Handling to and from the warehouse: technology, infrastructure and integrated solutions for the automation and cost-abatement in manufacturing companies

OUR VALUES: INNOVATION OCME was established in 1954 and is known all over the world as one of the most reliable and innovative leaders in the automated packaging machinery and solutions sector. The headquarters are situated in Parma, Italy, and operations are world-wide. It has provided its customers top-quality consumable packaging solutions, based on ongoing innovative research for 64 years. OCME solutions are devised and produced in packaging valley, the Italian packaging machinery production hub, just like our red, the symbol of successful Italian industry across the globe. In 2017, OCME...

DEPA LLETI Dorado Depalletiser for loose containers Pegasus D Robot Depalletisers Antares Crate depalletisers Virgo Rotary filler for cooking oil Libra LT In-line filler Libra R Rotary filler Vega Shrink-wrap packer Gemini Combined solution Perseus Traditional palletiser with 90° infeed Orion Traditional in-line palletiser Pegasus Palletiser Robot Mizar Layer forming system Genesis Stretch-wrapping machine with rotary ring Helix Stretch-wrapping machines with rotary arm Rotoplat Stretch-wrapping machines with rotary table Altair Boxing machine Auriga PS Powered Stacker Auriga CT Counterbalanced...

INTERNAL LOGISTICS: FROM OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT TO OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS Internal logistics within production plants today constitutes a major challenge for companies all over the world. The transition towards unmanned automated systems has involved the majority of production sites which are now equipped with plants where the human role is merely to supervise and check. In the sectors upstream and downstream of the production process, goods, pallets and raw materials are increasingly being handled using automated systems, which are operated by software that constantly checks the operating...

AUTOMATION OF LOGISTICS IN PRODUCTION SITES The automation of start- and end-of-line logistics must under all circumstances be assessed in an integrated manner to achieve some fundamental objectives: 1. The rise in the competitiveness of the company system. 2. Improved efficiency of the plant, an integrated management system allows timely and real-time administration of resources, reducing loss and costs for product damage. 3. Flexibility thanks to integrated handling and logistics tools that allow companies better to know the exact situation in their warehouse and optimise the use and storage...

PLANT LOGICS AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES: THE OCME VIEW OF INTERNAL LOGISTICS OCME has developed internal logistics and handling solutions since 2003. The growth of this sector, both in terms of turnover as well as applied technology, has accelerated considerably in recent years, thanks to the development of laser-guided vehicles and integrated logistics management and control technologies. OCME has met this need by developing the necessary know-how thanks to a dedicated business unit, the logistics systems unit, which studies and produces innovative products and with unwavering development of both...

HANDLING WITH AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES: TECHNOLOGIES COMPARED The acronym AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) is normally used to identify all vehicles capable of moving and performing specific tasks without needing an operator. Various types of AGVs are used in manufacturing companies in all commodities sectors for conveying all sorts of products. The tasks an AGV can perform are practically the same as those normally attributed to a fork-lift truck operated by a human. Various guiding technologies are currently available for AGVs: LASER GUIDED VEHICLES (LGV) LASER GUIDED VEHICLES OFFER PRECISION,...

OCME’S SOLUTION FOR START- AND END-OF-LINE LOGISTICS CONSISTS OF A TESTED AND EXTREMELY RELIABLE SYSTEM FOR SHARING INFORMATION IN REAL TIME AMONG ALL THE ENTITIES IN THE PRODUCTION PLANT. The Ethernet network used for the systems designed by OCME is designed by highly qualified specialised technicians, capable of guaranteeing perfect operation and maximum availability of the infrastructure. The network, which is part wired, and part wireless, is designed for the LGVs to liaise with the central traffic management system and concurrently assess the requests originating from the operators (via...

THE HEART AND MIND OF OCME’S SYSTEM LIE IN THE SUPERVISION SYSTEM (AGV MANAGER). The supervision system is designed to manage missions, criteria for the dynamic allocation of vehicles. It is interconnected with the other company devices, such as PC, PLC, database and ERP systems its purpose is to define, monitor, forecast and archive all the information relating to the logistics system devices, especially Auriga laser guided shuttles. Thanks to an entirely visual interface, an overall representation of the plant can be seen with the location of the shuttles and the related load. The status of...

Integrated warehouse management is obtained thanks to algorithms which are capable of making the correct choices to exploit all the available space. The AGV Manager guides the vehicles on specific missions based on the load they need to drop or load according to various parameters, such as: 1. Maximum space availability: If only two out of four rows available are already occupied with products, the system starts a new row with the product. 5. Choice between four possibilities: If the product is available at the start of the four rows and the row in which the product blocks the others, the system...

OCME LGV COMPONENTS The design of Auriga vehicles was also rationalised as regards the use of widely-available mechanical and electrical components. We have used components that are normally available from suppliers of standard fork-lift trucks (e.g. drive wheel, lifting system and hydraulic control unit). Auriga shuttles are made to limit any issues with the management of spare parts on the part of the customer. All the electrical components are widely available on the market. This way, even emergency repairs can be carried out by the customer directly. THE DRIVE WHEEL IS THE DEVICE WHICH SHUTTLES...