Located near Épinal in the Vosges, Norske Skog Golbey is a subsidiary of the Norwegian group Norske Skogindustrier ASA, the world leader in the paper industry for magazines and newspapers.

A COMPLEX INDUSTRIAL INTRALOGISTICS SYSTEM DELIVERED AS A “TURNKEY” SOLUTION

The challenge of this logistics installation for Norske Skog Golbey was to automate the storage and retrieval from storage of reels to, both, optimize the production costs and increase the employees’ safety. The flows handled are the transfers of reels from the sorting table to the storage area, and then the transfers from the stock to the shipping areas (rail or road) on a 3×8 shift pattern, and operating 24/7.

This project had to consider both technical and logistical considerations. Alstef Group conducted a detailed audit of the existing configuration. The chosen solution required an almost total rearrangement of the storage locations, with the creation of well-separated aisles whose width was tailored to the goods to be conveyed.

The key aspects considered when designing the system were:

• The ability of the system to adapt to typical and peak flow rates,
• The optimization of the number of storage locations, and,
• The description of the four installation phases (which required a gradual implementation – north zone then south zone – with manual interfaces between each zone, then a steady roll out to cover the other zones).

CUSTOMIZED AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES DELIVERING HIGH LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE

Alstef Group deployed a fleet of GFS AGVs type (counterbalanced front forks) to automate the outfeed flows from production and the just-in-time placing of reels in storage for rail or road shipment. Equipped with a symmetrical clamp, this type of AGV can handle up to 4 reels with a maximum carrying capacity of 4.2 tons and a pick-up/drop-off height of 6 meters. The clamping pressure adjusts, based on the weight of the carried loads.

Opal Fleet, the supervision system, developed by Alstef Group, provides the logistical control function for the system. Interfaced with Norske Skog Golbey WMS, Opal manages the stock inflow and outflow rules to optimize the filling rate.

This efficient logistics application improves the efficiency of Norske Skog Golbey’s mill and enables it to reach higher levels of quality and safety, and to optimize its storage warehouses.

“This system gives us entire satisfaction: the fault rate is zero. No more reel damage occurs during the handling – compared with 200 or 400 per month before the automation – and the system is reliable, safe and quiet. Moreover, start-up support was remarkable. We had consulted a total of four manufacturers and we opted for the most effective solution that works to our full satisfaction” explains Jean-Yves Bourguignon, logistics manager at Norske Skog Golbey in the French Magazine “La Papeterie”.