It is normal for a company to increase its capacity as time goes on. However, in companies that process different consumer products, serious difficulties can arise when the end of the line (EOL) area is not optimized or does not have a specific system for such purpose.
Conflicts arise when all platforms are aligned along the foot line, forklifts do not go by in the expected time, or there is an excessive flow of forklifts, making this area an unsafe place that creates operational issues.
When packaging of the finished product is completed, it should be moved to a storage area and then automatically classified, palletized, and moved into storage or shipped.
Here are 3 reasons to analyze why you need a properly designed system that makes your EOL efficient:
1. It provides an efficient and safe operation
It is recommended to have gathering lines of conveyors, which collect the boxes and take them to a specific classification and palletizing area. The entire process is done automatically in order to make the best shipment or storage decision.
Very often, the finished product deriving from many process lines, is concentrated on one or two main high-flow conveyor lines, and is unloaded into a high-speed sorter that facilitates palletizing, whether manual, semiautomatic, or automatic. Afterwards, an automatic, high-rack riser truck type warehouse, (AS/RS), is employed.
The benefits of these operations are clear: total costs are lower, staff productivity increases, safety is greater, incidents are avoided, free areas are larger, cleaner, and tidier; and products move more fluently.
2. It creates free available areas and increases quality
By having conveyors that collect the boxes or pallets, you automatically generate bigger spaces in the lines.
If you use vertical lifts (continuous or spiral), you generate availability of spaces for the growth of the core business. When automating the palletizing, storage and shipment to customers processes, the saved space proves much more evident.
If you have a good design in the final area of the production line, you ensure that all products arrive in order and with an established process, generating savings and minimizing losses and damage to products, while improving quality.
3. The rate of return on investment is high
The various advantages are clear: increased productivity of operators, more autonomy, greater net outflow, greater product control, less product damage, greater free area, less serious accidents, more order, more quality, and fewer products expiring in inventory. Likewise, they provide a standardized, highly productive, reliable, and cost-effective system.
In short, investing money in such a system has a high rate of return on investment.
Such projects can even be carried out in stages, beginning with transportation, then with classification (sortation), then with the parquet (palletizer) and finally with an automatic warehouse that allows you real-time control, storage and management.
Among the various EOL automated solutions, along with conveyors, include the following:
- Sorters that will help you plan according to product.
- Automatic palletizing system that automatically arranges the boxes on pallets, and can even automatically plastic wrap.
- WCS and WMS If you need a semi-automated process, you can rely on the Uniload which, together with a software module, will store your first inputs and outputs automatically.
- Automatic warehouses or AS/RS high-rack risers will help you manage your storage intelligently with instant information.
Secure great operational and economic benefits by implementing high end of the line performance, like many of our satisfied customers already have.
Contact us as soon as possible, one of our specialists will offer you free advice.
