September 2018. At present H+H is working on a number of modernisation projects on outdated plants. Worn plant components are exchanged, outdated designs are replaced by more modern versions , and in some cases new designs too are installed. This work is intended above all to reduce breakdown rates and increase availability.
Logistical installations get old, worn, or have to be extended or changed for the most varied reasons. In such cases more or less extensive reconstruction is necessary. Besides new equipment, all this work –on conveyor units by both H+H and other manufacturers – is part of the activities of H+H Herrmann + Hieber. Three current modernisation projects make clear the type and extent of this interesting area of work.
For the company Zentis with its headquarters in Aachen, the largest fruit processor in Europe, H+H planned and installed the entire pre-processing logistics automation system (goods reception, warehousing, unpacking and portioning, pallet management). This created a fully automatic goods transport system for all the movements between delivery and production – including the return of empty containers and packing materials. After an operating period of 15 years, it has now become necessary to carry out comprehensive modernisation in which a series of older components will be replaced by new and in some cases improved systems. Besides the pallet conveying technology adapted for today’s requirements (all of it made from stainless steel), a new and more efficient pallet changer will be installed. The scope of the contract includes the necessary adaptations and incorporation into the control system. During the assembly time a control-technological interim system will be set up, with which the flow of goods can be maintained. Completion is scheduled for January 2019.
For esco –European salt company GmbH & Co. KG, with its headquarters in Hannover, in the first half of the 1990s H+H supplied equipment for the automation of the in-house transport. esco, with around 20 branches all over Europe, is part of the K+S Group, one of the largest producers of salts in the world. The particular problem of this pallet transport system arises on the one hand due to the relatively large weights to be transported – the containers weigh more than 1000 kg – and, furthermore, due to the aggressive saline environment. The transport equipment is severely affected by corrosion. To prevent breakdowns and idle times during warehouse input and recovery operations into and from the high-bay store, the chain conveyors in the recovery stretches, the rollers and lifting roller tracks in the input stretches and the railway units in the dispatching areas are being upgraded. Among other things, worn components of many conveyor elements are to be replaced – sometimes using re-engineered or completely re-designed parts. The work will be carried out in full during the one-week operational shutdown in the first half of September 2018.
In the warehouse of the trading company Miles GmbH in Norderstedt, which as a Global Sourcing company is one of the market-leading wholesalers in Germany, after decades of reliable operation of the logistical system it has become necessary to renew various part of the equipment. In 1994 H+H supplied and installed the pallet conveyor technology of the logistics centre for the central warehouse. The aim of the modernisation investment in this case too is to minimise breakdowns and idle times. For this, a series of outdated plant components have to be dismantled and at the same time replaced by new versions that correspond to the present-day state of the art. Since the work has to be carried out urgently within just one weekend, particularly careful planning and preparation is essential.
The three projects mentioned show that the retrofitting of logistical plants and equipment is characterised by an exceptional variety of tasks. Thus, this field of activity is ideally suited to the flexible, medium-sized logistics company with its many years of experience in the sector.