News
Ancra Systems is always on the move. Here you can read the latest news about our innovations, projects and the exhibitions we are attending.
Please also see our list of publications in print media in our Ancra press coverage list.
Ancra Systems has been awarded the contract by SAS Automotive to supply a large and complex system for fully automated truck loading at their brand new production facility in Gent (Belgium). By entering into a close cooperation with CSi industries, they have succeeded to design, build and install the system in record breaking time.
SAS is manufacturer of completely assembled dashboards en supplies these from a new production facility in Gent to the close by factory of Volvo. The new factory of SAS has been built to meet the increased capacity demand of Volvo. For the automated truck loading and unloading systems, SAS was looking for a supplier that was capable to deliver a turn key solution in a very short period of time.
Because of the short time line, Ancra entered into a close cooperation with CSi from Raamsdonksveer. By creating one project team, they succeeded in installing the complete system within 4 months. As planned, the systems have been commissioned in December.
The system is designed to automatically unload empty skids (2.2 meters wide) at two levels that come from Volvo and automatically transfer these skids to the assembly line. Meanwhile, full skids are taken from the assembly line and loaded in two levels in trailers in the exact right frequency. To meet these functional requirements, multiple chain conveyors, turn tables, elevators and a shuttle car are part of the overall design.
This advanced type of automation saves the customer substantial labour cost, decreases product damage and increases the supply chain reliability. Furthermore, much less trailers are needed to shuttle the same amount of cargo to Volvo, due to a highly reduced ‘truck turn around time’ at the dock
Automatic truck loading in record breaking time at SAS Automotive:ATLS SAS, Gent
We are pleased to announce that Ancra Systems BV was awarded Logistics Innovation of 2011 in Poland. The contest was organized by the Polish logistics magazine, Eurologistics. The award ceremony was held on 2 December 2011 in Warsaw during one of the most prestigious logistic event, the Transport and Logistics Gala. The event gathered about 500 managers and logistic specialists from Poland and abroad. This Innovation award is especially important for Ancra, since it has been focusing on developing the growing Polish logistics market for the last year.
The project that Ancra submitted was a automated loading and unloading solution which was installed at H&B Logistics in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. This is the logistic center for the closely Heineken brewery. The highly innovative solution consists of a combination of 8 automatic loading systems that allow loading / unloading within just 2.5min. The staging and unstaging of the pallets onto and off the systems is done by AGV’s (automated guided vehicles).The combination of the Ancra systems and the AGV’s results in a fully automated beverage warehouse solution. The complexity and size of the solution make it one of the world’s most advanced automatic truck loading and unloading systems. For more information please check out References section on our website: Heineken
To have a better overview of what we are doing and who are our clients, please check us out on yotube
Ancra Systems B.V. participated in Supply Chain Managers Congress organized by PSML. The event, which took place in Warsaw 20-21th October 2011, gathered a lot of audience, mainly logistic managers.They met to discus new possibilities to optimize supply chain processes.
As a Congress Partner, Ancra had a possibility to exhibit its products and to present, via the speech of Kees van Leeuwen, the conception, functioning and application of automated truck loading and unloading systems. The solution proposed by Ancra Systems, that allow among others an essential time (from 30 to about 2 min.), assets, workforce and space reduction met with huge enthusiasm, the more so because it’s brand new application on polish market.
Furthermore the company’s experience as well as wide portfolio of realized projects ( DHL, Heineken, P&G, Toyota, Audi, Unilever, Danish Post or La Poste) were factors that drew participants’ attention.
This is another step that Ancra Systems decided to take inorder to expand company’s activity to Poland that, as economic outlook foresees, is a promising and meaningful market for logistics.
Ancra Systems installed a loading and unload special triple-floor system for high volume catalogue and internet logistic company for BAUR Versand. The system allows delivery of a higher volume of products within a shorter time without damage to the goods. Check out what the logistics media writes about this new solution: Special triple-floor system for BAUR Versand
Integration of automatic truck loading with compact pallet storage-/sorting system increases efficiency significantly
Truck loading and unloading specialist Ancra Systems have introduced together with VTSK Systems a fully automatic compact solution to store, sort, buffer and Load / Unload pallets. This is done by the integration of an Ancra truck loading system combined with the OptilogX system produced by VTSK. In this way a very compact and flexible system with high throughput was created.
Due to combining both systems around 160 pallets can be sorted, buffered and loaded per hour, which amounts to approximately 5 trailers. The system can be easily modified with extensions.
The combined systems can dispatch different pallet types or other load carriers in varying load patterns.
The OptilogX itself is a very compact pallet storage- and sortation system. While the Ancra system can be integrated in the OptilogX, the combination does not require additional placings.
The combination is particularly appropriate for warehouse operations with middle to high volumes (1000 – 4000 pallets per day) combined with shuttle transport. Additionally it creates big advantages for cross-docking purposes, whereas the system can be used for intake and dispatch.
Jasper van den Driest, managing director Ancra Systems, about the cooperation: ‘The combination of both systems constitutes a very interesting solution for clients.’ Dennis van der Dussen, sales director VTSK Systems, adds: ‘Both the OptilogX system as the loading and unloading systems are proven techniques. Furthermore, coupling the systems turned out to be technically easy and therefore cost efficient.’
In addition to the developments above, Ancra Systems are currently working on a new fully automated loading system that does not require any modifications to the trailer. Ancra expects to introduce this loading system mid 2011 and plans to integrate it with the OptilogX system too. This will create an even more increase in scope.
The launch of this technical and commercial cooperation starts at the Prologistics 2010 exhibition on September 29th and 30th in Brussels where Ancra and VTSK will share a stand.
