BULK
Automated loading and unloading of trucks Flexible loading system saves time at PepsiCo
There are no manned forklift trucks driving about loading truck trailers with boxes of chips at PepsiCo’s Broek op Langedijk site in the Netherlands. Instead, the recently installed Joloda loading system saves 30 minutes/ load as it pushes 42 pallets of chips into an extra-long truck in one fully automated operation. The Flat Floor Trailerskate Dock flexible loading system, the result of close collaboration between the loading specialist Joloda, the food group PepsiCo, the logistics provider Kühne + Nagel and the truck manufacturer Heiwo, features sensor intelligence from SICK as standard.
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peed is the key competitive advantage in the world of fast-moving consumer goods, accelerated by e-commerce. That is why companies are always searching for new ways of automating operational processes to meet the requirements of ‘just-in-time’ philosophy. A prime example is PepsiCo’s fully automated loading system at Broek op Langedijk in the Netherlands.
Reduced loading time The PepsiCo loading bay is buzzing with activity. “Normal trailers and extra-long trucks are constantly being loaded and unloaded here. They are used for the shuttle to the Kühne + Nagel warehouse in Utrecht,” said Wouter Satijn, sales 46
director at Joloda Group. The extra-long trucks (also known as Eurocombis) have a 21.5 m load bed - big enough for 42 pallets. “The driver just has to connect his Eurocombi to the loading bay control system and the loading system does the rest,” explained Satijn.
Distance measurement allows for flexibility In the warehouse everything is geared towards just-in-time processing: the automated palletiser system ensures the individual boxes are placed in perfect alignment on the pallets. Each pallet is then taken to the Joloda automatic dock. Wouter Satijn explained, “The pallets are arranged in three groups: 16 pallets, then 10, then 16 again on the Trailerskate conveyor.