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May 6, 2020 at 2:25 PMThe express service provider trans-o-flex has recently opened the hub of the future. The facility, costing 17 million euros, features two temperature zones and automatically scans, weighs, and measures each shipment. Environmental considerations have also been taken into account.
(Weinheim, 5.05.2020) Despite the Corona pandemic, trans-o-flex has opened a hub this week as planned, with which the company aims to establish a new standard. “The logistics center in Hamm-Rhynern, Westphalia, is a milestone for trans-o-flex in network development, as it sets economic and ecological benchmarks,” said Wolfgang P. Albeck, Chairman of the trans-o-flex management. “The facility we have just opened is our hub of the future. Following this model, trans-o-flex will renew or completely build new logistics nodes in Germany in the coming years.” The total investment for the logistics center amounts to around 17 million euros.
One of its special features is that goods are handled in two temperature zones. “We cool or heat the majority of the facility to a constant 20 degrees. This allows us to unload, sort, and load shipments in our Ambient-Express service, which requires active temperature control between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius,” explains Albeck. “Additionally, we have integrated a cooling area in the facility. There, we handle goods in our Thermo-Express service, which is actively maintained between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.” At the previous location in Dortmund, there was a separate handling point for each temperature range. “This allows us to create synergies between our transport networks while significantly increasing the efficiency of sorting and handling processes.”
Efficient not only for packages but also for palletsOne reason for this is an automatic sorting system from the Dutch specialist Van Riet. In Dortmund, sorting was done manually via conveyor belts. In Hamm-Rhynern, the system automatically directs packages from six loading points to one of 119 loading points for trucks or vans. In between, shipments are automatically measured and weighed. “This allows us to accurately calculate the actual transport weight for our customers.” Because the sorting belts are run at more than four meters above the hall floor, forklifts transporting goods on pallets can pass underneath. Albeck emphasizes: “This is very important for a system that transports both packages and pallets, as many systems have a package sorter that causes detours in pallet handling.”
Experts refer to this special type of facility as a shoe or posi-sorter. These sorters not only guide shipments quickly but also gently to their final destination. For this purpose, so-called shoes are installed on the belt, which safely but carefully direct the shipments in the desired direction. “Because trans-o-flex transports high-quality and sensitive goods, we only use such sorting systems. This is one of the reasons why we probably have the lowest damage rate in the industry,” explains Albeck.
The concept includes further features that make the operation of the logistics center both economically and ecologically sustainable. This includes the fact that the handling hall was built in the shape of a Y. This minimizes space requirements, as it allows for more loading and unloading gates with the same hall area than other building forms. The entire facility was thus able to be constructed on a plot of land measuring 33,000 square meters.
Solar system quietly and cleanly tempers trailersOn the roof of the more than 8,000 square meter handling hall, a photovoltaic system has been installed. “We will use the electricity for the operation of the sorting center, but we can also charge the batteries of possible electric vehicles of employees, for which we are planning several e-charging stations,” adds Albeck. A significant advantage for him is also the pre-conditioning of vehicles with solar power. “For semi-trailers, for example, 380-volt connections are available. This means that the trailers no longer need diesel to operate the thermal units while waiting for loading or unloading. Additionally, the units operate much quieter with high voltage.”
Gas heaters and heat pumps for heating and coolingThe energy consumption of the logistics center is minimized, among other things, by equipping the entire facility with strong thermal insulation and LED lighting technology. Furthermore, heating is provided by efficient gas dark heaters, and cooling is achieved through a modern heat pump system. Ecologically and economically sustainable is also a special rainwater drainage system. It ensures that rainwater is not diverted through the sewage system and must be treated in a sewage treatment plant. Instead, rainwater is collected on a neighboring property and flows back into the natural cycle through a controlled adjacent stream.
Upon the commissioning of the facility, the Mayor of Hamm, Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann, said: “We are pleased that an excellent company in pharmaceutical logistics, trans-o-flex, has settled in Hamm. The investments are a clear commitment to the logistics location of Hamm, in close proximity to the Europe-wide significant traffic hub Kamener Kreuz. The 110 jobs already in the startup phase are a valuable contribution to stabilizing our local labor market.”
Photo: trans-o-flex
