PROMAG has developed and implemented a proprietary mobile pallet racking solution at Autoneum Poland. This innovative implementation was selected as the best Kaizen project in the group’s European Business division and will be rolled out in other warehouses belonging to the Swiss company.
Autoneum Poland is one of 50 branches of the Autoneum group, which operates in 20 countries worldwide. The company manufactures lightweight multifunctional materials, components, and systems for noise and heat protection for almost all automotive groups. Autoneum’s client portfolio includes brands such as Audi, Honda, Peugeot, Porsche, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Chevrolet, Citroen, Chrysler, Rolls Royce, Renault, Toyota, Ford, Seat, Skoda, and many others.
How to safely store non-standard and heavy loads?
PROMAG S.A. undertook a thorough modernization of the buffer warehouse in Katowice, where tools, specifically press molds, are stored. Before the reorganization, all molds were stored on the floor, which hindered access to them, took up necessary warehouse space, and increased the likelihood of tool damage.
– We cared not only about increasing the available space and streamlining processes but also about a clear improvement in work safety. However, the project required an in-depth, very detailed analysis and the application of non-standard solutions. We were dealing with very unusual and heavy loads (from 4 to 6 tons). Work on developing an optimal improvement solution lasted several months, during which time we considered several alternative rationalization concepts together with Autoneum – says Karolina Tokarz, President of the Management Board and CEO of PROMAG S.A.
Mobile tool warehouse with PHR mobile racking
Ultimately, the choice fell on an innovative solution using PHR mobile pallet racks. The novelty of the solution proposed by PROMAG lies in the fact that the racks move on rails in a parallel arrangement – in such a way that the forklift operator who wants to retrieve a mold gains access only to a single rack column and not to entire rows of racks – as is the case in standard solutions of this type. Thanks to this modification, it was possible not only to multiply the storage area but also to significantly speed up tool retrieval operations. Additional factors that decided that PROMAG racks won the title of Best Kaizen Project in the Autoneum group were the clear improvement in ergonomics and safety of work and stored goods, as well as work fluidity, on which the group places great emphasis.
The success of the implementation means that a second, larger Autoneum warehouse based on the innovative PROMAG S.A. solution will be launched in Poland later this year. Foreign branches of the Swiss company have also become interested in PROMAG’s proprietary idea.