No more manual pallet lifting in DSV warehouse

A fully automatic pallet stacking solution caused excitement at the DSV Solutions' storage hotel, where a PALOMAT® Greenline stacks and destacks empty EUR-pallets. It eliminates the need to lift heavy pallets manually and increased the productivity.

Even though the acquisition of a PALOMAT® Greenline is primarily due to a desire to increase the productivity of the storage hotel, the fully automated pallet stacking solution has resulted in other benefits as well. Not least an improved working environment for the 40 employees that work in the DSV-department.

DSV has sites in more than 80 countries across the globe, and the storage hotel with a PALOMAT® Greenline is one of DSV's total of 9 sites in Denmark. The company, which is the largest provider of transport and logistics in the country, offers all kinds of solutions for transport and logistics, including third party storage solutions.

The latter includes the approximately. 20,000 m2 sized storage hotel, which in April 2018 automated part of its work process by using a PALOMAT® Greenline to stack and destack empty pallets.

This investment was due to positive experiences with PALOMAT®

DSV Greenline is placed in an area of the warehouse where smaller white goods and electrical appliances are packaged for shipping.

When goods need to be selected, an employee will retrieve a pallet from the PALOMAT® using a forklift truck/lifting truck and packages the goods on the pallet. Empty pallets are likewise deposited in the PALOMAT®, which then stacks them. All of this happens at floor level.

After starting as a Manager at DSV Solutions last year, Kim Storbank’s previous positive experience with PALOMAT® contributed to his suggestion of automatizing pallet handling in DSVs warehouse.

We were in the middle of a larger process of standardising and structuring the work procedures in the warehouse. Pallets were lying all over the place, and people were dragging them back and forth and up and down. So, I contacted PALOMAT®, and we got a Greenline on a trial, to test the product and to allow the employees to acquaint themselves with it. And it exceeded all expectations. They have been using it diligently since",

he says.

No more near-miss accidents and a short payback period

"The PALOMAT® has eliminated a lot of difficult and heavy lifts, as it stacks and destacks at floor height. We previously experienced few cases of near-miss accidents, where employees occasionally dropped a pallet onto their feet. We haven't experienced any of those since", explains Kim Storbank, detailing the most significant advantages to the automated pallet handling.

In addition to an improved working environment, Kim Storbank also highlights that there is a lot more order and structure in the storage hotel, after they purchased the PALOMAT®.

"When things have assigned locations and things are neat and tidy, we don't need to move a lot of stuff around all the time, and everyone knows where to find the pallets. This saves us a lot of time", he explains, adding:

We ran a payback analysis of the PALOMAT® solution, and it has been more than paid off. We don't usually use a lot of pallets, despite that, the solution has paid itself off in eight months."

Solution: PALOMAT® Greenline

• Space for 15 EUR-pallets

• All stacking/destacking takes place at floor level

• 100 % electric – 230 W plug and play solution

• DSV Solutions' Greenline in Taulov handles 600-700 pallets a month on average

At DSV the PALOMAT® has resulted in:

• An improved working environment by eliminating the manual handling of pallets

• Increased productivity due to a streamlined work flow

• More order and structure in the warehouse

• Yearly savings following repayment of approx. EUR 10,750