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PRODUCTIVITY
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Productivity: the Holy Grail I f there is one thing that consistently taxes the minds of manufacturers within the food and drink industry, it is the pursuit of productivity. In many ways, it is the Holy Grail from which all else flows. Yet attaining that goal is only part of the equation. Most of all, it’s about how such productivity can be maximised by applying the right criteria. However, that is a complex challenge in itself, so how exactly can manufacturers be sure they are on the right track? Ask Dave Rostance, sales development, Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) and he will point to a number of essentials that can help those in the industry to achieve this objective. Most importantly, he refers to the ‘Ultimate Cube’, namely the total useable volume of any warehouse, which is all about maximum storage density, maximum access and maximum efficiency. “Maximising cubic capacity is essential within the food and beverage industry and that is all about the minimisation of waste – or Muda within the Kaizen ‘lean’ philosophy. In distribution terms, the most expensive and irreplaceable commodities most commonly wasted are time, energy and space.” Rostance says these are often badly neglected areas that can bring significant payback when addressed. “Remarkably, pallet storage, for
example, languishes at the bottom of the list when it comes to today’s warehouse, behind a long list of other concerns, such as canteens, toilets, marshalling, battery charging and maintenance. Yes, all of these are important as well, but carefully planned storage can eliminate so much waste and contribute enormously to increased productivity. It needs to be high up the agenda.” What TMHE delivers to bridge the productivity gap are solutions specifically designed to maximise payback, such as opportunities to increase cubic capacity. “For instance, you can reduce the number of aisles in wider aisle applications by using narrow aisle trucks, thus increasing storage density,” he adds. “And, by decreasing transfer aisles, you can increase VNA (very narrow aisle) density, which means less aisle and more racks.” There are a whole raft of ways in which TMHE products can be combined to minimise cost, while maximising storage, accessibility and productivity. One vital area where these solutions add value is in boosting picking productivity. As Rostance comments: “Picking is the largest activity and yet much of that task is actually spent travelling. Our laser guided trucks overcome that through AOP (Automation in Order Picking), where the truck follows a predetermined route and the picker simply follows from location to location. Improved pick rates can mean productivity gains of up to 80% in some applications.”
The BT Automation in Order Picking (AOP) solution works side-by-side with driver-operated equipment to substantially boost productivity. The Toyota Traigo 48 is the most compact Toyota 48-volt forklift yet
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Food & Beverage International June 2010
As attractive as such technology is, though, how affordable is it to businesses still recovering
Stable thinking
As the focus on workplace safety increases across Europe, one standout technology - SAS (System of Active Stability) - is actively reducing the risk of accidents and driving down costs. Unique to Toyota lift trucks, SAS constantly monitors forklift operations and automatically takes corrective
action when it senses factors that could lead to truck or load instability. It acts automatically to prevent sideways tip-over, the cause of more than 30% of serious forklift accidents. For more information, see: www.toyota-forklifts.eu
from turbulent economic times? Graham Wilkinson, national account manager, TMHUK, offers this response. “Certainly, productivity is the big driving force for food and beverage manufacturers, and specifically cost-effective productivity. This is where I believe we have been able to demonstrate advantage by providing a solution where we supply them with equipment, plus labour, plus parts at a fixed cost, over a fixed period of time. Customers know exactly what they need to budget for and where they stand, which is a huge consideration in an industry where commodities are flexibly priced.” The final word goes to Gunter Simonis, director key account & sales operation support, TMH Germany. “The rate of pick in the food and beverage industry is critical and clearly targeted. So the selection of the right truck should involve a quicker and more efficient operation. Crucial factors include appropriate acceleration and deceleration, exceptional performance during lifting and lowering, high versatility and manoeuvrability, and easy handling. We have been designing such trucks for this industry for many decades. The fact that our solutions continue to be used is actually the only endorsement we require.”
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