The Heinz production site for some of our favourite products; Beans, spaghetti and tomatoes soup, is also the NDC to distribute these goods and other to the UK's national supermarket chains.
CHALLENGE
increasing demand, diversification and changing lifestyles led to an increase in the product portfolio. The 2 Slipchain docks installed over 12 years ago did not have sufficient capacity to keep up with the increase in demand.
SOLUTION
Having benefitted from the productivity increases an automated loading system offers, Heinz knew there was only one place to go. A further Slipchain loading dock was added at the site to increase capacity. The system can handle up to 30 pallets per load, with the trailers being loaded and unloaded in 2 minutes. 4 slipchain shuttle trailers, travel between production and the NDC a distance of 1/2 mile.
OUTCOME
Pneumatic rise and fall chain and rollertrack offers high speed pallet accumulation and loading Unloading of full pallet loads. The pallets are automatically transferred from the dock into the trailers fitted with the slipchain system.
Many brands including Princes, Nestle, Coors Brewers, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and Pepsi-Co use this choose to use this system. It saves them several hours per day versus forklift loading and provides a safer loading process.