Delivering ‘future-proof’ logistics Vanderlande

DElivEring ‘futurEproof’ logistics

Vanderlande is the global market leader in the development and manufacture of advanced logistic automation systems for airports, warehouses and parcel hubs. Recently acquired by the Japanese giant, Honda, the company is adding to its formidable portfolio of intelligent software solutions with its latest, ground-breaking technologies such as ‘Cobot’ (co-robotic technologies) and ‘future-proof’ FLEET baggage sorting systems, as Philip Yorke reports.

Vanderlande Industries was founded in Veghel, the Netherlands in 1949 and began by manufacturing conveyer systems for the loading of agricultural produce onto ships. Today the company is the global leader in the development of automated handling technology and acknowledged as one of the most innovative in the world. Its core businesses provide a wide range of fully automated material handling systems for baggage sorting at airports, as well as providing advanced robotic systems for warehouses and postal distribution centres.

Today Vanderlande’s impressive statistics speak for themselves. Its baggage handling systems move over four billion pieces of luggage around the world each year, which is equal to over 10 million pieces per day. Its advanced systems are operational in more than 600 airports, including 13 of the world’s top 20.

In addition, more than 40 million parcels are also sorted by Vanderlande’s systems each day. Today the company’s extensive portfolio of integrated and innovative systems, intelligent software and life-cycle services provide fast and reliable automation solutions worldwide. Currently the company has around 6000 employees and in 2017 recorded revenues of more than €1.5 billion.

Future-proof technology

Vanderlande’s unique, ‘future-proof’ FLEET baggage logistics solutions developed for airports worldwide has been implemented for the first time in The Netherlands, at ‘Rotterdam The Hague Airport’ (RTHA), where it is undergoing an historic three-month readiness test period. During this time, it will operate in live, real-time situations. The futuristic, joint innovation programme also involves RTHA and Aviapartner of the Netherlands, and will contribute significantly to each organisation’s strategic objectives.

In line with its forward-thinking approach, RTHA will gain valuable insight into the full potential of these latest innovative technologies developed by Vanderlande, including its FLEET systems, as well as improving its performance as the airport’s dedicated handler. Aviapartner will also benefit from the increased efficiencies of automatic sorting carried out by the Vanderlande FLEET system.

Furthermore, company operatives can benefit from the positive impact of a truly ergonomically designed baggage-loading process during the flight make-up process. Sustainability is also a prominent factor in the new system, as the energy used by FLEET is initially generated by solar panels, thus helping to create zero-emissions baggage handling solutions at RTHA.

Andrew Manship, Vanderlande’s executive vice-president for Airports and member of the board said, “This programme is a tremendous example of how Vanderlande and its partners can bring cutting-edge innovations to life in a situation where high performance, efficiency and reliability are essential.”

Pioneering new robotic technologies

With the growing global demand for integrated, intelligent software solutions, Vanderlande has developed a unique robotic system that is physically capable of working alongside human operators. Known

as ‘Cobot’, this technology has been developed together with the leading Finnish trading company in assembly and fastening materials, Wurth Oy and its logistics partner, Leanware Oy, in a shared pilot project. The unique Cobot system is currently operational at Wurth’s logistics centre in the town of Riihamaki, just north of Helsinki.

Robotic technology has long been used in the warehousing industry for the automated movement of goods. However the SIR (Smart Item Robotics) solution is unique. This is because the utilisation of a robotic unit that is able to work harmoniously in the same area as a human operative as well as the ability to smartly ‘pick and place’ individual items is revolutionary. This unique project also addresses one of the key challenges facing the market today: the continuing lack of available, skilled operatives.

After a lead time of less than two months, SIR has been fully integrated into Wurth’s daily operations alongside Vanderlande’s highly flexible storage, retrieval and transportation system known as ADAPTO, to seamlessly pick products for its customers’ orders.

Integrated, intelligent software

Tighter schedules, higher volumes and increasing customer demands make intelligent software an essential part of any sorting process. In addition to hardware, it now forms a key element of Vanderlande’s global business proposition.

For example, the company’s VISION software suite offers a flexible modular solution for end-to-end planning and control. It is crucial to be able to optimise processes every day, or even every hour. VISION provides an operational, high-performance dashboard that supports daily planning, and provides real-time information on a system’s status.

This system also enables operations to be constantly monitored and provides the decision-support-intelligence needed for re-scheduling, planning and forecasting for a hub’s core management processes. VISION is a modular, scalable software solution that integrates seamlessly with existing systems and low-level controls. System dynamics are also taken into account to make correct decisions when sending products to the required destinations. For long-term trend analysis, combined with the ability to benchmark with other hubs and depots in a defined network, VISION capabilities can also be extended to work with business process intelligence. n