VDL Enabling Technologies Group has engaged Inther to supply the intralogistics system for VDL's new warehouse in Almelo. This warehouse on the XL Business Park will be used by VDL for storage and order picking of materials for various production locations in the area. The automated logistics system including shuttle system is due for delivery at the end of 2025.
The total solution at VDL ETG will be controlled by Inther LC Software and will include the following components:
- Conveyor system with total length of 230 metres
- Shuttle system with 2 aisles and 44,000 storage locations
- Order picking using 6 ergonomic workstations
- Incoming goods via 8 workstations
- Palletising robot, lift and integrated scales
Extra mezzanine
CEO Paul Hermsen of Inther explains how the concept came about. "From our experience and technical knowledge, we first started with a thorough analysis beforehand to get a good understanding of the project for the best-possible solution. To make optimal use of the entire height of the warehouse at VDL ETG, we will separate the two goods flows on two levels with an additional mezzanine. The outgoing goods flow runs through a loop with six pick stations. The pallet output will be equipped with a palletising robot. We will use the shuttle system with compartmentalised bins not only for storage, but also as a buffer for the palletising robot."
Growth ambitions
The shuttle system has two aisles. Each aisle has 35 levels, is 13 metres high and 60 metres long. At each location, three bins can be put away in a row. "This allowed us to already take VDL ETG's future growth ambitions into account when designing the system. The entire intralogistics system is compact enough to allow for multiple expansions in, for example, storage and/or order picking capacity in the future," Hermsen concludes.
