The Salmoiraghi group recently engineered and supplied to the premier Russian lubricants producer a system for c

Automated Material Handling and Warehousing of automotive lubricants destined to one of their production

plants in Kazakhstan.

This highly innovative system automatically handles and stores the various products coming from the production

lines.

The products can be classified by type/shape/dimensions of the relevant containers:

- Cans

- Drums

- Bottles

- Other container types

For each of these types, the plant packing lines produce palletized Load Units of various formats according to the

types and quantity of lubricant containers, and customer orders to be shipped.

The automated system uses steering ASRS (Automatic Storage and Retrieval) Stacker Cranes, has a storage capacity

of 7000 LUs (Load Units), and performs approximately 100 movements/hour between the input points (from

Production) and output points (towards shipping locations).

The system is specifically designed to retrieve Load Units from the storage racks and deliver them to two separate

shipping areas, one for rail cars and one for trucks.

Since these shipping areas are fairly distant from each other, Salmoiraghi has incorporated an overhead monorail-

based transport system utilizing electrically powered transport vehicles (Shuttles), serving the various input and

output points, thereby meeting all requirements regarding the interface with the work bays and the work flows.

The turnkey delivery is complete with the computerized and networked process and machine control systems

(connected to Customer’s ERP system), allowing full system management and precise product tracking.

The illustrations show the

various areas which have been

automated utilizing the most

modern automated handling

equipment: steerable Stacker

Cranes (5), overhead monorail

transport system with

electrically powered transport

vehicles (6 Shuttles), and

robotic palletization systems –

all designed and manufactured

by Salmoiraghi.

More in detail, the system

consists of the following main

areas:

• Material input from

production lines

• Front end handling

area

• Warehouse area

• Picking and order

preparation area

• Warehouse

The comprehensive computerization

system performs all handling, picking,

and storage tasks, and consists of

several automation levels shown in the

“automation pyramid”: machine

control level, diagnostic and tracking

system, and WMS (Warehouse

Management System) connected to

customer’s ERP system, thereby

achieving complete “Industry 4.0"

Smart Factory concept

The hardware architecture is

configured as follows:

• Machine control PLCs

(Level 1);

• Diagnostic and Tracking PC

(Level 1)

• Warehouse Management System

(Level 2)

The Input area receives from the

filling lines the various lubrication

products in their packing containers

and palletizes them on “primary”

Load Units.

Successively, these pallets proceed

to the Order Preparation area

where they are customized and

completed according to the specific

shipping order. After passing

through a Shape Checking station,

the system assigns storage positions

in the Warehouse where the pallets

shall be kept until requested for

shipping.

Features and Benefits

Optimization of storage volume

Fast and precise Supply Chain operations

Inline Quality Control operations

Complete tracking of products and performed operations

Meets the requirements of various storage rules (FIFO, A,B,C, etc.)

Possibility to divide the physical warehouse in distinct logical subsystems (by lot, by packing type, by market areas, etc.)

Locking/Unlocking functions of stored Load Units

Direct inline physical-logical inventory