Soplar SA

Altstätten, Switzerland

Soplar SA is known worldwide for its expertise and innovation based on more than 30 years of experience in the production of machinery for manufacturing plastic bottles.

Soplar SA
Plastics manufacturing systems

At its site in Altstätten, Switzerland, the company has a total of seven Hänel Lean-Lifts® in operation to support intralogistics processes. Five of the systems are installed in an enclosed shaft located at the center of the warehouse. The Hänel systems are about 36 ft in height and thus fully utilize the vertical space available in the building. This results in a storage area capacity of 10,764 sq ft within a footprint of just 646 sq ft.

Soplar SA uses the Hänel Lean-Lifts® for the buffer storage of manufacturing components and spare parts. More than 7,000 different items are stored in the automated systems. Each Hänel Lean-Lift® is equipped with access points at the front and back for handling incoming and outgoing goods separately. The access points are mutually safeguarded by the Hänel high-speed door. This means that put and pick operations can be conducted simultaneously.

Integration in the ERP system

The Hänel control system is integrated in the company’s central ERP system. Put and pick orders are generated by the ERP system and then communicated to the lift controllers. The orders can be called up and processed directly on the Hänel control units – this is done using barcode scanners. What’s more, the central Hänel MP 100 D controller serves as the network shared by all of the Lean-Lifts® in the cluster. The job orders can be scanned at any one of the access points. The storage system processes the order quickly by automatically selecting the shortest route within the system – this contributes to efficiency and considerable time savings. 

The Hänel compartment and sub-level indicators positioned at the access points show employees exactly where specific items are stored. The indicators effectively minimize order-picking errors.

Safe and secure access

Hänel access code management provides added safety and protection against unauthorized access. A password is required to gain access to the system.

Company:
Soplar SA Kunststoffmaschinen

Location:
9450 Altstätten/Switzerland

Employees:
approx. 150

Industry:
Production of plastic bottles

Storage systems:
Production of plastic bottles

Items stored: 
Components and spare parts