Datalogic optimizes safety & processing efficiencies at VW’s warehouse

Sep 23, 2012 Warehousing Ireland News 0

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Datalogic S.p.A. (Borsa Italiana S.p.A.: DAL), a global leader in Automatic Identification and total solutions provider of bar code readers, data collection mobile computers, RFID and vision systems, has a well-established reputation in the automotive manufacturing industry, endorsed by major brand names, such as Volkswagen, which deploys the Company’s solutions in their automatic warehouse based in Verona, Italy.

Volkswagen Group, one of the leading worldwide brands in the automotive industry, has its Southern European spare parts automatic warehouse in Verona, Italy. Thewarehouse is fully automated, managing a busy operation involving several loading bays on many levels and requiring a seamless process of part selection, collection and delivery,
ensuring optimum operational efficiency and guaranteeing maximum people protection at all times.

The automated process involves an empty rack being positioned by a warehouse operator on the ground floor of each bay. The rack is then hooked to a hoist and lifted to the relevant level of the warehouse for collection of the required spare parts. Once the parts are picked, the rack is then lowered down to the bay and the operator, alerted by a flashing light, collects the filled rack to be taken to the delivery area. Each bay has two different lifting zones for collection and operators in these areas must be protected against potential injury risks. But at the same time, Volkswagen needs to ensure the system and collection process is not interrupted or slowed down as racks enter and exit these areas.

At the heart of this fully powered integrated system, deployed by Volkswagen, is Datalogic Automation’s SG-BWS-T4-MT safety control unit with an inbuilt Muting function, complemented by 2 x SG2 safety light curtains for hand protection (30 mm resolution) andpresence control (90 mm resolution) per lifting zone. This computes to a multiple installation of two safety units and four safety light curtains per bay, for a total of 4 bays.

The successful deployment involves 4 complete systems – 2 x SG-BWS-T4-MT safety control units together with 2 x SG2-30-165-OO-X and 2 x SG2-90-120-OO-X safety light curtain barriers for each bay in the Volkswagen spare parts warehouse.

Datalogic’s technological and industry expertise addresses demands from major customers in the automotivemanufacturing industry by combining flexibility and simplicity together with proven skills to develop customized solutions that integrate perfectly into any customer’s system. “In a sector where quality, precision and safety are paramount elements in the manufacturing process, the total solutions provided by our Group meet those challenges in every single phase of the supply chain during the manufacturing process,” commented Mauro Sacchetto, CEO of Datalogic Group.

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