Compact storage of materials in 3 automated platform elevators

Between the thousands of cars at ICO's site in the port of Zeebrugge stands the Central Warehouse. In it lie the most diverse materials for use by its own employees. Work clothing, personal protective equipment (PPE), tools, parts for their own cars and forklifts, components for electrical maintenance and plumbing, ballpoint pens ... everything is carefully stored there. DDD Technics supplied and installed three automated platform elevators of the Hänel Lean-Lift type.^®. The warehouse towers stand out for their compact footprint and fast operation, as well as for their user-friendliness and ergonomics.

World's largest car terminal

ICO (International Car Operators), a wholly owned subsidiary of transport company Nippon Yusen Kasiha (NYK), is a leading global player in the handling and storage of roll-on-roll-off cargo. Through terminals in Antwerp and Zeebrugge, more than 2 million cars are handled annually. "We load and unload new cars leaving for or entering from destinations in all continents through a network of deep-sea shipping lines. Our Forwarding department also offers complete logistics door-to-door packages from factory to delivery to dealer or customer," explains logistic supply chain manager Kimberly Moens. "However, we do much more. These include shipping agency and handling customs obligations. In our five state-of-the-art Vehicle Processing Centers (VPC), we make new cars completely ready for delivery or shipping. Inspection, car washing, dewaxing, preparing leased vehicles, maintaining long-stored cars ... We do it all. Also, for example, installing accessories such as air conditioners radio/CD, GPS, tinted windows, sunroofs ... And our specialized in-house repair teams are then ready to repair any damage to cars."

Comprehensive Central Warehouse 

With 1,250 employees and 375 hectares of available space in Zeebrugge and Antwerp, ICO is a strong hub in the automotive industry. This obviously requires good internal organization. Every employee must have easy access to work clothes and PPE, as well as simple items such as letter envelopes and ballpoint pens. Besides, all repairs to our own cars and forklifts, as well as all electrical and sanitary work on the sites are also carried out by our own people. So parts and tools need to be kept in stock for these as well.

"All these materials for internal use are stored in one Central Warehouse at the Zeebrugge site. Here, orders are picked up at the counter or we deliver them internally to our seven sub-warehouses - four in Zeebrugge and three in Antwerp," Kimberly continues. "Our stock includes a lot of different products. These all need to be stored in an efficient and orderly manner so that we don't lose time searching or suddenly find that there is no stock left. Moreover, we want to make maximum use of the available space. In the past, there were 600 meters of shelves in the warehouse. We wanted to significantly reduce that volume by storing goods in a more compact way. In our search for suitable solutions, we discovered Hänel platform lift systems at DDD Technics."

Three automated platform lift systems

"We installed in September 2020 two Hänel Lean-Lift^®-systems with a width of 2,460 millimeters, a depth of 825 millimeters and a height of 7,000 and 12,000 millimeters, respectively. They include 56 shelves, each with a load capacity of 250 kilograms. All items are nicely sorted. Authorized operators can enter the desired products via the intuitive touch screens. Within seconds, these are then automatically transported to the work opening, where they can be removed in a safe and ergonomic manner," says Chris Cherretté, technical sales representative at DDD Technics. "In April last year, an additional platform lift system was put into service: again 12,000 millimeters high and equipped with 40 platforms with a maximum load capacity of 500 kilograms. This newer and significantly faster operating model includes the components for signage and heavier pieces for forklifts, for example."

At ICO, they are already extremely satisfied with their investment. "All pieces have their fixed place, so we can pick our orders quickly and efficiently. We save time and space because everything is stacked in this compact tower. Working with an elevator system is also safer than stacking in racks and shelving at great heights," Kimberly concludes. "The cooperation with DDD Technics has also been very smooth; from the pre-purchase advice on production follow-up and assembly, to commissioning and training - to the support we receive today. We are now looking together at how we can manage the "cabinets" from our warehouse management system, which would enable us to work even more efficiently. By the way, we still have room to install additional elevator systems in the future if necessary."