Success Stories - XPO
XPO Logistics increases productivity -
with automatic End-of-Line
Securing refrigerated supermarket goods for transport poses challenges for both people and machines. Thousands of different orders must be processed every day with precision, at maximum speed, and at low temperatures. To overcome these challenges, the logistics company XPO Logistics in Nieuwegein turned to Mosca. With four fully automatic SoniXs H strapping machines, the site is now giving its output a new boost.
From e-commerce to less-than-truckload shipping, XPO Logistics (now GXO Logistics) is one of the world's largest logistics companies, offering a wide range of contract logistics and transportation services. The Nieuwegein site in the Netherlands specializes in cold chain logistics: incoming reusable plastic crates are counted here, filled with refrigerated food, and finally shipped to supermarkets and discount stores. Speed is the decisive factor here; every second counts to ensure that the goods arrive at their destination fresh and safe. The company processes around 9,000 orders every day, with tens of thousands of crates full of supermarket products leaving the site daily. No two orders are alike, as the needs of supermarkets are constantly changing. To complete orders on time, the production lines in Nieuwegein operate almost around the clock, 19 hours a day.
Strapping processes that take too long
Until recently, almost the entire process was carried out manually: employees counted the incoming boxes, filled them with the ordered products, stacked them on trolleys, and finally strapped them by hand. Not only was counting all the boxes prone to errors, but the entire process also took up valuable time. It took employees between one and two minutes just to strap a single trolley.
To optimize the production line, XPO Logistics brought logistics automation company and OEM Intrion (now ABB Robotics Solutions)GmbH strapping specialist Mosca GmbH on board. Together, they developed a semi-automated line at the end of which four fully automated SoniXs MS-6 horizontal strapping machines secure the goods for transport. Where employees previously needed up to two minutes, each machine now straps a trolley in just five seconds.
Hand in Hand mit Maschinen
At the production line in Nieuwegein, humans and machines now work hand in hand: employees continue to fill the crates with the desired products, as constantly changing orders and individual crate contents require flexibility and proactive thinking. From then on, the machines take over. Whereas the crates used to have to be counted manually by employees, the trolleys are now automatically directed to two photo stations. These use machine learning to recognize how many crates are on the trolleys and which of the seven different types of crates are in use. Meanwhile, the employees can already start filling the next crates.
Depending on the number of stacked crates and their contents, each trolley ends up with a stack of crates up to 1.80 meters high and weighing between 150 and 350 kilograms. The MS-6 , which handles the final step in the production line, has no problem with this: the strapping machine automatically detects the top edge of the product stack using surface light detection and calculates the ideal height for the strapping band. To maximize output, two MS-6 are used per line. A conveyor belt brings the trolleys to them, and pushers distribute the trolleys alternately to the high-performance machines. Within just two seconds, the MS-6 straps the trolley horizontally once with 5-millimeter-wideStrap; the entire final step takes just five seconds in total. Each MS-6 can prepare around 300 trolleys per hour for transport.
| SoniXs MS-6 H | |
|---|---|
| Operating mode |
Fully automatic |
| Performance |
Up to 280 packages/h |
| Frame width |
Up to 1600 mm |
Durable despite the cold
The SoniXs MS-6 was originally developed for the furniture industry and white goods. These products present the machine with similar challenges to the trolleys in Nieuwegein: they are bulky, heavy, and need to be strapped quickly in large numbers. Christian Grosskopf, Sales Manager Food & Beverages at Mosca, explains: "To overcome these challenges, counterweights in the MS-6 reduce the power required by the motors. This creates greater dynamics and prevents resistance and mechanical friction." Additional advantages are provided by the SoniXs used by the machine to weld the strapping band: instead of using heat, the strapping unit seals the band ends with ultrasound. This prevents vapors, which is particularly important when strapping refrigerated food. The ultrasonic technology also adapts to the ambient temperature via self-calibration – ideal for the Nieuwegein plant, as the MS-6 performs at its best here under difficult conditions.
To maintain the cold chain, the entire warehouse is refrigerated. The temperature of 1.7°C poses challenges for many machines: "Very few systems are designed for these temperatures—especially since the temperature around the machine can drop to freezing point during operation," explains Guido Bos, Technical Supervisor at XPO Logistics. The reason for this is that movement creates a draft that further cools the machine. Under these conditions, very few machines last long, resulting in frequent maintenance work. Not so with the MS-6 : "The machines have worked a total of 25,000 hours over the last two years without requiring much maintenance," explains Bos. "We only have to clean them occasionally, otherwise they run 19 hours a day with very few disruptions." The machines are serviced only twice a year, and preventive maintenance almost completely eliminates machine downtime. Bos emphasizes: "This makes the MS-6 the machine with the most operating hours in the entire warehouse."
Throughput capacity is the decisive factor
In an industry where speed is of the essence, the enormous time savings achieved by Mosca high-performance strapping machines are Mosca significant. "The throughput capacity was the decisive factor in our decision to choose the SoniXs MS-6 ," confirms Bos. XPO Logistics and Intrion conducted a factory acceptance test at Mosca that the machine would deliver the promised performance—a test that the machine passed with flying colors.
Thanks to the performance of MS-6 , XPO Logistics is not only increasing the productivity of the line, but also saving money. With competing machines, three machines would have been needed per line to achieve the desired throughput – with the MS-6 , two machines are sufficient. In addition to lower investment costs, this also reduces follow-up and maintenance costs as well as the space required. Overall, the annual spare parts costs for maintenance and wear and tear for the MS-6 are just a quarter of the costs for comparable machines.
Satisfied customer
Investment in XPO Logistics has more than paid off
Instead of taking two years to pay for themselves as expected, the machines paid for themselves financially around four months earlier thanks to their high throughput.
"The SoniXs MS-6 delivers exactly what we need: it is fast, reliable, and durable. The project was a complete success."