Shimano, which makes cycling and fishing equipment, has enlisted Savoye to design and build an advanced PTS picking tray system at its European distribution centre in the Netherlands.
The system uses Savoye’s shuttle-system, which comprises several autonomous powered shuttles that use capacitors, instead of the more common bank of batteries or cabled racking, to increase modularity and make maintenance easier.
It is also designed to be more energy efficient than a battery-powered system as the shuttle is charged every time it passes a charging point.
At Shimano’s facility the system will consist of several rows of rail equipped racks connected through elevators and conveyor belts which transport the products to two picking and one replenishing stations.
In total it will store 15,000 totes, spread over five aisles, each roughly 40m long, and will be nine metres high and contain 20 running shuttles.
Marc van Rooij, president of Shimano Europe Holding B.V, said: “The new PTS Picking Tray System will enable us to continue to grow our business while at the same time enabling us to cut costs and improve efficiency.”
Shimano said it will redeploy employees that are currently assigned to warehouse tasks to other positions within the logistical chain.
The system will be operational in November this year and it is expected to pay for itself within three years.
