lift® platform lift system can be up to 18 meters high, with sizes and weights depending on the application. Moreover, they work quickly and efficiently and the articles can be removed very ergonomically. 

The Rotomat® is available in several models, with a standard width of 3,270 or 3,420 mm and different depths, good for a load capacity per carrier set between 150 and 750 kg, and between 3,000 and 14,000 kg for the complete system. The Lean-Lift® exists in models from 840 to 4460 mm wide, with a choice of four different depths: 635, 825, 1,047 and 1,270 mm, for the storage of goods with weights ranging from 300 to 1,000 kg per platform and a maximum payload per system of 60,000 kg.

"These storage systems are used in a wide variety of sectors. At machine builder Vanhauwaert (Kuurne), for example, they have more than 60% more storage capacity thanks to a Rotomat®. Renson (Kruisem) uses a Lean-Lift® to store powders for the paint shop. Sanha (Ternat) bought two warehouses for the storage of heavy dies and one unit for cartons of finished products. At Joris Ide (Wingene), the warehouses are an important link in the automatic production line. There is also a 'kasse' at Ter Beke in Veurne, for the storage of labels for their fine meats and freshly prepared dishes," says manager Dirk De Decker. "Other installations can be found at the wood processing companies Bram Van Holme (Lo-Reninge) and Keysers (Brecht), Trappen Verschaeve (Lauwe), Clement Poorten (Aalter), balustrade manufacturer Lammertyn (Ardooie), Merlier Grijperij & Machines (Zwevegem), Metaalconstructie Vanderscheuren (Diksmuide), VDW Constructies (Waarschoot) and A&C Noyens (Olen). And that's just a sampling of the many references."

Record warehouses

For the storage of metal sheets in limited space, DDD Technics offers the YOU-STORE sheet warehouses. For this they work with a Belgian partner, who takes care of the engineering and production. 

"Everything is first worked out in 3D, then together with the customer we look at the technical side, in particular the integration in the production hall, the location of the control panel... The control is also programmed in-house," explains technical commercial representative Chris Cherretté. "We installed such a vertical sheet warehouse with a total capacity of about 100 tons at Vanhauwaert (Kuurne). The cassettes are 90 mm high, allowing new packs of plates to be loaded into the system integrally by forklift truck. For VDW Constructies (Waarschoot), we developed a system with 59 cassettes of 6,200 by 2,300 mm, good for a total capacity of about 300 tons."       

Showroom at Vinck bvba/All-in Parts
Gert Vinck and his team deal with mechanical constructions and maintenance work on a daily basis. This often involves replacing components, and then it is more efficient to have them on hand. So a warehouse with industrial components was expanded. 

"For this, the company invested in two Hänel Lean-Lift® platform lift systems. First, an exhibition model 1,300 mm wide, 825 mm deep and 6,000 mm high was installed, equipped with 40 platforms with a load capacity of 300 kg each. For the storage of long tubes, an additional 'cabinet' with a width of 3,260 mm, a depth of 635 mm and a height of 4,000 mm was purchased," explains De Decker. 

Cherretté adds: "Vinck also bought a YOU-STORE plate warehouse 5,000 mm high with 27 cassettes for stainless steel plates of up to 4,000 by 1,500 mm, good for a total capacity of more than 80 tons. And there is even more, as we installed a mezzanine with an area of 15,000 by 6,000 mm in the workshop and a Rotomat® as a "store-in-a-box" in the store area. Five different storage systems in a period of two years. I always say: once a customer with DDD, always a customer with DDD."