Logistics & Materials Handling February 2013

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Industry News Mercury Awards Launch Factory Materials Handling Supply Chain Safety Equipment

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Post Print Approved PP352583/00436

We measure it.

Testo data loggers Temperature logging for transport and cold chain

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This issue February 2013

Supply Chain Australia’s rail future on track

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contents 04 Bulletin Board Port hits export milestone Train accident causes freight backlog

We measure it.

06 Trends &

Developments

Post Print Approved PP352583/00436

The growing importance of traceability Testo data loggers Temperature logging for transport and cold chain

The new generation of testo data loggers are suitable for the monitoring of temperature, humidity and pressure in various areas of application. Among these is the uninterrupted monitoring of the cold chain, for example, temperaturesensitive pharmaceuticals when they are being shipped. It is also suitable for controlling the temperature of chilled and frozen food during transportation.

With the soon to be released single-use logger, the testo 184, testo now offers a complete range of data loggers from cost effective single-use options through to professional long term monitoring.

12 Exporting Fighting the fakes 14 Forklifts, Stackers,

Trolleys & Attachments

Lifting and shifting

Updated handler boosts Rural Fire Service gains lift: New forklifts are aiding the RFS to fight fires

On-shoring modules 24 Warehousing

Equipment

Warehouse safety

16 Supply Chain Australia’s rail future on track How well are you managing your supply chain?

On the move: The story of the humble pallet

27 Safety Cutting drivers’ risky habits

22 Bulk Handling Remote heavy lifting Industrial equipment

30 Automation & Robotics Keeping maintenance mobile, and automated

28 Factory Materials

Handling

Slim line, nestable, and stackable pallets

mercuryawards Launch Nominate today and be recognised amongst the best in the industry

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For more information call (03) 8761 6108 or email info@testo.com.au or www.testoaus.com.au ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Martin Sinclair e martin.sinclair@reedbusiness.com.au EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Vicky Validakis t 02 9422 2964 e vicky.validakis@reedbusiness.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Justine Dunn t 02 9422 8696 e justine.dunn@reedbusiness.com.au KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER: Tim Richards t 02 9422 2818 e tim.richards@reedbusiness.com.au QLD ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sharon Amos t 07 3261 8857 m 0417 072 625 f 07 3261 8347 e sharon.amos@reedbusiness.com.au PO Box 3136, Bracken Ridge, Qld 4017 PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR: Mary Copland t 02 9422 2738 e mary.copland@reedbusiness.com.au All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

ISSN 1832-5513 Copyright Reed Business Information. Published by Reed Business Information. (ABN 80 132 719 861) Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia t 02 9422 2999 f 02 9422 2966. Printed five times a year, Logistics & Materials Handling is inserted in the February, April, July, September and November 2013 issues of Manufacturers’ Monthly, FEN, Australian Mining, Electronics News, Food, and PACE magazines with a distribution of 34,000.

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bulletinboard logistics and materials handling news from aUstralia and aroUnd the world

Train derailment causes backlog

New ferries on the horizon

a train derailment in regional nsw caused a backlog of stranded freight which had to be moved by extra heavy vehicles. the train derailed from a bridge just south of Boggabri in new england, on its way to newcastle, in an incident which saw five wagons carrying coal for miner whitehaven coal plunge off the bridge. the daily liberal reported

Talks to build freight vessels to undertake Bass Strait Five wagons jumped the tracks. Image: Keith Millerd.

crossings are underway.

that dubbo, warren, gilgandra and coonamble were all been

of freight movements already,”

tasmanian ship builder robert

company was working on similar

gausden said.

clifford says he’s considering

vessels for customers in asia,

approaching the tasmanian

and he was in no rush to talk to

government with a plan to build a

the tasmanian government about

much as possible, but with the

bigger and faster ferry to transport

the proposal.

cess to ports on the normal train

damage to the track estimated to

passengers and freight across the

slots,” gausden said.

take at least six weeks to repair;

Bass strait.

“we are concentrating on

suggested as possible routes for

moving them as short a distance

heavy vehicles called in to handle

as possible on the road and then

the backlog.

putting them back on the trains

component [of the operation] as

because that way we will have ac-

humphries coordinated with nsw transport’s freight and regional

Barwon state mP Kevin

“we want to minimise the road

“we have not talked to tt-line yet but are in discussions with

the tt-line, the government-

asian customers about building

tony gausden to handle the

of B-double (truck), then we

what effects that could have

owned company that operates the

freight and passenger vessels to

clearing of the backlog.

will be using B-double vehicles

on towns located on the routes

Bass strait ferries, is reportedly

undertake crossings very similar to

because we wouldn’t contem-

identified so far.”

looking at replacing or refurbishing

Bass strait,” he said.

development’s (frd) co-ordinator

humphries said the roads and

“if a route is only to a standard

maritime service (rms) would

plate using road trains in non-road

advise the public on any extra

designated areas.”

it’s impossible to say at this point

gausden said heavy vehicles were expected to begin transport-

its aging fleet. the current ships were built

“these are medium-speed vessels which are economical and

ing by the next week. But could

in 1998 in finland, and the

can carry more than the current

town and the possible disruptions

a better option than warren,

not say how long it would take to

tasmanian government previously

spirit of tasmania ferries can.”

it may cause.

gilgandra or coonamble because

clear the backlog.

promised to replace the vessels

freight movements through the

gausden said direct road

the frd said dubbo was

infrastructure meant the town

however the miner, white-

by 2014.

clifford said he would be “in the market” to talk to tt-line early

transport to the ports of sydney,

could handle a higher volume of

haven, was soon forced to back-

the government has since

newcastle and Brisbane were

heavy vehicles.

track on freighting coal via truck

conceded the replacement plan

enterprise said it was open to

after it deemed the operation too

will take at least three years longer.

examining all options in the plan to

ruled out in favour of short

“the problem being with

distance travel to rail centres such

warren is that the cotton industry

dangerous just two days into the

as dubbo.

accounts for a large number

trucking trial.

NCIG celebrate 50 million tonne milestone

clifford explained that his

next year, and the government

upgrade its fleet.

Investment into Adelaide wireless firm

as well as the completion of

the newcastle coal infra-

the terminal is ramping up to its

strUctUre groUP (ncig) has

full operating capacity of 53 million

stage 2aa during the year, the

an aUstralian-made system

it’s unclear how much money

celebrated a milestone 50 million

tonnes per year.

newcastle coal infrastructure

that helps improve car safety with

has invested in the project, but in

group has marked other mile-

wireless data transfer has received

a statement cohda said the three

stones during 2012.

funding from multinational technol-

firms would work together to bring

ogy companies cisco and nXP.

a complete solution to the market.

tonnes exported via 656 vessels

“the final stage of the terminal

since the terminal began opera-

construction is now well over half

tions in 2010.

complete and we

the 50 millionth tonne came

are on target to finalise con-

“the completion of the five-year dredging program now allows

adelaide-based cohda wire-

cohda said technology devel-

from whitehaven coal, bound

struction and begin commission-

vessels to berth at all three new-

less has developed a product that

oped by the collective had already

for south Korea, and was loaded

ing next year” he said.

castle coal infrastructure group

exchanges data between moving

been tested in germany, france,

on completion of commission-

wharves, which will allow increas-

vehicles and infrastructure to help

and singapore, and had also been

Kooragang island Berth. ncig

ing the ncig loader will be able to

ing export volumes when the third

flag hazards and provide sight

trialled by the Us department of

general manager Paul Beale said

export 66 million tonnes a year.

berth becomes operational.”

around solid objects.

transport in august last year.

onto the vessel tian li hai at the

4 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

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trends&developments

The growing importance of traceability in your supply chain Ensuring all aspects of the supply chain, from the beginning till the end, is becoming more curcial than ever, Linda Holmes* writes.

T

raceability is now taking centre stage as a vital component of an organisation’s supply chain

process.

In September last year, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) provided updated information for Australian food businesses regarding their requirements for food product traceability and product recall obligations in the supply chain process.

It is important that all food and beverage suppliers understand their obligations in these two critical areas.

According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand, traceability in the Australian food sector should enable businesses to identify the source of all inputs such as raw materials, additives, other ingredients and packaging on the basis of one step forward and one step back at any point in the supply chain.

Traceability enables food businesses to target the product(s) involved in a food safety problem, thereby minimising disruption to trade and reducing potential public health risks.

At the time Food Standards Australia New Zealand stated that an effective product traceability system will not only help isolate and prevent contaminated products reaching consumers in the event of a product recall, it will also help Australian food businesses protect their brands.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand also requires food businesses to be able to provide information about the food it has on its premises and where it came from.

This important information must 6 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

Unexpected recalls put a burden on existing supply chains.

Traceability and sourcing is becoming more important to consumers.

be produced on request from an authorised officer of FSANZ. As traceability professionals, GS1 Australia welcomed the Food Standards Australia New Zealand announcement and its recognition about the importance of traceability, particularly in the event of a product recall.

Marcel Sieira, GS1 Australia’s general manager, business development, said an organisation’s requirement to track and trace a raw material, ingredient or packaging material through all stages of its production, processing and distribution to the end consumer as a fully packaged item is an often undervalued and unrecognised ability within an organisation.

“The increasing demands for food product safety for consumers, major supermarkets and regulatory authorities can only help Australian food businesses focus on the need for an improved ability to track and trace products up and down their supply chains,” he said.

Traceability is an important part of an organisation’s product recall management plan, said Steve Hather, managing director of the RQA Product Risk Institute.

“Where we see companies struggle with recalls is often in those first critical stages of investigating incidents and making the decision to recall,” he said.

“Not having effective traceability processes and people trained in using them can often lead to delays in actioning a product recall. This is one of the leading causes of incidents escalating into a crisis. ”Roughly one-third of the total cost of a recall is in business interruption. logisticsmagazine.com.au

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trends&developments

“Companies should have effective business continuity programs in place to minimise disruption and get back into business as soon as possible after a recall or other disruptive events.

“Being out of the market for an extended period of time can lead to loss of shelf space for a period of time, or worse – loss of key customers.

“The ability for a company to successfully track and trace their products through their supply chain and retrieve them from the marketplace is a key component in the decision by the relevant regulatory authorities to finally close out an organisation’s product recall.”

This is why GS1 Australia includes traceability as a key component of the “Effective ProdAbility to react to product recalls is a new need for logistic companies. uct Recall Management Workshops” held jointly with RQA Product Risk Institute. tion, escalation, the product recall provide training on GS1 Recallnet, AAsDwell _ L as M Hexamining A E C F Erisk B _ 1 3 . p d fmanagement P a g e plan 1 and 7 / business 0 1 / 1 3 , 2 which : 0 3 eases P Mtraceability and the management, incident identificacommunications, the workshops process of delivering information

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8 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

to trading partners and regulatory authorities. GS1 Recallnet is GS1 Australia’s secure web-based portal for the management of recall and withdrawal notifications.

Based on global GS1 standards and best practices, GS1 Recallnet simplifies and automates the exchange of information between suppliers, distributors and retailers as well as government agencies such as FSANZ and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

By increasing the speed and accuracy of recall and withdrawal notifications, GS1 Recallnet significantly decreases business and consumer risk, reduces costs, protects brands and ultimately, helps improve safety in Australia. *Linda Holmes is a business communications specalist at GS1 Australia, a non-profit organisation providing global supply chain system of standards.

7/01/13 12:19 PM

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mercuryawards

Reach the pinnacle in 2013 Don’t miss out on the chance to be recognised for your contribution to the numerous industries that rely on innovation in Australia’s logistics and materials handling sector today as the Mercury Awards launch.

T

HE 2013 Logistics & Materials Handling Mercury Awards is now open for business, with companies encouraged to enter themselves or their peers into any of nine niche categories for their chance to be recognised for their business success over the past 12 months.

Last year the awards saw its largest gathering yet as the industry came together to recgonise, reward, and celebrate This year’s Mercury Awards, now in its eighth year, is expected to be even bigger than 2012’s record entry levels.

Official 2013 categories Industry awards programs like the Mercury Awards are a great way to raise morale in the workplace, reward a co-worker for their hard work, or congratulate yourself and your company for a job well done. The Mercury Awards are also a key platform for logistics and materials handling professionals to network with each other, and showcase the latest innovations implemented by their business over the past 12 months.Nominations are now open for the following categories: Logistics Leader: The winner in this category will be an industry leader in the area of logistics A D _ Land M Hsupply I N T Fchain E B _management.

1 3 . pdf Pa g strategy

Top Third Party Logistics Provider (3PL): Many businesses have identified logistics as a strategic point of benefit for their company. This award recognises innovative approaches taken

by Australian 3PLs, LLPs or 4PLs to develop relationships and technologies that afford clients significant competitive advantage.

Young Professional of the Year: This category provides an opportunity for a young logistics industry recruit to demonstrate excellence in the provision of services, development of strategy or supply chain management, including consulting services.

Technology Application: Winners in this category will have creatively applied a technology to leverage competitive advantage for their own business or that of a client.

Best Green Initiative: The transport and materials sectors represent two of Australia’s fastest-growing sources of emissions. Winners in this category will demonstrate a highly-innovative approach to ‘greening’ the supply chain, including waste reduction, through a specific project within the organisation. Consideration will also be given approaches taken to measuring environmental and/or carbon footprint.

Warehousing and/or Storage Solution:This category rewards technology/solution supplie ers, 1 and 1 0warehouse / 1 2 / 1 operations 2 , 6 : 1for 4 developing PM

or installing a smart warehousing system that helps hike productivity, supply and safety.

Materials Handling Solution: Materials handling is the backbone of any supply chain strategy and is often the area where potential cost savings are rife. Materials handling comes in the form of many systems, including: bulk handling solutions; data capture & labeling; factory materials handling systems; forklifts, stackers & trolleys; hazardous goods handling systems; packaging & packaging equipment; and warehousing equipment. This category helps to reward those often unsung heroes who supply or implement a smart materials handling solution that helps boost safety, efficiency and sustainability.

Supply Chain Innovation: Supercharging your supply chain can save millions of dollars in the long-run. What initiatives has your company taken to improve its supply chain, and reap customer benefits as a result? This category will reward companies that have implemented new technologies, solutions or theories to their company’s supply chain, which has resulted in a measurable and positive outcome for their business.

Best of the Best: The winner in this category will be selected from among all finalists as the highest overall achiever of the group.

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CASI is a unique systems manufacturer, in that hardware, software, and controls are all built in house. Each system is built from a long list of standard products and configured to the application. The No Surprises Approach to Warehouse/Distribution Systems Integration & Order Fulfilment Automation CASI utilizes a pre-engineered approach to systems integration that is unique in industry.

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exporting

Fighting the fakes Ensuring that the right product reaches its is essential for logistics and supply chain companies.

C

ounterfeit products are becoming an increasing problem for manufacturers who make high-end or specialised equipment and can cost companies millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Exporters along the logistics chain also suffer as they have to check the goods for quality assurance.

Ensuring products that are exported overseas maintain their integrity by making it harder for them to be counterfeited is becoming a focus for many manufacturers and in turn becoming increasingly important along the supply chain.

Codan, an Adelaide-based electronics company that develops, manufactures and markets Minelab handheld metal detectors with sales in over 60 countries worldwide, recently discovered that counterfeit Minelab GPX Series gold detectors, originating from China, had made their way into the African market.

Realising the huge impact the fake products could have on their business, Codan turned to Fujifilm’s unique ForgeGuard anticounterfeiting labels so that from the start through to the end of the supply chain, originals could be distinguished from the counterfeits, and logistics companies can ensure the integrity of their supply chain.

Codan’s Peter Charlesworth explained that a solution was required which would enable customers to realise they were dealing with a lesser product.

“Many of the Chinese counterfeit products look cosmetically identical to genuine Minelab products, to the extent that dealers and customer cannot visually tell the difference,” he said.

12 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

“We restricted the distribution of ForgeGuard viewers to only our authorised Minelab dealers and added an additional level of verification by cross matching the hidden

“We are impressed with the stability of the hidden image all through our supply channels”

A secure supply chain ensures product quality.

“However, these copies do not perform anywhere near as well as genuine Minelab metal detectors.”

“While Codan has registered trademarks in place for Minelab and GPX, this alone does not stop counterfeit products entering the market. Therefore other practical solutions were also required to reassure dealers and customers that they were buying genuine Minelab products, with high performance and the ongoing service and warranty back up that Minelab provides. That’s where Fujifilm and ForgeGuard came in.”

ForgeGuard true colour hidden image labels provided a solution which could be applied quickly and effectively to their products.

The labels work by making it harder for a counterfeiter who is trying to copy and export the true colour hidden image, which identify the products as genuine Minelab.

Charlesworth said that the technology enabled the company to customise the final labels so that we could add our own unique identifiers,” giving Codan an added protective advantage for exporting.

“We also found that applying a ForgeGuard label on the outside of some packaging gave us additional reassurance that genuine products were being moved through our distribution channels without time consuming and disruptive opening of boxes and manual inspection,” he explained.

image against the product’s serial number. This verification process operates through a password protected webpage that only authorised Minelab dealers can access.”

Minelab metal detectors are used outdoors in harsh environments and Charlesworth states that even when subjected to dirt, dust and water, the ForgeGuard labels are strong enough to reach the final point of sale anywhere in the world.

“We are impressed with the stability of the hidden image all through our supply channels, even to some very remote regions and it would appear that the labels far exceed our needs,” he said.

Charlesworth said the technology gives his company greater protection against counterfeiters, and ensures the quality of Codan products are no longer being compromised.

“We’ve worked really hard to achieve our technical superiority and the ForgeGuard labels give our customers and their supplierse the reassurance that they’ve bought a genuine Minelab product. “ “This gives us a significant competitive advantage against the counterfeiters.” logisticsmagazine.com.au

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LMH.FEB13.PG014.pdf

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forklifts,stackers,trolleys

Lifting and shifting Takura Bark and Compost (Takura) has

The new John Deere engine brings with it

recently purchased its third Manitou

a boost in performance putting out around

telescopic handler: one of the first MLT 840

137 horsepower or 100 kilowatts, and 180

machines in the country.

litres per minute hydraulic flow for the MLT

When Carl and Paul Power and Roy

840-137 PS.

Saunders bought the Hervey Bay (QLD)

Carl Power has noticed an improvement

business nine years ago, a Manitou

in the power and hydraulic performance of

telescopic handler came with it. When

the MLT 840, but he regards this machine

they came to replace this, they evaluated

as noticeably better in virtually all areas

a number of brands before deciding on a

compared to its predecessor.

Manitou MLT 735, and when that machine

In basic specification it has slightly more

recently came due replacement, the MLT

reach and capacity than the machine it

840 came up trumps.

replaces.

Carl Power, who operates the machine,

From an operator’s point of view, the cab

regarded Manitou as a benchmark for tel-

is larger and the higher operator position

escopic handlers and has noticed significant

provides Carl with improved all-round vision.

advances in the new machine.

The MLT 840 is a significant machine for

The ergonomics of the Manitou joystick has always been well regarded, but in the

Manitou, being the first of a new generation

MLT 840 the joystick is mounted on the

of machines targeting the agricultural sector

armrest, providing greater operator control

and the first to use a John Deere engine.

when moving over rough ground.

The move to John Deere coincided with

The Takura machine works with pallet

D _ L Mmove HPR FE _ 1 3 . p dforks, f a g e metre 1 bulk 1 4 bucket / 0 1 and / 1a 3 , the A company’s to IEuro 3BBengines, aP4.0 cubic Manitou says.

The updated engine puts out around 100 kilowatts.

2 : 0 9

PM

2.5 cubic metre standard bucket.

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A larger cab provides greater operator all round vision.

The business produces potting mix, gar-

protecting the protec

den mulch and engineered soft fall material for placement under playground equipment.

This is distributed between Brisbane and

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Telehandlers average around 30 hours per week in the Takura business, and

Cairns, and Takura has its own 40 cubic

Power aims to change them over at around

metre semi trailer.

the 4000 hour mark.

One of the main tasks of the Manitou is

10626

14 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

The business also has a wheel loader for bulk work.

The machines do not operate on the

loading bark into a hammermill for sizing to

road, so only three of the five gears are

suit the various products.

used regularly.

However it is also used for loading

Power stated he prefers to use the

trucks and general loading and unloading

transmission in manual rather than auto-

with pallet forks.

matic mode, for greater responsiveness.

logisticsmagazine.com.au

LMH.FEB13.PG015.pdf

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forklifts,stackers,trolleys

Rural Fire Service gains lift The New South Wales Rural Fire Service

Toyota Material Handling Australia

(NSW RFS) has chosen a Toyota forklift

(TMHA) has also supplied a BT SWE120S

to service their new regional facility on the

Walkie Stacker for general use at the NSW

North Coast.

RFS Coffs Harbour Airport facility.

The recently acquired 2.5 tonne payload

TMHA’s North Coast manager Andrew

Toyota 8FD25 forklift will get to work in NSW

Booth said Toyota 8-Series forklifts help get

RFS’s new $3.7 million North Rivers Zone

the job done, regardless of the brief.

Fire Control Complex at Casino Airport.

“The Toyota 8-Series forklifts offer lead-

The new forklift will provide the centre

ing design and safety features, such as

with logistical and aviation support and en-

Automatic Fork Levelling Control to level

able the loading of fire-fighting foam bottles.

forks during loading and Active Control Rear

It will also be used for pallet racking and

Stabiliser, which locks the rear axle to help

storage operations.

reduce the potential of lateral tip-overs,”

Michael Brett, NSW RFS Northern Rivers zone manager said the forklift’s ability to

he said.

It came only a month ahead of the off

operate on both grass as well as hard-stand

the charts heatwave which battered NSW

areas was a key reason the Toyota 8FD25

and put the RFS on high alert, requiring

was chosen.

exacting standards.

“The safety features of the Toyota forklift

TMHA has grown significantly in the last

It features automatic fork levelling control and active control rear stabiliser. branch has moved to larger premises.

was recognised as the leading global mate-

TMHA states that both moves will

rial handling equipment supplier for 2010-11

and the ready availability of service were

year with new premises opening in both

increase the company’s customer support

by German material handling magazine

also important to us,” he said.

Albury-Wodonga and Gladstone.

capability, and confirm the company’s com-

DHF Intralogistik.

“Toyota has a branch and service vans

The new Albury branch was established

mitment to these regions.

The magazine named TICO sector leader

A D in _ Lismore, L M H Bjust A 33km C S EorPhalf _ 1 . p d fto provide P a gTMHA e with 1 a3direct 0 / presence 0 7 / 1 in2 , based an2hour

1 Earlier 1 : 1this 3 year A Toyota M Industries Corpo-

in its world ranking list 2010-11 based on

away by road.”

ration (TICO), the parent company of TMHA

sale of materials of approximately $5 billion.

logisticsmagazine.com.au

the region, while the company’s existing

February 2013 Logistics&MaterialsHandling | 15

LMH.FEB13.PG016.pdf

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supplychain

Australia’s rail future on track Freight to keep rolling as its role increases, Vicky Validakis reports.

O

ne thousand rail professionals from Australia and around the world gathered in Canberra in December to debate ‘Rails Role in Society’ for AusRail, the largest rail conference and exhibition in the southern hemisphere.

Hosted by the Australasian Railway Association(ARA), the two-day event included seventy technical and industry leading speakers who covered topics including high speed rail, the future of rail manufacturing in Australia, and rail engineering and rolling stock.

ARA CEO Bryan Nye said rail in its various forms plays a huge role in society.

“Here in Australia and around the world, all areas of rail, whether it be freight, passenger, light or high speed, is firmly on political and public agendas.

“Trains are no longer simply seen as a mode of transport to move goods and people but increasingly our industry is looked upon as one that can help solve the many challenges we face here in Australia and throughout the world.”

Talking to LMH, Nye said the freight haulage capacity of the network was huge.

“This year we have moved 950 million tonnes on the freight network,” he said, adding that the number is “tipped to increase in excess of a billion tonnes moved by rail” next year.

The increased use of freight rail has seen major projects develop throughout Australia, with the mining industry in particular is leading the charge, with multimillion dollar projects expanding the coal haulage capacity of major companies.

National Rail, now know as Aurizon, has announced plans for 10 16 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

“Rail is an exciting industry to be in,” ARA CEO Brian Nye said.

new coal-train sidings as part of a $130 million train fuelling and maintenance facility at Hexam.

Aurizon said the project will lift the Hunter’s coal capacity to 180 million tonnes.

The proposal comes as federally owned Australian Rail Track Corporation plans to build five of its own sidings at Hexham, taking the total number of sidings to be built beside the main northern railway to 15.

The company expects to employ 30 people to service 12 trains a day by 2014-15, but says the number of trains will double by 2020 to 24 a day.

While also in the Hunter, Asciano’s new $110 million Greta Train Support Facility opened in December last year.

Designed to support Pacific National’s NSW coal haulage operations and increase the efficiency of services in the Hunter Valley region, the new facility is set to provide significant capacity benefits to the broader Hunter Valley Coal Chain. A range of functions

will be performed onsite, including the refuelling of trains, routine train inspections, and wagon maintenance work.

In August last year, Asciano also opened its new $180 million train maintenance facility in Nebo, Queensland.

“Nebo is the first facility of its design in Australia and includes some of the most innovative design and maintenance techniques seen within the rail industry today, with capacity to support up to 25 coal trains, with eight bays for locomotives and two main tracks for wagon maintenance,” Geoff Featherstone, Pacific National’s general manager operations QLD, said at the time.

However according to the ARA, despite increasing growth in the sector due in part to the mining boom, the transport industry is facing its own set of unique challenges.

In particular, Nye said government policies around the carbon tax and the ability to upgrade networks was essential in ensuring Australia’s

national freight network remained internationally competitive.

The ARA say the carbon tax in particular will continue to have a perverse effect on rail transport.

It estimates that the tax will cost the industry in excess of $100 million in energy costs alone, and have taken issue with the exemption of heavy vehicles.

“Rail supports action on climate change. However, under this scheme, rail which is considerably less emission intensive will have to grapple with significant increases in its costs, while the more polluting road vehicles are exempt,” Nye said.

The ARA is calling for an end to the exemptions for road transport, or alternatively, want the same exemptions for rail.

The organisation estimates that if the $110 million carbon tax payed was allowed to be reinvested in the rail industry, by 2030 this would mean taking 42 500 trucks off the road.

“Where road and rail compete, we should be treated exactly the same,” Nye told Logistics and Materials Handling.

Nye said that the organisation would be pushing for an amendment to the tax, allowing for the equal treatment in payments made by trains and trucks and states it would allow the industry to become more cost-competitive.

“It means that freight by rail would be cheaper and that is what we are after, getting more freight onto the railway,” Nye explained.

But with increased haulage operations, Nye also highlighted that increased freight capacity was needed to ensure the demand was able to be met.

“Currently from Melbourne to Sydney only 5 per cent of freight goes by rail,” he said. logisticsmagazine.com.au

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supplychain

“I think everybody would like to see a lot more freight go by rail.

“Part of the challenge is that everybody wants increased productivity and increased efficiency, I think the challenge is getting more freight on to rail between the capitals.

“The big challenge is to get trains through the congested city networks is a challenge.”

Pointing to the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL), a dedicated 36km freight line between Birrong and Macarthur which allows passenger and freight services to operate independently, Nye said he hoped more projects like it would be invested in the government.

Separating passenger and freight rail lines will mean a reduction in freight transit times and increase freight capacity to encourage more of a shift from trucks to rail.

“Ultimately I want to see the A D _ network L M H H totally A K F Esegregated B_ 1 3 . p d freight from the passenger network.

There is a push to increase freight via rail rather than trucks.

“If we don’t have that goal we are going to have areal challenge on our hands.”

Also underway in NSW is the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor (NSFC) is a joint venture between state and federal governments to improve the capacity and reliability fof freight P a g trains e 1 between 1 1 / 1Strath2 / 1 2 , field and Newcastle.

According to Transport NSW the program will include “grade separation, track amplification, and passing loops to provide sufficient additional network capacity to meet long-term freight and passenger business requirements.”

Nye said that the construction 4 :rail 2 specifically 8 PM of for freight was the key to ensuring the network

increased its reliability, which has been an issue for freight companies in terms of transporting cargo where it needs to be on definite timelines.

Upgrades to the rail network requires major capital investment by governments, and will help improve the issue, however it is also up to companies to prove they are a more efficient transport method.

“The thing we know we have to improve there is ensure we improve reliability,” Nye explained.

“One of the challenges is that as you repair and upgrade track, the train has to slowdown, so as you are doing the repairs it effects the efficiency, but we are coming to the end of that so the challenge now is to ensure our reliability.”

However, despite the challenges facing the sector, Nye said the improvements and gains made the industry in recent years were positive.

“Rail is an exciting industry be involved in.”

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LMH.FEB13.PG018.pdf

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supplychain

How well are you managing your supply chain?

Stuart Harman, partner at Supply Chain Design and Optimisation specialists, Oliver Wight, says benchmarking is the answer to chain control.

I

n this day and age, a best-in-class supply chain is imperative.

Performance measures are commonplace in the working environment.

Typically organisations use a whole suite of internal performance measures to determine their progress, but to drive competitive advantage businesses need an external perspective. “If you want to be the best, naturally you need to know what the best looks like,” Harman said.

“It is all too easy to operate comfortably on the basis you are improving year on year, but it’s no use settling for 10 per cent growth, if your competitors are expanding at 25 per cent, or are operating with a lower cost base and will eventually overhaul you. “To use a simple sporting analogy, if you intend to be the fastest man in the world, you know you have to beat Usain Bolt’s 100m time of 9.58 seconds. It’s an unambiguous goal.”

Benchmarking is becoming an increasingly popular management tool. In the Bain and Company, Management Tools and Trends report (2011), which surveyed nearly 1,500 executives worldwide on the most important business tools, benchmarking came out top; higher even than strategic planning. There are three major factors which support this claim: 1. You get it right first time, every time The best organisations don’t make as many mistakes, so there is less re-work, fewer returns, less expediting etc. All of which means lower cost.

2. Focus turns to fine details Costs become readily apparent when you have a passion for service excellence. You can’t look at one without unavoidably looking at the other.

3. Price/service relationship is optimised When your service is consistently superior and customers know and rely on it, market share increases and an organisation can afford to charge more.

18 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

Benchmark and set realistic targets.

So it’s simple; benchmarking allows you to understand your supply chain and how it compares to others, so you can plan where you want to be, and more importantly how to get there. Then why isn’t everyone doing it? Harman says a major stumbling block for many businesses is data. “Gaining access to information about how other companies are performing is critical, but not all that easy. Finding companies that operate in a similar supply chain environment to compare against is particularly problematic.”

Overcoming this issue is essential in understanding what best-in-class looks like and being able to use that knowledge to drive improvement. But, Harman argues, the mistake many organisations make is to restrict their benchmarking focus to their direct competitors.

“Whilst this approach will provide an indication of where an organisation sits competitively in its industry or competitive grouping, it will not necessarily show a company what is possible.”

Harman pointed an Australian beverage company, whose primary manufacturing base is offshore, explaining: “Benchmarking its supply chain operations against other beverage companies operating in Australia will enable the company to determine its competitive position, but in order to understand the opportunities for improving its supply chain within its current design and footprint the business needs to benchmark itself against other Australian organisations with manufacturing operations based offshore. Best-in-class performance for

supply chains operating in this manner may not necessarily be found in the beverage industry but could be an organisation in another industry sector, such as electronics.”

So when benchmarking, it is important analysis is tailored both to your particular industry sector and to your supply chain type, which is what the Oliver Wight benchmarking tool does. Used globally by organisations of all sizes and industry sectors, including those with matrix structures and multiple supply chains, it comprises over 200 criteria, which allow clients a deep-dive evaluation of supply chain performance, using their own data to both quantify their current position and to compare it to best-in-class. Using the principle of delivering ‘The perfect order’, a detailed report then reveals (in financial terms) precisely where and how big the improvement opportunities are, and what can be done to take advantage of those opportunities. “The gains can easily run into millions of dollars,” claims Harman. This hard data is key not only for those in need of serious improvement, he argues, but businesses already performing well too. “If your organisation is running well, it allows you to demonstrate to customers (and prospects) that your performance is superior to your peers.”

Benchmarking tools also recommend how and where businesses can make gains in the short, medium and long term, identifying the priorities, training needs and the opportunity for quick wins. “A common mistake, made by many organisations, is viewing benchmarking as an academic exercise rather than a process. Often when people say ‘we tried benchmarking, but it didn’t work for us’ it transpires they had the view benchmarking was just a report. But the report is virtually useless unless you are intending to use it as part of a genuine improvement exercise.”

Benchmarking performance and effectively using the resulting data to make significant improvements, is critical if businesses want to defend and improve their position. “To make a difference to your supply chain performance, set off with the end in mind, properly benchmark and use the data to set realistic targets.” logisticsmagazine.com.au

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LMH.FEB13.PG020.pdf

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supplychain

On the move Australia’s supply chain network was built on the humble wooden pallet, Brent Balinski looks at what is moving materials handling.

Imagine there’s no pallets...

“When we induct new employees into CHEP, one of the first things we try to get them to do to just understand how seriously we take our business, is to actually try and imagine a business without CHEP and how anything would move,” said Phillip Austin, CHEP’s Australian & New Zealand President.

“How Woolworths would run its warehouses? How Linfox would run its trucks? How would an importer would actually be able to take goods from China and get them to the point of consumption?”

Once you start to think about pallets, you realise they’re everywhere. But if you make anything in large quantities, you already know this.

According to its website, CHEP manages 237 million pallets, 600,000 bulk containers and 34.9 million reusable plastic containers.

The rise of the pallet, according to a US Department of Agriculture paper was driven by two things: World War Two and the invention of the gas-powered forklift.

CHEP itself – now with a global network in 53 countries and over 75 sites in Australia alone – goes back to the Second World War. When the US military left Australia after its Pacific campaign, it left behind a number of cranes, forklifts and around 60,000 pallets. These resources were handed over to the Australian government, who retained them as the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool. It was privatised and sold to Bramble’s, who still own it, in 1958. “As we came through the 60s and into the 70s, 20 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

The growth of the Australian supply chain, in the 60s and early 70s, was built upon the pallet.

not only that expansion internationally, but our business was originally a single-point hire,” explained Austin on the subject of CHEP’s growth.

“So if you needed a pallet you would hire it from CHEP. And that was the simplicity of the model. When you were finished you would give them back. The growth that really happened in the 60s and early 70s as the supply chain started to emerge, the pallets started to move with the goods.”

Designed around the pallet CHEP’s history and success mean a number of things. First of all, what the company does is so tied to logistics and materials handling in this country that warehouses

and the vehicles that move goods to and from them are created with the dimensions of CHEP’s iconic blue pallet in mind.“When you come to some of the uniqueness of our business – again, we get excited about this, but – every trailer in Australia is designed to be two CHEP pallets wide,” Austin enthused.

“Every warehouse rack in Australia is built to be exactly one CHEP pallet wide. And so, the infrastructure in which the entirety of Australia’s supply chain has been built is actually built around the CHEP pallet.”

The size of the pallets isn’t the international standard, though.

The 1165 by 1165 mm tray is sized differently to the other five ISOsanctioned pallet dimensions used

throughout the world.

“The CHEP Australia pallet came first,” pointed out Austin. “For whatever comfort that’s worth.”

CHEP also, of course, caters to the other and other pallet dimensions for Australian exporters and importers.

The company stresses, though, that it is more than a company that just makes pallets.

“We’re not a pallet business, we’re a pooling services provider,” said Austin.

“CHEP Australia is actually a portfolio of businesses. It has a range of products and serves a range of sectors, from manufacturing, chemical industrial, FMCG, automotive and the fresh produce sector.” logisticsmagazine.com.au

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supplychain

The range of containers and pallets CHEP provides includes wooden, plastic, display, import, export, aviation and automotive crates. Its history is bound up in pallets, but it is looking to expand its pooled bulk container and plastic containers and crates.

repair table, we’re just looking on what we call Smart Repair now, we’re a screen says ‘do this, do this, do this.’”

The Dandenong South centre alone handles and conditions around 4.7 million pallets each year, according to Johnstone.

Measuring retail conditions The humble blue pallet, however, has been around long enough and is so ubiquitous that CHEP has been able to create an index of retail economic activity based on the movements of these.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council CHEP Retail Index has been published every quarter since May last year. The leading index is based on tracked pallet movements from over 20,000 CHEP accounts, showing “significant correlation with the [Australian Bureau of Statistics] retail trade figure three months ahead” according to the AFGC. Over 10 million data points are scrutinised by Deloitte Analytics, whose algorithm comes up with an expression of how things will look in the retail world three months in the future.

“And we’re able to get out, before the ABS, a very, very accurate overview of what the retail trade figures will be. It has predictive capacity a quarter ahead,” said Austin.

“If the packaging sector picks up, they’ll only be doing so because the manufacturing sector’s placed orders. The manufacturing sector will have placed orders because it’s taking a view or it’s got ultimate orders for retail sales.

“We’re getting very early signals of upswings or downturns in activity just through the physical movement of our assets.”

A vast network As another example of the company’s scale, as well as its coordination, CHEP’s Supply Chain Australia director David Hansen gives the example of the Brisbane floods of 2011.

“We actually lost approximately 75 per cent of our capacity in the state of Queensland alone, and nationally we lost more than 15 per cent of our total capacity, with two service centres out of action,” remembered Hansen.

“Through having great people and a lot of focus and drive, we actually came out of this without a single known customer service failure in Brisbane… While the places were getting cleaned up, while we were re-installing machinery, making good premises etc, the broader network kicked in.”

CHEP’s Australian and New Zealand head PhillipAustin also lauded the greater network’s efforts.

“Part of that was actually getting back to production of bottled water and back to production of foodstuffs to feed north Queensland, which had just had a cyclone as well as Brisbane itself,” he said.

To return to the first point, if the CHEP doesn’t move, neither do a lot of other things. “If a major beverage company can’t get pallets today its production line stops tomorrow,” offered Austin.

“And if its production line stops tomorrow, then a major retailer doesn’t have one of its biggestselling items two days later.

“That’s how I try to explain to it my daughter who’s in third grade.

When we go to the supermarket and everything’s there, that’s because CHEP works.”

Being sustainable The pooling company is also proud of its sustainability efforts. Pooling, by its definition, does away with one-way container use by customer.

“And we’re committed to sustainability even within a busilogisticsmagazine.com.au

An index of retail economic activity has been built from pallet tracking.

There is a greater focus on pallet sustainability and pooling.

ness model that’s fundamentally sustainable, all of that plastic at the end is captured, re-ground, put back into new products,” said Austin of the plastic crate side of the business.

The Dandenong South service centre (its Victorian headquarters) that Logistics and Materials Handling visited is one of many sites where pallets – manufactured from hardwood that is only just above a pulping standard – as well as containers and reusable plastic crates are washed, repaired and made fit to for use again.

The repair process itself, inherently a sustainable activity, is also impressive in terms of its automation levels.

“It’s an automated digital inspection where we have a booth there,

and in there we’re using state of the art technology in terms of lasers and cameras,” said Darren Johnstone, the manager of the service centre, of the pallet repair ops.

“It scans the pallet – it’ll tell us what’s wrong with it. It will then define what needs to be repaired on that pallet. We’ve gone away from two people looking at a pallet, flipping it manually, looking at it saying ‘I need to this, I need to do that.’

“After the automated digital inspection, that then says ‘right, what’s wrong with this pallet?’

And we call it a recipe, it’s a repair recipe. And that recipe tracks with that pallet, so as the pallet moves through the plant, that recipe jumps around with it from sensor to sensor, and when it gets to the

February 2013 Logistics&MaterialsHandling | 21

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bulkhandling

On-shoring modules An Australian-based consortium between

changing tidal conditions. This means major

AG&P and ALE Ventures have developed

project offloads are not hampered by tidal

a unique offshore innovation to help the

conditions or where local port facilities are

on-shoring process of major modules and

limited by scale or the capability to handle

other complex infrastructure projects.

large projects, and because the deck is

AG&P were recently awarded the $152

a temporary structure, it does not disrupt

million modularisation contract to support

current infrastructure. The first Hydro Deck

the Ichthys LNG project in the Northern

has been ordered to facilitate a project in

Territory.

Darwin, Northern Territory and is to be on-

The contract to modularise 28 local

site at the end of 2013. “There is so much

electrical rooms (LER) and local instrumen-

activity in Northern Australia today, and the

tation rooms (LIR) will provide the electrical

ports are booked for the next several years,”

backbone for the Ichthys Project.

Sigelman explained. “Complicating matters

The LER/LIR fabrication and assembly

The hydrodeck is designed to solve on-shoring bulk handling issues.

is to be one hundred per cent constructed

further, the tidal ranges off Darwin are some of the most extreme in Australia, reach-

and integrated in Batangas, Philippines,

Joseph Sigelman, chairman of AG&P,

with production expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013, the product will then

windows by overcoming tidal restrictions

ing up to 8.1 meters twice daily, limiting

said the new innovation will provide consid-

and also allows for the early release of

the number of days per month that direct

erable time and costs savings for clients.

vessels, removing supply-chain bottle-

offloading operations would be feasible.

necks, minimising expensive sea-charter/

We know that the Hydro Deck will solve

floating facility equipped with a proprietary

demurrage costs and allowing construction

major logistical challenges where projects

The Hydro Deck is a transition pontoon

internal ballasting system to unload mod-

to continue on-schedule.” Using a water

are being readied in increasingly difficult or

that will work alongside a modular offload-

ules from heavy-lift ships to shore safely,”

ballast and air tank system to provide buoy-

constrained locations.”

be shipped back to NT in three years where it will be offloaded and assembled onsite.

“Our unique solution is to provide a

D _ Lenabling M H B loads U L FtoEbeBmoved _ 1 3from . p d fhe explained.

P a g e“Adopting 1 6this / 1 2 / 1 2 , ingAfacility, approach the ship regardless of tidal conditions.

both increases the availability of delivery

3 ancy, : 3 5the system P M enables control in specific areas of the pontoon and can conform to

AG&P www.agp.ph

Space Saving & Stackable

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tel 03 9761 4433

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www.bha.com.au

22 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

logisticsmagazine.com.au

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bulkhandling

Remote heavy lifting A heavy lifting system used in the mining

The three 10.9 megawatt diesel gas

transportation dimensions, while the unit’s

and energy sector to safely lift, manoeuvre

generators and their alternators were first

quick ‘plug and play’ setup typically requires

and place massive modular equipment,

transported over land from the Port of

only half a day,” explained Congdon.

demonstrated its worth recently when used

Darwin by Tutt Bryant’s Heavy Lift & Shift

to supply one of the most remote towns

using multiple prime movers with a sixteen

task involved Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift & Shift

in Australia.

axle, three file hydraulic platform trailer for

placing the loads onto their respective

each of the generators, and a 4x8 low

foundations. To undertake this exercise, the

system was deployed by Tutt Bryant Heavy

loader and 2x8 dolly for the alternators. The

SBL1100 modular hydraulic jacking system

Lift & Shift, demonstrating its practicality

combination of trailers, low loaders and dol-

and safety in positioning electrical power-

lies provided safe load capacity to efficiently

generating equipment.

transport each 420-plus tonne load over

The versatile Enerpac gantry lifting

Once on site, the next phase of the

was deployed along with self-propelled trailMoving massive machinery.

ers that were able to jack up and down.

the vast distance using three prime movers

installation, even in projects constrained by

& Shift was able to implement innovative so-

SBL1100 modular hydraulic jacking system

in a two-in-front, one-in back formation.

permanent overhead structures.

lutions, such as building a ramp up on to the

to install diesel and gas generators and

The carefully planned operation, involving

alternator sets, each weighing hundreds of

6.6 metre-high loads designed to minimise

due to the tight confined space and the

capability mode on the modular hydraulic

tonnes, at the new Owen Springs Power

impact on public roads and infrastructure,

requirement to have the machinery ex-

jacking system. These solutions enabled the

Station near Alice Springs.

was completed on schedule. The use of

actly aligned,” said Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift &

alternators to be manoeuvred into their re-

The power station is about 1500 km

the specialised transportation method and

Shift’s western region operations manager

spective bays sideways - and placed within

inland from the nearest port or major city.

alternative lifting equipment meant each of

for specialised Transport, Justin Congdon.

a 2-3mm tolerance,” said Congdon.

the generators and alternators could be un-

“The SBL1100 was a key technology

Tutt Bryant’s Heavy Lift & Shift used the

The Alice Springs region will eventually

“During execution, Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift

“The installation was a delicate process

alternator foundations and enabling side shift

“Once set up, the SBL1100 has a lifting

depend upon the new $126 million power

loaded and relocated in a single operation,

involved in this exercise, first allowing us

height of nearly 13 meters and a lifting

station as its sole electricity provider as it

increasing the efficiency of the task. The

to efficiently transport the unit over long

capacity of up to 1,100 tonnes. The self-

displaces the Ron Goodwin Power Station

SBL1100 modular hydraulic jacking system

A D to _ the L Mproject H E Rsite I thanks F E Bto_ its1 pat2 . p dcontained f P ahydraulic g e system 1 6 has / 0a1fail-safe / 1 2 , distance

over the decade to 2021.

provided a controlled method for lifting and

ented foldable design that allows excellent

design with three-stage hydraulic cylinders.”

Industrial heavy lifting Leading global crane and hoist manufac-

contract and installing the units would be

turer Konecranes won the tender to supply

very good also.

CXT Wire Rope Hoists to Hong Kong-

“Now is the most urgent and critical

based CITIC Pacific’s Sino Iron project in

time for our project, when the support we

Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

receive from Konecranes is of greatest im-

The latest order for another twelve of the

portance including after-sales support and

CXTs brings the number of compact and

the technical suggestions on site. We also

ergonomic hoists selected for the project

expect that Konecranes’ quality and sup-

to eighty eight. Once the Sino project is

port will contribute to our strong safety and

completed it will be the largest magnetite

reliability practices throughout our project,”

iron ore mining and processing project in

The CXT Wire Rope Hoists will be relied

Australia, with an estimated project value in

upon for the installation and on-site mainte-

excess of $5 billion and an expected export

nance of many different kinds of equipment,

rate of around 22 million tonnes annum.

including pumps, cyclones and filters.

Daisy Wong, procurement engineer, of

Konecranes said an innovative me-

NETC Western Australia (a subsidiary of

chanical configuration plus state-of-the-art

China Metallurgical Group Corporation, the

speed control and motor technology

EPC contractor of Sino Iron Project), had

have made the CXT hoist one of the most

the job of choosing much of the equipment

trusted in the industry.

on the construction site.

“Konecranes is a world-famous manufacturer of cranes and hoists, so we felt comfortable knowing that the quality of

CXT hoists offer great performance, easy load handling, safety, improved ergonomics and favorable dimensions.

The innovative design concept of the

our new equipment would be very high,”

hoists makes these high performance

Wong said.

hoists smaller in size and lighter in weight.

“This also meant we knew the quality of support we would receive after signing the

logisticsmagazine.com.au

Reduced hook approaches create more usable workspace.

February 2013 Logistics&MaterialsHandling | 23

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warehousing

Conveying warehouse safety Cutting the risk of unintentional injuries when shifting heavy equipment.

T

o move extremely heavy loads with radio remote control in areas with personnel traffic always has a risk associated with it.

There are numerous ways to reduce the risk through safety systems and additional peripheral equipment.

One of the ways safety is achieved is through a safety application in a safety-oriented freely programmable controller. The companies KUKA and STW have jointly developed a new type of monitoring for a Floor Conveyer without a driver cabin.

The KUKA OmniMove is an extremely agile type of drive for a Floor Conveyer.

With electrical drives, the KUKA OmniMove provides unlimited maneuverability in all directions as well as rotation in place. Through its omni-directional drive wheels the vehicle may be freely navigated and steered in all directions by remote control, even in the narrowest spaces, with a positional accuracy of up to +1mm.

Compared to conventionally steered wheels the logistics area required can be reduced by 50 per cent and the production area correspondingly increased.

Its wheel has a special rim with vaulted rollers mounted on the periphery. Positioned at a 45째 angle when the wheel is driven, two power components result that are parallel and perpendicular to the drive axis. Through diverse turning directions of the wheels some of the power components compensate for the different wheels on the vehicle chassis and other control the movement of the trailer.

In addition to straight, sideways, and diagonal travel, it is also possible to move in any curve or 24 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

During the day the factory and warehouse floor is often a hive of activity, surrounded by moving heavy equipment.

rotation around a freely defined middle point.

The KUKA omniMove vehicles for internal logistics lift loads up to 100 metric tons effortlessly.

There are ten different vehicle models with numerous customer specific options to meet any requirements.

Anywhere from four to 20 drive wheels as well as numerous additional load wheels can be configured in order to facilitate the transport of very large, unwieldy construction components.

Description of the 3XL Controller KUKA needed to find a control system that would support many types of vehicles as well as customer-specific requirements. For years Sensor-Technik Wiedemann has offered fast and easily adaptable solutions with its

ESX family of controllers. These controllers have proven themselves in many applications, particularly in agriculture and construction machinery. STW has continued this successful series with the ESX-3XL 32-bit controller. The ESX-3XL was conceived to provide an even higher level of flexibility: with 6 internal sockets for expansion boards, 84 of the 162 possible connector pins can be configured with distinct functions beginning with simple I/O but extending to encoders, special I/O date storage, and communication interfaces.

The mainboard of the ESX-3XL also offers highly software-configurable functions.

The 28 inputs are all 12 bit multi-functional (MFI), i.e. their function can be completely defined by the application programmer in software. Single callable functions

allow the user to specify the input as analog current or voltage input (measurement range 5V, 10V, or 40V), or as digital/RPM (frequency).

Furthermore, the 3XL software library allows an application specific function to be called when the input signal changes (callback function). The RPM signal covers frequencies from 0.6HZ to 20KHZ. Additionally, filtering may be applied to the MFI signal through software, with configurable debounce times and low pass filters. All outputs can produce PWM signals, are protected against short circuit and are controllable via 12 bit current measurement and static feedback.

The core of the ESX-3XL is a 150 MHz Tricore processer with 4MB RAM, 6 MB (optional 34MB) flash memory and 32KB EEPROM parameter memory. logisticsmagazine.com.au

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warehousing

The mainboard has 4 CAN interfaces and a serial (RS-232) port.

Additional communication interfaces (including Ethernet and USB) may be added in the expansion boards (figure 3).

Functional Safety Recent experience with numerous customer applications has shown that the requirements for functional safety have grown. With increasing integration of controller and memory components, safety requirements may be achieved in an economically viable manner.

Where does the need for safetyoriented electronic controls originate?

These controllers reduce the risk of accidents with serious consequences or hefty damage fees in applications for safety-relevant tasks. This assumes, of course, that the criteria for functional safety are fulfilled. Safety is defined here as a situation where the risk is smaller than the risk limit.

An acceptable risk level is defined for the application. This risk is actually determined by a combination of the probability of occurrence and the severity of the damage. Functional safety is a part of the overall safety of a safetymonitored system that depends on the function of the safety-oriented electronic system, systems with other safety-relevant technologies, as well as external risk factors.

The requirements of functional safety must be defined before certification. Which safety standards should be applied? The standards are defined mostly by the application. The application described here involves the KUKA Omnimove Floor Conveyer, which can transport loads up to 100 metric tons.

Therefore this vehicle must meet special safety requirements with respect to braking distance and maximum allowable vehicle speed.

The risk analysis of this application came out of the performance level “PLC” from the guidelines for machine safety DIN EN ISO 13849-1 logisticsmagazine.com.au

Moving equipment is a serious hazard in many warehouses.

The controller increases remote controlled conveyor safety.

that are applicable for the Floor Conveyer. STW produced the safety requirements and a safety plan for the omniMove vehicle. The institute for Work Safety IFA in Sankt Augustin approved the requirements.

In the current project these conditions are implemented with a safety-oriented software module

on the ESX-3XL electronic controller from STW. For that module the software safety requirements for safety-related application software according to DIN EN ISO 13849-1 apply. The safety architecture is conceptualized based on Category 2 of the standard. The large unit consists of a freely program-

mable main controller and a test unit – the system supervisor (SSV).

The SSV is also a programmable controller that monitors the main controller by assuming watchdog functionality, monitoring system voltage, testing logical events and thereby allowing the utilization of the controller in safety critical applications. The main controller has diagnostic routines that continuously test the entire system in hardware and software and place the system into a safe condition in the event of a failure. The safe condition in this application is emergency stop.

The KUKA omniMove vehicles can reach speeds up to 6 km/hr depending on their construction type. However, the risk analysis has produced significantly lower allowed maximum speeds. In the described project there are two conditions for maximum speed limits. The first case is for the load condition. For an empty vehicle the maximum allowed speed is 3 km/ hr, which is the normal walking speed of a pedestrian (for example, the operator with the remote control unit). For a loaded vehicle the maximum allowed speed drops to 1 km/hr. The second condition pertains to vehicles that are outfitted with laser scanners that create a protection zone around the vehicle. Laser scanners can bring a vehicle to a stop as soon as they sense an obstacle (e.g. personnel) in the path. There are situations where the laser scanner must be switched off (override conditions), for example driving through a narrow warehouse space. To guarantee the safety under these conditions the allowed maximum speed is reduced to 0.1 km/hr.

The maximum allowed speeds are measured so that when the vehicle emergency brakes it will come to rest within a maximum allowed stopping distance. Due to the large number of variations of these vehicles, the maximum speeds can be further limited through parameterisation.

February 2013 Logistics&MaterialsHandling | 25

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Efficiency - Your Competitve Advantage “The conveyor installed at the AMCAP site in Perth, WA is so smooth and quiet. It moves products quickly from one zone to another and the document inserter which places the document into the tote is fantastic. This is a smart system.”

Neil Sturrock, Logistics Manager

P: 1800 SCHAEFER· E: info@ssi-schaefer.com.au · www.ssi-schaefer.com.au

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safetyequipment

Halting risky business New software is aimed at cutting drivers’ risky habits.

E

fficiency and safety are the lynchpins for any logistics company looking to grow in Australia.

As the demand for more goods rises throughout the country it puts increased pressure on our eixsting supply chains, stretching them and encouraging potentially dangerous behaviours in workers to get the job done.

Trimble has formed a new division within its mobile solutions segment to increase logistics safety.

This new division is reportedly designed to consolidate and focus its efforts on delivering end-to-end field service management solutions for markets such as communications, oil and gas, and industrial equipment, all the while increasing safety.

The division focuses on strengthening its field service management portfolio by developing solutions that assist large field-based workforces to drive efficiency throughout all phases of the field service workflow, from planning to execution and analysis of the work, field worker, and field assets.

New enhancements to the Trimble GeoManager Driver Safety solution allow field service organisations to manage and communicate driver behaviour and safety more effectively, according to the company.

“Monitoring driving safety allows organisations to help mitigate risk by measuring safe driving habits, which can result in fewer crashes and lower insurance rates,” said Mark Forrest, general manager of Trimble Field Service Management.

Trimble GeoManager Driver Safety is a field service solution that enables companies to manage driving behaviours by identifying and rewarding good drivers as well as recognising and coaching drivers who put the company at risk. logisticsmagazine.com.au

The solution monitors driver activity, allowing organisations greater control and reporting over their drivers.

The new enhancements mean businesses are aware of any risky driving behaviour via new report formats, an improved executive dashboard and driver scorecards, as well as real-time delivery of idling and speeding alerts.

Driver Safety provides reports on hard braking, rapid acceleration, hard turns, and excessive speeding.

The reports can be configured for daily, weekly, and monthly use, and alerts can be programmed for realtime feedback.

“With GeoManager Driver Safety, we’re better able to configure the safety needs of a field service fleet.

“The latest enhancements, which include the Driver Safety’s executive dashboard, driver scorecards and exception alerts, can allow companies to improve driving patterns and optimise safety while helping to reduce liability,” Forrest said.

Driver Safety is part of the Trimble GeoManager portfolio of solutions, which includes Fleet Management and Work Management.

“The field services industry is rapidly changing. “The market today requires comprehensive

Driver safety reports ensure that workers are not making a habit of engaging in risky behaviour.

technologies and processes as businesses are looking to improve and increase tailored service delivery,” Forrest said.

“The new Field Service Management Division offers solutions that provide efficiencies and improve performance, as well as help mitigate field service issues such as rework or failed appointments; it will also be able to tailor solutions to meet the needs of each market

sector we address,” he said.

The division provides visibility into field and fleet operations so businesses can streamline efficiency and increase productivity.

The field service management suite includes fleet management, work management and scheduling, worker safety and mobility solutions that transform the effectiveness of work, workers and assets in the field.

February 2013 Logistics&MaterialsHandling | 27

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factorymaterialshandling

Clearing the factory floor An Australian-designed and manufactured pallet-system launched by 1-PAL is set to provide companies with increased supply chain benefits in warehousing, freight, environmental and costs.

The plastic 1-PAL pallet is stackable, nestable and rackable, incorporating the design of the traditional pallets while revolutionising the design to one unique solution.

Featuring slots in its top surface, allowing the solid legs of the nesting pallet to rest inside when it is rotated 90 degrees, the new pallet allows for a 3:1 height ratio when nested, but the pallet can also be stacked in a similar fashion to traditional pallets, making for easy forklift access.

A solid leg design means the pallet is able to safely rack 1,000 kilograms in temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius and as low as 30 degrees Celsius, making the new pallet durable enough to maintain its integrity in harsh conditions. 1-PAL director Ryan Groom said the pallet was designed with the challenges companies

may face during the supply chain process in mind. “We’ve received feedback from industry that the ability of pallets to withstand large-loads in high temperatures is becoming an increasing concern, especially for companies storing large amounts of inventory with varying climates,” he explained. Groom said the pallet was designed for companies looking for pallet options which mitigated these issues.

“The logistics industry is tied to the use of pallets and we’ve seen very little innovation in pallets in the past century.”

“1-PAL is a true total cost solution and we estimate that its warehousing and freight benefits will enable business to save up to 65 per cent in operational costs.”

Made from a newly developed long-grain glass fibre polymer, the pallets feature a great strength to weight ratio while maintaining integrity under different environmental conditions.

Groom said that the new pallet system enables companies to save time and money reducing ‘the

Nestable, stackable recyclable plastic pallets.

amount of warehousing and freight required due to its innovative and space-saving design.”

1-PAL is also fully recyclable and offers customers increased brand awareness and pallet tracking through the use of customised logos, colours and bar coding and RFID chip options.

1-PAL www.1pal.com.au

Slim line pallets Bulk Handling Australia Group (BHA) has released its new slim line plastic export pallet for Bulk Bags onto the Australian and New Zealand Markets.

BHA have been developing the BHA Bag Pallet for over two years and said the innovation provides a low-cost alternative to wooden or traditional plastic pallets.

Injection moulded from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), it features a four way entry design, is stackable to save space, and is fully recyclable. Weighing in at just 4.7 kg, the new patented design ticks all the boxes from an OH&S perspective.

The BHA Bag Pallet has also been laboratory and field tested to determine the design weight load performance for different bulk bag base dimensions and through extensive fill and logistics trials amongst bulk bag exporting companies.

BHA managing director Ian Shaw says the BHA Bag Pallet will provide innovation in the bulk bag export market for the food, agriculture, mining, chemical, and other export industries.

“The slim line design allows for a lower profile, which provides the opportunity to 28 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

design greater efficiency in the total container payload by reviewing the existing bulk bag dimensions,” he said.

“The ‘stack-ability’ of the product offers huge space savings in the storage of pallets compared to standard wooden or plastic pallets, with a 10 stack only measuring 280 mm in height.”

With more than 30 companies already trialling the new pallet over the last 18 months, Shaw said the response from customers had been good.

“Customer feedback has been very positive with regards to the recyclable nature of the material, the fact that it is light weight and stackable, and because it can be reused in a closed loop system,” he said.

“The new pallet is a very unique design and while it may not be suitable in all instances due to the specific fill systems or handling processes of individual customers, in the majority of instances the BHA Bag Pallet has been trialled successfully across a number of industry segments.”

Shaw said the Pallet was an important design development for BHA. “The new pallet complements our existing product range and further strengthens our lead-

Slim line plastic pallets for export.

ership position in the supply of Bulk Bags in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

“The extensive trial work we have completed both in the lab and with our customers over the past 18 months has provided the feedback to justify the significant investment in the injection mould required to manufacture the product.”

With BHA in discussions with a number of companies regarding distribution rights in various countries around the world.“ Bulk Handling Australia 1300 058 522 www.bha.com.au

logisticsmagazine.com.au

AD_LMHMATFEB_13.pdf Page 1 7/01/13, LMH1302MH:Layout 1 13/12/12 12:36 PM Page 1

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Many of these accidents and fatalities can be avoided by warning pedestrians and operators of approaching danger.

LOOK OUT Sensor Alert Warning Systems allow for quick and easy recognition of possible hazardous situations. Why take chances of liabilities when accidents can be avoided and most valuable assets protected.

By creating awareness to a possible danger, the risk of damage, injury and death is reduced.

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LMH.FEB13.PG030.pdf

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automation&robotics

Keeping maintenance mobile Automated maintenance systems are allowing greater control over machinery wear.

T

here is simply no questioning the crucial nature of conveyor operation within materials handling and logistics operations, or the detrimental impact of down time.

The time and effort involved in physically moving objects where no conveyor operations are available is high compared to conveyor operations.

This is especially the case for logistics and supply chain companies where the need to keep the product moving is paramount.

It is a well known and unavoidable fact that continuous operation of such equipment inevitably leads to wear and the requirement to either service or replace equipment.

The question is how can conveyor uptime be increased; optimum value from investment be obtained, and work place health and safety risks removed.

Automation is increasingly becoming the answer.

Automation and robotics are among the most ground breaking applications for conveyor equipment innovations.

From automated maintenance and operation through to robotic cleaning systems, the applications for this materials handling avenue are growing.

In addition this also provides the capacity for predictive maintenance and the highly accurate equipment allows workers to forecast equipment wear trends compiled from a history of its operation.

Systems such as autonomous idler inspection systems allow companies to utilise key and identifiable factors of conveyor operation and failure which can be quantified for autonomous assessment.

Machinery Automation & Robotics (MAR) automation engineer Mark Lix explained that the “bene30 | Logistics&MaterialsHandling February 2013

Keeping the conveyor running keeps logistics and supply chain companies running.

fits to the industry are astronomical; innovations such as the inspection systems allows companies to increase operational gain through predictive maintenance while removing the associated risks”.

The MAR system is a mobile robotic inspection unit capable of inspecting idlers on loaded, operational conveyors.

It provides online ‘live’ idler inspection, guiding itself along the conveyor belt to the next idler frame.

Equipped with a suite of optional attachments such as an underbelt debris removal tool, the idler inspection system is capable of completing multiple tasks alongside the conveyor and throughout the inspection process.

According to the team at Machinery Automation & Robotics, after having conducted vast numbers of trials and analysis the team developed an understanding of factors and signs that can pinpoint impending idler failure.

The capability of monitoring idler life with this accuracy and

The mobile robot automatically checks idler performance and wear.

ease is anticipated to become ‘an industry game changer’.

“Mine sites, factories, and supply chain and logistics networks can finally see what is really happening and have the information to act without wasted time or resources,” Lix said.

“This means the ability to predict failure before they actually happen.”

Data from the analysis of each idler is collected and presented

directly to the operating system for analysis and has the ability to be integrated with an existing scheduled maintenance planning system.

The collected data allows operators to conduct timely identification of idlers that may nerd replacement, either immediately, or as part of the company’s wider future maintenance and repair plans.

“We are still at the tip of the iceberg,” Lix added. logisticsmagazine.com.au

LO2955_Mercury_awar.pdf

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CALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN WHY NOMINATE? • Exposure and publicity • Recognition for your hard-working team members • Valuable networking opportunities with key industry leaders THE CATEGORIES ARE: • • •

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To download an entry kit visit www.logisticsmagazine.com.au/awards For further information please email awards@logisticsmagazine.com.au

AD_LMHJACAPR_12.pdf

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MECA is Australia’s leading supplier of cantilever racking and offers a complete solution across warehouse storage services and products that will ensure an efficient and effective warehouse system for your business.

MECA Racking Solutions provides leading global brands with storage solutions to better their productivity, efficiencies, safety and distribution.

Freecall 1300 661 198 or visit

www.mecaracking.com.au

MECA Racking Solutions provides leading global brands with storage complete solution across warehouse storage services and products that better their productivity, efficiencies, safety and distribution through the use of: Cantilever Racking, Pallet Racking, Long Span Shelving, Mezzanine or High Rise Systems, Pigeon Hole Racking and Vertical Storage Racking.

WRHINO/5376

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