Upgrades improve the flow at Chivas Brothers

Print Article

Upgrades improve the flow at Chivas Brothers
Renowned distillers Chivas Brothers could raise a glass themselves to celebrate the success of the upgrades to their Kilmalid bottling plant.

The Scotch whisky and premium gin arm of the drinks giant Pernod Ricard, Chivas Brothers markets a range of famous spirits, producing some 20 million cases per year. From its bottling plant at Kilmalid, northwest of Glasgow – one of the largest in Scotland – Chivas Brothers distributes leading brands including Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin and Malibu to more than 150 countries around the world.

Modernisation programme
To ensure that Chivas Brothers could continue to support the increasing worldwide demand for its products, the company decided to invest in a multi-million-pound refurbishment of its conveying, palletising, shrink wrapping, storage and dispatch systems at Kilmalid. In a carefully planned 3-year upgrade programme – undertaken in four phases, each tendered for separately – Chivas Brothers required its 25-year-old equipment to be replaced by equally reliable and robust systems, yet without any disruption to its processing of orders. The control systems for each of the four contracts were supplied by Autotech Controls Ltd, working in partnership with the handling systems main contractor, Excel Automation.

Phased upgrades
Phase one comprised the refurbishment of eight automatic stacker cranes and the new control system specified for the cranes included the latest generation of intelligent Rockwell AC drive system with full closed-loop control via laser positioning devices on the horizontal and vertical movements. This technology eliminates the need for on-board PLC controllers, provides improved functionality and has increased the throughput of the warehouse for Chivas Brothers. The project also included the fitting of two-man manual drive cabs, equipped with HMIs (Human/Machine Interfaces), to facilitate stock checking within the high-bay stores.

The second phase of the upgrade programme involved replacing the seven existing shrink wrapping machines with two new, high-speed wrappers and replacing the warehouse infeed pallet conveyors. Phase three involved the replacement of seven palletisers with eight new ones, and the replacement of case conveyors from the production hall to the palletisers. The final phase saw the twelve dispatch lanes that fed old clamp-type pallet exchangers replaced with an improved pallet exchange system, including laser-guided AGVs (automated guided vehicles).

Improved throughput
Autotech’s scope of supply included all the control systems for the carton conveyors, pallet conveyors, palletisers and stacker cranes. The company’s proven control solutions – combined with careful planning and project management by the Chivas Brothers, Excel and Autotech teams – not only allowed order processing at Kilmalid to be maintained seamlessly throughout the upgrade programme, but also resulted in an increase in throughput at the site.

www.autotech.co.uk

February 2010 - Deutsche Messe postpones premiere of industrial tradeshows in Dubai until 2011

Deutsche Messe is postponing the industrial trade fairs CeMAT MIDDLE EAST, Industrial Automation (IA) MIDDLE EAST and Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) MIDDLE EAST – all originally schedu led to take place in February 2010 – until 2011.

March 2010 - Stuttgart, 2nd - 4th March

From 2 to 4 March 2010 LogiMAT, the International Trade Fair for Distribution, Materials Handling and Information Flow, is taking place in Stuttgart accompanied by an extensive fringe programme. It is the eighth edition of this annual meeting point for the intralogistics industry – the largest in Europe.

March 2010 - France, 23rd - 26th

Transport and Logistics services, Supply chain Management, Logistics Infrastructures, Logistics Real Estate, Technologies and Information Systems, Materials Handling and Warehouse equipment…

April 2010 - Cleveland, 26th - 29th

NA 2010 (The 2010 Material Handling & Logistics Show and Conference) will bring together manufacturers, consultants, third party logistics providers, publishers and system integrators to demonstrate their equipment, systems and services to tens of thousands of industry professionals from around the world, seeking productivity solutions.

May 2010 - Barcelona, 25th - 28th

Barcelona, 23 November 2009. As part of its constant desire to improve the service it offers exhibitors and visitors as well as provide a bigger and better service, the International Logistics and Material Handling Exhibition (SIL) has updated its website.

June 2010 - Guangzhou, China, 2nd - 4th

In China, cold chain logistics industry is in its infancy, While cold chain market share on both sides of the Atlantic has already reached 80 - 90%-that in Europe and Russia is 50%, in developing countries in general is 10 - 20%-only 20% of freight moving in China goes refrigerated.

November 2010 - Eindhoven, 10th - 11th

It is with justified pride that Bureau Bosman BV is introducing Groothandel & Logistiek’s new trade show name. From now on, Groothandel & Logistiek will be called: Bedrijf en Logistiek, the trade show for goods-in, storage and goods-out. The eleventh edition will take place on November 10 and 11 in the Exhibition Building in Eindhoven.

November 2010 - Birmingham, 16th - 19th

Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions Ltd, organiser of the International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX), has announced that – in response to exhibitor requests – the show’s dates have moved from March to November next year.

The Armchair Shoppers
Home shopping and multi-channel retailing is an industry where the customer often seems tantalisingly elusive. That’s why, every year since 2000, the UK’s Royal Mail has commissioned the ‘Home Shopping Tracker Study’ to estimate the size of the UK market, both in terms of customers and spend.

Norway’s first gateway
The Norwegian port of Oslo has long been a focal point for the country’s trade, industry and population. Boasting a highly-agile and skilled logistics labour force the Port is on the cusp of a new era with major expansion and improvement.

A heartland pours open
Ideally located at the heart of western Europe, the Moselle Department, in the Lorraine region of France, offers many advantages to companies wishing to have a strategically located distribution platform.

Movement made easy
Elsewhere in the world of material handling expertise the Dutch logistics service provider Partner Logistics Europe B.V. has been busy in West Flanders. The company recently put into operation probably the largest ‘deep freeze chest’ in Belgium.

Forklift manufacturers react to energy crisis
“Thanks to their inherent high build quality Flexis are straightforward to maintain and our distributors are able to make healthy margins on used Flexis that they put back into the market on contract hire with maintenance packages.”

Legislation set to change
Highly automated warehouses make strict demands on personnel safety. Jarno Palo, of safety specialist Gunnebo Troax AB believes that health and safety legislation and European norms, such as the Machinery Directive, have a huge influence in the hub, covering everything from conveyors to cranes and industrial robots.

Contents Page
Logistics Business Magazine Contents Page