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The coatings plant for the chemicals
giant is at Breuil-le-Sec, north of Paris.
Its new system comprises a pallet
warehouse with two automated Very
Narrow Aisle (VNA) trucks, a miniload
warehouse and a conveyor system.
All intralogistics flows are now fully
automated and managed without
human intervention, which BASF
believes offers advantages in the vital
area of safety.
Currently, the site is in the middle of
its ramp-up phase; at its maximum
capacity it should reach 2,500 boxes
over two shifts, or 14 hours. Egemin
managed to complete the installation
without downtime, as planned. BASF
says it now has a central hub in France
whose infrastructure and equipment
will be able to cope with production
increases.
Chemical reaction
The coatings division of BASF France
manufactures, develops and markets
paints and lacquers destined mainly for
the automotive sector. The site, BASF’s
biggest in France, employs more than
500 people. The paints and lacquers
are used for both vehicle bodywork
and repair and vehicle and equipment
manufacturers. Over 70 % of production
goes to export.
For BASF management, operator safety,
risk prevention and protection of the
environment and resources are key
concerns. In consequence, the company
decided to perform an initial study
into the automation of its intralogistics
processes. After all, automation can
take various forms so choosing the
right combination is no easy task. A
typical Egemin automation package
involves the following components:
the navigation sensor (laser based in
most cases); an IPC for running the AGV
navigation sensor; safety scanners; pallet
position sensor to search exact pallet
locations, to find the racking height and
to store the pallets in deepstack lines.
At Breuil-Le-Sec paints are produced in
0.5 litre, 4 litre and 5 litre tins which are
then packed in boxes. The boxes are
placed on monoreference pallets stored
in the pallet warehouse, which has space
for 3500. Together with the racking,
Egemin delivered two VNA trucks fitted
with Egemin’s E’gv® automation pack.
Some orders for full pallets are retrieved
directly from the pallet warehouse
by the automated VNAs. Orders with
multiple references are conveyed to a
depalletizer and stored in the miniload
warehouse which provides place for
approximately 14,000 boxes. Another
palletizer reorganises the mixed pallets
after storage.
Among the various proposals considered
by BASF, Egemin’s proposal stood out
thanks to the capacity of its concept and
its team’s capability and experience in
the integration and synchronisation of
intralogistics equipment. This requires
a lot of know-how in interfacing and
managing material handling systems,
robotics and IT equipment.
Other constraints, such as being unable
to make major changes to the building’s
floor or infrastructure forced Egemin to
demonstrate its ingenuity. And, finally,
the site’s Seveso classification (in which
measures are required to prevent
industrial accidents) imposes very strict
safety rules requiring the installation of
specific equipment, such as integrated
explosimeters on the AGVs
to detect any leak of solvent
vapour.
Egemin’s target markets are
distribution and logistics,
pharmaceuticals, the food
& beverage industry, and
production. The Antwerp-based
company offers advanced
solutions including automated
warehouse and distribution
systems, automated guided
vehicles and in-floor chain
conveyors.
We take an inside look at the new fully automated storage and
distribution system for the handling of pallets and boxes at
BASF France.
44
Logistics Business Magazine | February 2016
AUTOMATION