Store plates and small material compactly

To optimize efficiency and productivity on the shop floor, it is important for manufacturing companies to make the best use of the available space. In addition to the machinery, often the storage of raw materials and parts in particular takes up a lot of space. Yet there are ways to reduce that warehouse space. Vanhauwaert, manufacturer of processing lines for flax, hemp and other natural fibers, invested heavily in systems for the compact storage of small materials and sheets. The family business from Kuurne bought a Rotomat® warehouse elevator four years ago, while two years ago a space-saving plate storage system was installed. For both solutions, they called on the specialists at DDD Technics, the official distributor of automated warehouse solutions from Hänel and Submentum.

Started in 1892 as a pub with accompanying smisse, as was common in those days, Vanhauwaert Machines has since grown into a manufacturer of processing lines for flax, hemp and other natural fibers. The family business with world fame in the field of processing machines moved to a new location in the industrial zone of Kuurne in the 1990s. "The demand for machining lines has grown strongly in recent years, so we had to invest in new machines and additional labor. However, the space in our production hall is limited, so we wanted to use it to its full potential," says Steven Vanhauwaert, fifth-generation business manager. "That's why I started looking for solutions to store our materials more compactly and accurately. That's how we ended up at DDD Technics, where they presented us with the automated Rotomat® warehouse elevator type 936 from Hänel." Chris Cherretté, technical sales representative at DDD Technics, adds: "This system has a height of 5,470 mm, a depth of 1,615 mm and is 3,420 mm wide. The elevator includes twenty carrier units, half of which are equipped with an intermediate shelf. Due to its compact design, this system provides more than 60% more storage capacity. It brings the retrieved materials to the work opening within seconds."

Compact plate warehouse

This Hänel Rotomat® turned out to be an excellent investment and, in the meantime, is almost fully loaded with small materials. Vanhauwaert is even considering the purchase of a second similar warehouse elevator in the near future. "About three years ago, we were also looking for a solution to store our metal sheets in a limited space. Those plates were just standing straight in the warehouse and taking up a lot of space. Since we were very satisfied with the quality of our warehouse elevator and DDD Technics' service, we knocked on their door again. This is how we came into contact with their engineering partner Submentum from Menen. Together with Dieter Hoornaert and his team, a space-saving storage system was developed, which is fully customized and was also linked to our ERP system," explains the business manager. "This vertical sheet warehouse fits perfectly within our production hall, right under the overhead crane. It has a total capacity of about 100 tons, in other words 3 tons per cassette. These cassettes are 90 mm high, allowing us to load new packs of plates into the system integrally with the forklift when they arrive. That way we save a lot of time because we don't have to split everything up."

Looking to the future

DDD Technics works closely with Submentum for these custom-made plate warehouses, entirely 'made in Belgium'. While the latter takes care of the engineering and production, the former, as exclusive distributor, is responsible for sales and service from locations in Stekene, Duffel and Menen. "Everything is done in close consultation with the customer. First, everything was worked out in 3D for this project as well, after which we looked at the technical side together with Steven Vanhauwaert, in particular the integration in the production hall, the location of the control panel ... This way, the manager knew immediately what to expect," Cherretté explains. "The control system was also programmed in-house. This makes it easy to adjust things to suit the customer. A user-friendly interface with mainly symbols is provided as standard, which significantly increases user comfort. Naturally, the operators receive guidance and training in these customized systems upon commissioning." The manager of Vanhauwaert Machines concludes, "We are extremely satisfied with this sheet warehouse, which has been on our shop floor for two years now. Another big advantage is that this installation works fully automatically. Thanks to an increased safety level, the operator does not have to be at the warehouse every time a sheet is removed or put away. This allows him to perform another task. It all ultimately contributes to improved productivity and efficiency on the shop floor."