With over 1,600 installations around the globe, the KNAPP group ranks among the world’s leading suppliers of logistics automation systems and software. KNAPP designs, installs, maintains and upgrades solutions that feature state-of-the art conveying, storage and order picking technologies. Headquartered in Graz, Austria, KNAPP has eight manufacturing locations, 25 subsidiaries and 13 representative offices across all continents. Employing some 2,700 staff worldwide, the group achieved a record turnover of 466 million Euros in the fiscal year 2014-15.

Craig-RollasonWLN – As a leading supplier in the Warehouse Automation category, what has the last year been like for your business?

The market for automated systems has remained buoyant and the KNAPP Group achieved record turnover again in the fiscal year 2014-15, with sales up by 20 per cent.

The impact of e-commerce continues to be significant for many of our clients.

WLN – What are your best-known products and services?

The OSR Shuttle™ system forms the core of our ‘low-complexity warehouse’ concept and this technology is found at the heart of many KNAPP solutions. To date, we have delivered over 15,000 shuttles in over 200 systems worldwide. The system serves our Pickit- Easy workstations, where computer screens and pick-to-light technology direct fulfilment staff to select items from two source totes and distribute them into up to four target totes. The other solution for which we are increasingly well known is the Pick-it-Easy Pocket sortation system. Capable of sorting pockets containing picked goods into the precise sequence required by packing stations, this solution is ideal for e-commerce applications.

WLN -What makes you the first choice supplier in your field?

It’s the combination of our leading-edge technologies, the depth of our understanding of specific industry sectors and the strength of our Customer Support network. Clients are now very aware of lifetime costs, making the operational resilience, energy efficiency and ease of maintenance of our systems key factors in securing orders.

WLN – What changes have you made to your core offering in the last year?

Ever since KNAPP pioneered the shuttle storage concept back in 2002, we have been developing the OSR Shuttle™ solution to increase its scope and enhance its benefits.

With an independent shuttle on every level of the store, served by lifts at the end of the aisle, the OSR Shuttle™ achieves up to six times the rate of totes in/out of a traditional ASRS, while having about 20% less footprint and only some 5% of the energy consumption. The latest generation of OSR Shuttle™ allows totes sized 800 x 600mm to be handled and can also handle cartons directly. The speed is even higher – at 4m per second unloaded and 3m per second loaded – and the system can now be configured as single, double or triple deep.

The Pick-it-Easy workstations that the OSR Shuttle™ serves have been enhanced too. In the latest design, the target totes have been rotated by 90º in order to reduce the overall width of the station and thereby further reduce the need for movement or stretching.

WLN – What new products and services have you introduced?

We have launched the KNAPP-Store this year, a solution designed for the pharmaceutical sector that takes care of the automatic storage and picking of a wide range of slow-moving articles, as well as handling returns. The KNAPP-Store features two storage robots that operate on rails, much like mini cranes. Goods are not stored in bins but multi-deep directly on glass shelves that can be configured to suit the product range and achieve maximum storage density. On entry to the system, products are positioned on a conveyor before being scanned from six sides – capturing key data such as expiry date and lot number – and then automatically stored. Items with various dimensions are then picked using a system of two grippers that can move independently of each other, with picked items being placed in picking boxes that can be accessed from outside the store. The solution, which can perform up to 600 picks per hour, is suitable for pharmaceutical wholesalers as well as hospitals and larger pharmacies. KNAPP-Store systems have been sold to two German pharmaceutical e-tailers, Apologistics and Apotal.de.

Interview-Pick-station

WLN – What industries are your customers in?

Our key business sectors include retail and ecommerce within general merchandise, food, fashion, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.

WLN – How do your products and services help customers become more efficient, greener or work more safely?

Energy efficiency is a key feature of all KNAPP solutions. We strive to minimise the number of movements within the warehouse and handle all items in the most efficient way.

Ergonomics is another key theme. Our Pick-it- Easy workstations, for example, offer elevating platforms to ensure the optimum working height for every employee. We have taken great strides recently in improving ergonomics and efficiency in food retail distribution. Our Pick-it-Easy Move solution, supplied to SPAR, automates the picking of goods directly from the pallet to the roll container, thereby eliminating the decanting process. The picker stands on a workstation that supports the pick-from pallet and moves fully automatically between the target locations – 16 roll containers, eight on each side, which are positioned on lifts. With both the source pallet and the target load carrier adjusted to an ideal height, the employee enjoys a high degree of ergonomics – lifting of heavier items is avoided through the pushing of goods, which reduces the physical strain on the operator.

WLN – Can you tell us about some of your customers and the work you do for them?

Major clients in the UK include John Lewis, Boots, Staples, Clarks, British Gas, Well (formerly The Co-operative Pharmacy) and Alliance Healthcare, all seven of which have resident service teams provided by KNAPP.

This figure will rise to eight when the solution we are installing for a major high street retailer goes live next year. A major project this year has been the installation of automated systems – including garment-handling technology, a high-bay pallet store and an OSR Shuttle™ store – in the second warehouse at John Lewis’ Magna Park site in Milton Keynes.

WLN – Is there a recent or current project that stands out as a showcase for your company?

The automated handling solution we supplied for Staples’ new warehouse in Corby, which recently went live, is particularly impressive. It features an OSR Shuttle™ system for slower-moving products, a pick-to-light solution for fast movers and a pick-to-belt area for bulky goods.

WLN – What were your company’s biggest achievements in the last 12 months?

It has been a busy year so there have been a number of highlights both in the UK and internationally but what really stands out for me is reaching the ten-year milestone for our resident team at the distribution centre of Clarks, the global shoe supplier. The 14- strong team has been present on site since our logistics solution for Clarks in Street, Somerset, went live in June 2005.

Interview-Pick-it-Easy-Move

WLN – Are you currently investing in the business, taking on staff or going into new markets or countries?

Our global headquarters in Austria is constantly employing new staff – especially software engineers – to meet the demands of prospective and live projects. The head count for KNAPP UK has also risen again this year, with 180 employees now working at our offices near Aylesbury or at customer sites.

WLN – What are you doing to bring on new talent and raise skills levels in your company?

We were delighted that our apprentices, Amy Coltman and Sam Haynes, successfully completed their four-year apprenticeship training earlier this year, which we marked with a presentation ceremony at our offices.

The pair undertook their studies at Leicester College and their hands-on training with KNAPP’s resident engineering team at British Gas in Leicester. During their training, Amy and Sam had several opportunities to visit KNAPP’s Apprenticeship Academy at our global headquarters in Graz, Austria. Their success and that of their predecessors – our two apprentices at Clarks – led us to recruit further apprentices, who joined us in August.

WLN – What are the major issues facing the Warehouse Automation category as we go forward and how is your company addressing them?

As Internet connectivity continues to increase globally, achieving efficiency in omnichannel logistics will become ever more important. This is where our Pick-it-Easy Pocket sortation solution will score highly. Another area that will attract increasing attention is the use of technology in maintenance. For example, condition-monitoring devices linked to SCADA systems can alert technicians when a part needs replacing to minimise downtime.

Another example is the latest generation of KNAPP’s Webeye system; wearing a headsetmounted camera, a technician can share information about the system via the Internet with a specialist located remotely. Our Webeye technology is currently being used at the sites of 15 customers globally.

WLN – Will you be exhibiting at any major trade shows in the coming year?

KNAPP will be exhibiting at IntraLogisteX (16-17 March at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena), Internet Retailing Expo (27-28 April at the NEC, Birmingham) and IMHX (13-16 September, also at the NEC).

WLN – What other big news from KNAPP can our readers look forward to reading in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2016?

We are working on some very exciting projects that combine two of KNAPP’S key technologies – shuttle storage and pocket sortation – to secure huge savings. Such a system will be installed soon for an outdoor products supplier in the USA. At the 35,000m2 warehouse, the OSR Shuttle™ system will handle store replenishment and the pocket sorter system will serve the direct-to-customer business. The payback is expected to be less than three years. We are also continuing to develop our robotic picking technology to allow a greater variety of goods to be successfully picked using various gripper heads. KNAPP is about to install the second of its Pick-it-Easy Robot solutions for an electrical supplier in Germany.

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sales.uk@knapp.com

www.knapp.com

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