Specialist in patio covers invests in platform lift systems for storage of paint powders

To store the paint powders for their high-quality paint shop, the company invested in two platform lift systems type Hänel Lean-Lift®, supplied and assembled by DDD Technics. Real millimeter work - that's how you can describe the integration of these automated warehouses into the available space.

What began more than 110 years ago as a local manufacturer of building hardware has today grown into a specialist in ventilation, sun protection, cladding and outdoor. Brands such as argenta, ROB, Albo, eSafe, Open Motics and Corradi also belong to this strong group with 1,200 employees worldwide. Spurred on by CEO Paul Renson, this company holds the motto "No speed limit on innovation" in high esteem and is also continuously investing in people and facilities. Today, for example, a new site is being built in the De Prijkels industrial zone in Kruisem, just past the Deinze exit on the E17 Ghent-Kortrijk freeway. By the end of 2021, this so-called 'XXL garden pavilion' designed by Binst Architects with offices, training facilities, a test center and a 10,000 m² Outdoor Experience Center should become the new home of the Outdoor division. The production facility on the site was designed by architect Wim Embo.

"Production, where patio covers, carports, cladding, garden walls, garden lighting and other garden elements as well as eSafe's parcel mailboxes are manufactured, is already running at full speed. Here we are strongly committed to digitization and automation. For example, the profiles are stored in an automated high bay warehouse and an intelligent machine park and a computer-controlled production line ensure an optimal production flow, allowing us to perform all customized work quickly and accurately," says maintenance manager Sven De Witte. "We installed a high-quality paint line, which also allows us to perform the surface treatment of the profiles completely in-house. At the same time, we were looking for a solution to compactly and efficiently store the paint powders for that powder coating installation. Since we already use automated warehouses for the storage of paint powders and small materials in our various Waregem facilities, we opted for this technology again. After a thorough comparison of the systems on the market, we chose the Hänel Lean-Lift®, which is distributed and assembled in Belgium by DDD Technics."

A platform lift system from Hänel Büro- & Lagersysteme makes maximum use of the available height of the room, and parts are stored in an optimized way without loss of space in height. "This
Lean-Lift® exists in models from 840 to 4,460 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 250 to 1,000 kg per platform and a maximum payload per system of 60,000 kg," explained Chris Cherretté, technical commercial representative at DDD Technics. "At Renson, two platform elevators 6,900 mm high were built, both equipped with platforms with a width of 2,060 mm and a depth of 825 mm, capable of holding up to fourteen cartons of powders divided into two rows. The systems had to fit perfectly into the available space, taking into account the posts, concrete beams and tubes. This was really millimeter work."

The two Lean-Lift® systems have been in use for a few months now, and at Renson they are very satisfied with both systems and service. "These automated warehouses are an important link for the efficiency of our paint shop. Today we work in two shifts and downtime must be avoided at all times," concludes Renson's maintenance manager. "We already knew the quality of the Hänel systems. Moreover, we knew we could count on DDD Technics' technical support and excellent service. This installation can be further expanded in the future with additional platform elevators. For the storage of our R&D department's working materials at this site, we also recently purchased a second-hand Hänel Lean-Lift® system."