Thimm has been investing in its Eberswalde production plant. The existing pallet centre has been expanded with an additional pallet strapping system and the installation of a new pallet inserter. A new control system for all finished goods logistics rounds off the investment. Thimm is therefore taking another step towards digitisation of production processes and is assuming a continuing increase in volumes at the Eberswalde site. The company has invested a total of around €1.5m at the site.
Reconstruction work at the Eberswalde site took around three months and was largely carried out during production. The extended pallet centre of the Thimm pack’n’display plant now covers a total area of 1,400 sqm and has grown by around 10m in length. A new pallet inserter from the Dücker Conveyor Systems, as well as a fully-automatic pallet strapping system from Mosca, were integrated into the production line.
Michael Weber, Corporate Strategy + Marketing Manager Thimm Group, says, “By integrating the new systems, we are doing more than just automating and simplifying the transport processes in logistics. With the expansion of the pallet centre, we have created the prerequisite for increasing production capacities by around 30% and for relieving the processing lines of internal logistics processes. In the past, increasing order volumes, such as the increased demand for doublewall corrugated packaging solutions, have led to an increase in pallet volumes. Further processing can now be carried out more efficiently in the plant.”
Increasing Throughput
The Dücker pallet inserter system ensures increased throughput and the possibility to process stacks up to a size of 1600 x 2400mm. Up to two stacks can be retracted at the same time, centred on the side and then placed on the inserted pallet. With a capacity of up to 1,500 pallets per day, the throughput time of the transport products can be reduced. Various pallet patterns can be used.
“The installation has made it possible to automate and accelerate all in-house logistics and processes for further processing. In addition, the new dimension of the inserter means that larger formats can now be automatically stacked on several pallets in the factory,” adds Weber, explaining about the further advantages of the investment.
The Mosca fully automatic strapping system has also accelerated processes since commissioning at the Eberswalde plant; the solution enables a pallet throughput of up to 145 pallets per hour. The strapping programs can be configured and adapted to each product.
“With the investment and expansion of the pallet centre, we were able to create reliable throughput times, avoid malfunctions such as downtimes and increase the output of the machines,” concludes Weber. “Logistics also offers a further advantage: The stacks can be packed higher thanks to the renovated systems – this benefits sustainability, as valuable space had so far not been completely used during transport by truck.”
