Lactalis Australia has moved to 24/7 operations at its Lidcombe milk facility in Sydney’s west with a roll out of four automated guided vehicles (AGVs) from Dematic.
Lactalis is owned by French company Lactalis Group. In Australia its main brands are Pauls Milk, Ice Break Iced Coffee, Tamar Valley and Vaalia yoghurt, Oak and Breaka flavoured milk.
National logistics optimisation manager Kristian Brennan said the company was always looking for ways to improve operations, boost efficiencies and productivity to help promote Australia as a high-quality producer for the Asia Pacific region.
Brennan said: “The new AGV solution has successfully helped us to significantly increase productivity at our Lidcombe site, as it allows us to run a faster operation twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”
The four AGVs retrieve pallets from an inbound conveyer system that comes from production. Then the vehicles feed the pallets into an order buffer, releasing them at a declined angle onto pallet live storage racking.
“They operate in a small space and manage tight traffic at high speeds of up to 1.7 metres per second,” Dematic GM AGVs Tony Raggio said.
Sensors and laser scanners help them navigate with precision, ensuring their accuracy and safety around workers and any obstacles. The AGVs are powered by Lithium Ion batteries and can drive themselves onto charging floor plates at times of inactivity and be fully charged in two hours.
“The need to optimise productivity and reduce costs in food and beverage supply chains has never been greater. We’re excited to see Lactalis Australia has increased its productivity, while also being able to receive a good ROI from its investment in Dematic AGVs,” Raggio said.
