MHD TRANSPORTATION
WEIGHING LOADS AND COSTS
Mettler Toledo tells MHD what sorts of weighbridge solutions it now offers its clients and how data and automation play pivotal roles in helping companies monitor their trucks’ loads and ensuring they abide by government regulations.
M
ettler Toledo provides weighbridges and scales to many industries. In the supply chain and logistics space, this includes warehouses, bulk haulage, and distribution centres along with the weighing of bulk-freight moving over the railway network. Many use a weighbridge as a large cash register and sell bulk products by weight. e.g., iron ore, aggregates, grain, etc. Hence, if the weighbridge is not working accurately, then considerable products may be given away. Such “product giveaways” can quickly add up to many thousands of dollars slipping out of the company’s bottom-line. As well as this “cash register” type application, the logistics industry is increasingly installing weighbridges at the exit of warehouses and distribution centres to assist in making sure vehicles leaving sites are optimally and legally loaded to their allowable gross and axle weight.
CHANGES METTLERTOLEDO HAS SEEN John Beard, Business Area Manager for Weighbridge Solutions at METTLER TOLEDO Australia/New Zealand has worked in the design, development, and manufacture of weighbridges during his tenure of almost 30 years. He has seen several thousand weighbridges being installed in many industrial segments throughout ANZ. He says it’s clear in the freight and logistics arena there’s no such thing as “one solution fits all” and over the years he’s noticed a growing interest in the weighbridge’s accuracy. He explains how weighbridge technologies vary, and as a manufacturer, Mettler Toledo has invested its research and development funds into developing technologies that increase accuracy and uptime over a much longer timeframe. The collection of accuracy and
The logistics industry is increasingly installing weighbridges at the exit of warehouses and distribution centres to assist in making sure vehicles leaving sites are optimally and legally loaded to their allowable gross and axle weight. reliability data over several thousand weighing installations has categorically proved this fact. Many clients make the observations themselves when looking at the frequency of faults and repairs on the older style technologies that are still promoted by many on the market, John says. He notes it’s common in the industry – over time – for a weighbridge to lose accuracy. This can result in product giveaway, or overloaded trucks leaving sites unknowingly. Having access to technology that greatly reduces this is providing the industry with more confidence in its long-term accuracy of its weighing equipment. The other major trend Mettler Toledo has observed in the last five years has been a pivot towards speed and automation.
EFFECT ON SUPPLY CHAIN MEMBERS Mettler Toledo has seen distribution centres getting larger resulting in a greater number of trucks leaving sites. “People are looking to increase the efficiency of their processes during manufacturing, production, and distribution. They want things to be done quickly, accurately, and safely,” John says.
“There is an increasing percentage of the market that are very keen to weigh the trucks, not to sell by weight,” he explains. “But to make sure they are legally and safely loaded to go on the road.” This is driven by what is called the Chain of Responsibility (CoR), guidelines the federal government has provided, which applies to the supply chain and logistics industry nationwide. It ensures organisations comply with loading rules and John says the guidelines are increasingly supported by industry. The federal government is installing checking stations to ensure trucks are not overloaded on their axles or gross weight. The relevant government department will take drivers off the road to weigh their axles, and if it finds the driver’s load doesn’t correspond with its guidelines, they can prosecute and even remove their licence. “There are considerable fines to be issued if you are not complying, and the chances of being caught by the government are now increasing because they’re putting more focus into this important safety topic,” John explains. There are several reasons as to why the governments around the world have increased focus in compliance to legally loaded trucks. The first and main issue MHD JUNE 2022 | 37
