Interagrovial first AutoStore system in Uruguay
Uruguay
Interagrovial
Sector: Agricultural machinery
Interagrovial strengthens its leadership in the agricultural sector in Uruguay with the help of Smartlog Group.
Interagrovial, S.A. has trusted Smartlog to implement the first AutoStore system in the country.
As a result of the excellent collaboration with its team of professionals, Smartlog Group has implemented one of our most modern intralogistics solutions in the sector in the new facilities of Interagrovial. A compact picking system based on robots, with two “put to light” tables that will allow them to store their products, manage picking tasks and prepare orders in an optimal and fast way. All of this is controlled with the WIS Logistics Software Solutions warehouse integration and management software.
Interagrovial thus strengthens its leadership in the country’s agricultural sector with cutting-edge technology for its new Logistics Centre, which was inaugurated on Friday 2nd of June 2023 by the Secretary of the Presidency of Uruguay, Mr. Alvaro Delgado, and the president of the company Interagrovial, Mr. Julio Blanco.
Founded in 1967 as a family business by Mr. Julio Blanco, Interagrovial has developed over these more than 50 years accompanying the agricultural growth of Uruguay in general and serving areas that have improved their production figures such as forestry and construction.
It is currently the official and exclusive representative in Uruguay of the John Deere brand for its agricultural, forestry and construction product lines. Always attentive to the needs and experience of customers, they provide excellent solutions for their business, not only in machinery but also in after-sales service (spare parts and technical service). Commitment, innovation and quality are the values of the John Deere brand they represent.
It has 18 selling points distributed throughout the country, making Interagrovial the company with the best coverage in the country.
Robotic automation: More spare parts, better service
As part of its ongoing commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, Interagrovial asked Smartlog to carry out a comprehensive logistics automation design project for the new Logistics Centre it was building.
They requested the incorporation of top-level technologies to improve the management and distribution system throughout the country and thus position themselves as an innovative company that is always at the forefront.
The main operational needs they raised are:
- Optimisation of the space of their new facilities.
- Optimisation of resources.
- Manage a greater quantity of spare parts.
- Traceability and real-time inventory control.
- Improve response times and service to their end customers.
- Increase the speed of order preparation.
- Improve reliability.
State-of-the-art technology
Starting with a thorough analysis and customized study focused not only on obtaining operational data, parts, density requirements, delivery speed and lay out of the new facility, but also on being able to make a 5-year growth estimate,
Smartlog has installed a robotic automation and intelligent order picking solution capable of meeting its current requirements and absorbing the estimated 5-year growth.
Smartlog’s AutoStore robotic system, together with two put-to-light tables, will allow them to store their products, manage picking tasks and prepare orders in an optimal and fast way to service their 18 points of sale.
To achieve even greater efficiency, it integrates the entire logistics operation with its own WIS warehouse management software, as well as a customised corrective and preventive maintenance package. In this way, corrective maintenance costs are minimised, resulting in maximum availability and profitability of the implemented solutions.
The first intelligent mobile robotics system AutoStore in Uruguay
Interagrovial becomes the company that installs the first Smartlog AutoStore system in the country, one of the most avant-garde and innovative solutions in the market. The solution covers a surface area of 127 m2 and a total height of 7.50 meters. The grid is made up of 5712 cubes and works with the help of 4 robots to absorb the customer’s preparation needs.
AutoStore is a compact robot-based order picking system that allows products to be stored in cubes one on top of the other and to manage picking tasks in an optimal and fast way. It is designed to handle large volumes of fast- and slow-moving products in small orders and small bins for operations requiring high storage density.
It consists of a three-dimensional network of self-supporting containers that are moved to the picking stations by independently operating robots. The robots are equipped with a lift to pick, transport and place the product into the containers that are stored within the grid. All robots can reach any position on the grid, eliminating the risk of the system failing at a single point.
AutoStore’s intelligent robots process the orders, locate the bins containing the requested items, and transport them to the Good to person workstations for final preparation.
Each time a bin is taken to the work station, the robot returns it to the system in the same location where it was, but always on the upper level, which allows the system to learn automatically and order the items by rotation: those with the highest rotation will always be in the bins on the upper levels and those with low demand will be in the bins on the lower levels. In the event that an order requires a product with a low turnover, the robots will act in a collaborative manner by moving the bins to the upper levels.
Guaranteed availability and reliability
AutoStore is a robust system that offers one of the highest availability rates, as it does not depend on a single robot or port to be productive. When a robot or a port breaks down, productivity is temporarily reduced, but the system will continue to operate and pull orders uninterrupted. AutoStore robots work 24 hours a day.
In addition, in order to maximize the actual capacity, 2 order picking tables have been configured, integrating elements such as “put to light” picking technology that guides the people at stations 01 and 02 for accurate and efficient order picking and the guarantee of fast delivery of parts in perfect conditions for the consumer.
This integrated solution provided by Smartlog significantly reduces picking times and improves the ability to adapt to fluctuations in demand.
Discover the keys to our value proposition
- Reduction to a quarter of the space used compared to conventional racking.
- Redundant solution to avoid equipment downtime.
- Intelligent, real-time management that keeps slow-moving parts down.
- The number of lines per hour increases exponentially.
- Project sized to absorb 5-year growths.
- Immediate productivity improvement.
- Traceability of all logistics processes and monitoring indicators for constant optimisation.
We have optimised space
We have managed to optimise storage space by 400%. AutoStore allows for various configurations to accommodate different building heights, spans multiple levels and can even go around obstacles in the warehouse, such as pillars or walls. The modular design of the system also allows it to be disassembled and reassembled in a new location.
We have improved productivity
We have managed to increase productivity as the system is able to do more than 92 movements/h with 4 robots during the 16 working hours.
Solution dimensioned for growth in 5 years
We have dimensioned the solution to absorb growth in activity over the next 5 years and an increase in the number of items in the catalogue without any physical limits.
AutoStore is flexible, easily scalable and constantly adapts to the current and future demands of both warehouse and business growth.
Significant additional growth is possible by simply adding more bins, more robots or more ports to increase speed. In addition, this system can be easily relocated to a new facility.
We have improved your profitability and competitiveness
The solutions implemented have enabled improved profitability and customer service by offering maximum product availability, accurate delivery and reduced lead times.
We have contributed to energy efficiency
We have achieved considerable savings on energy bills. The energy consumption of ten AutoStore robots is no more than that of a conventional hoover, and they have battery recharging technology as they are in operation. Space optimisation also reduces the surface area to be illuminated. AutoStore’s technology definitely contributes to reducing its carbon footprint.
We have provided data intelligence
With the WIS warehouse management system, the customer can carry out intelligent, real-time management and traceability of all logistics processes for constant improvement.
We have brought benefits to staff
The ergonomic design of the product-to-person workstations means that the port is at the height of the person and there is no need to stand up or bend down to handle items. Another advantage is the ease of learning and use.