In 2020 and 2021 Amazon accounted for a quarter of all newly leased warehouse space in the UK. Despite the economic downturn we’re experiencing, and reports that the eCommerce giant’s mega expansion on our shores is slowing down, industry commentators are confident that demand for warehouse space will continue.
Urban logistics – which involves small last mile warehousing in cities like London – is particularly relevant, and is seeing a growing demand from 3PLs (third party logistics operators), retailers and parcel carriers. According to a recent interview with urban logistics property developer British Land, the hunt is on for sites around London which offer opportunities to intensify the amount of floorspace.
One way to do that is by using spiral conveyors which use a conveyor belt to transport products or boxes between floors, and can save up to 80% of floorspace.
What are the benefits?
Spiral conveyors are used in warehouses and manufacturing facilities that have multiple floors to raise or lower products.
Often considered a flexible and cost effective solution, they are popular within 3PLs, retail facilities, and factory sites, due to their compact size, flexibility and reduced controls input requirement.
These automated systems eliminate the need for order pickers to carry totes from one warehouse floor to the next. This speeds up throughput and reduces the risk of accidents and injuries.
DB Schenker recently installed a conveyor system with two 6.5m high reversible spiral conveyors, each of which carries 15 pick totes per minute.
Nick Morris, operations excellence manager at DB Schenker, says: “The automated order picking and replenishment system from Conveyor Systems Limited (CSL) has increased productivity by 5% for a team of eight pickers. Overall, a total of 832 working hours have been saved so far as a result.”
Minimal floor space requirements
As industries compete for floorspace, reducing storage footprint with spiral conveyors is a smart option. So how do you make every cubic foot count? For a start, operators must think vertically, and choose materials handling equipment (MHE) that requires minimal floor space.
High throughput
TIMCO – a specialist supplier to the construction trade – boasts high throughput following the installation of an automation solution by the CSL team, which included spirals from AmbaFlex Spiral Conveyor Solutions.
TIMCO’s head of marketing, Charlie Du Pré, says: “The automation solution they provided has made our DC operation way more efficient; we are seeing an increase in those lines stored on the first floor mezzanine with upwards of 3000 lines a day being dispatched. And on the ground floor we’re achieving over 5000 lines a day going out of the building.”
Read the full TIMCO case study here – https://bit.ly/3CjlvVW.
Low energy requirements
In the present climate businesses are being crippled by rising energy costs. Consequently, as part of their power saving strategy, they must choose materials handling equipment which consumes low amounts of energy. Spiral conveyors consume less energy because they operate on a single drive. The drive pulls an industrial side flexing chain located in a recessed channel with the quick change slats affixed into the chain. This provides less moving parts, simpler maintenance and constant, controlled speeds.
Replacing existing automation with modern spiral engineering can be a highly effective way to maximise each pound spent on energy in the warehouse.
CSL spiral conveyors
CSL offers a range of high quality standard and bespoke spiral conveyors including the SpiralVeyor® SV, SVe (for larger products) and ML Series. These can save up to 80% of floor space and most models are fully reversible for feeding to and from various floors. Some models are also available in a dual-lane version.
CSL offers a number of conveying solutions suitable for most warehouse applications, ranging from start-ups to well established operations, and from existing to new facilities.
Its mission is to provide the best solution for materials handling requirements using state-of-the-art 3D design, supply, and integration of proven quality equipment to achieve the best return on investment for its customers. For more information call +44 1283 552255 or email: sales@conveyorsystemsltd.co.uk
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