Remote to success
Commissioning via remote access
"There is always a solution. Sometimes it just needs new ways of doing things." And that's what Blumenbecker's engineering specialists found when the Corona pandemic slowed down the commissioning of an Australian intralogistics project. Without further ado, the German-Polish team commissioned the system with 37 intelligent vehicles remotely – by remote access.
"Many companies would have invoked force majeure and suspended their projects during the pandemic. But that was out of the question for us," explains Marco Mertins, technical branch manager at Blumenbecker Engineering Germany and project coordinator. Since mid-2018, Blumenbecker Germany and Poland have been working on the intralogistics project for Australian beverage wholesaler BevChain.
Transport system with 37 vehicles for the transport of beverages
In the new built warehouse of the industry leader in Sydney, a transport system for beverage promotion was to be realised. At the centre of the system are 37 vehicles that travel in a circuit and supply all important logistics areas from incoming goods to order picking and storage to outgoing goods. Each of the intelligent vehicles, which travel 120 metres per minute, has a switch cabinet with PLC control and can transport up to 480 one-litre bottles or 16 beer kegs on its storage surface. Via a head control, the vehicle receives the information when and where it has to pick up and deliver which goods.
Commissioning over 15,800 kilometre distance
Blumenbecker was responsible for designing and programming the software and installing and commissioning the system on behalf of UP Universelle Fördertechnik. Everything was going according to plan until the end of February 2020, when the incidence of corona in Australia soared. The associated travel restrictions forced Blumenbecker to cancel the commissioning in Sydney which had just begun. The question arose: "What now?" The engineering specialists decided to continue the project 'remote' by remote access. They quickly found an Australian engineer to take over the operational part on site. The Blumenbecker technicians in Katowice, 15,800 kilometres away, formed the 'head' of the operation. As part of this 'remote relationship', commissioning work was resumed just one week after the interruption.
Working with an eight-hour time difference
From Poland, the Blumenbecker specialists connected to the Australian technician's laptop, which was connected to the system. The Australian technician's head-mounted camera provided the necessary image information, and communication took place via Microsoft Teams. Step by step, the Polish 'brain' guided the Australian 'eyes and hands' through the commissioning process. A teamwork at a distance that worked very well. And so the plant was up and running on time for the handover in May 2021 - an adherence to schedules that is important to project coordinator Mertins and was only possible through the committed cooperation of everyone involved. He particularly praises "the commitment of the Polish remote team, which worked two months in night shifts due to the eight-hour time difference."
» Flexibility and extraordinary commitment are the success factors in international plant construction! Blumenbecker and its committed employees have been able to prove this in recent projects! The success of each project once again confirms our choice of partner. «
Remote commissioning and remote maintenance Service was added to the portfolio
At the same time as the BevChain project, Blumenbecker Engineering also commissioned an intralogistics system for IKEA Malaysia by remote access; this project, as well, to the absolute satisfaction of the client, UP Universelle Fördertechnik. Based on the positive experience, remote commissioning will have a permanent place in Blumenbecker's portfolio in future. According to Mertins, remote maintenance of intralogistics systems will also be added to the range of services. The first enquiries have already been received.
The end customer: BevChain
BevChain is the wholly owned subsidiary of Australian logistics and supply chain company Linfox and specialises in the storage and distribution of alcoholic beverages in New Zealand and Australia. As the industry leader in Australia, BevChain supplies more than 25,000 pubs and outlets across the country. Two of three beverages in Down Under find their way to the end consumer through the logistics company.
The client: UP Universelle Fördertechnik
UP Universelle Fördertechnik has proven expertise in the transport, sorting, storage, buffering and provision of components and goods. For more than 15 years, the company has been developing, manufacturing and assembling individual conveyor technology solutions primarily for the automotive and logistics industries. In addition to its headquarters in Schopfheim/Germany, the materials handling specialist has another production location in Shanghai.
