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Benefits of using a crane-based ASRS:
- Less expensive than traditional storage
and blending methods
- Maximizes floor space, since containers
can be stacked 4 units high
- More efficient than manual handling
- Improves safety, protecting workers
and equipment
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The Opportunity
Novozymes, a world leader in bio-innovation, makes
enzymes, a key component in manufacturing
bioethanol. Various custom "blends" of enzymes are
formulated to break down the starches and sugars
in corn, switchgrass and agricultural residue,
allowing these products to be processed more
efficiently into ethanol.
Headquartered in North Carolina, Novozymes
committed to build a new facility in Blair, Nebraska,
where raw materials for biofuel are grown. This
strategy allowed them to be located close to
customers who manufacture the final product, and
save on fuel and transportation costs. Harsh
Nebraska winters mandated an indoor storage
warehouse to receive and blend enzyme products.
The Solution
"The nature of our business, which involves customblending
specific enzymes to meet the requirements
of ethanol producers, made automated storage and
recovery an obvious choice," said Fred Reikowsky,
Novozymes Blair Plant Manager. "To effectively
manage our inventory, we needed a crane-based
automated storage and recovery system." (ASRS)
The enzyme concentrates blended in Blair are
produced all over the world, transported on
container ships, and arrive at Novozymes' Nebraska
facility by truck in 8-foot by 18-foot ISO tanks that fit
within a rectangle matching the standard 20-foot
container. Another option is a Flexi-bag container; a
20-foot container lined with heavy plastic that
weighs 40 metric tonnes at half-full.
Konecranes' U. S. process crane group designed an
automated system that had all the elements
Novozymes was looking for.
Inside the 90 by 250-foot warehouse, Konecranes'
radio-controlled, 40 metric tonne Class E automated
crane operates on an 80-foot span, with a 50-foot lift
under a 60-foot ceiling. Trucks drive in at one end of
the building, and the spreader is manually attached
to the ISO or Flexi-bag container. Then automation
takes over. The crane turns the container 90
degrees, picks an xy location in one of four tier
levels, stores it, and then records the location in
memory. Each container can be recalled again
automatically, and the crane can stack individual
containers up to 4 units high.
When the facility receives an order, the crane
automatically recovers the specified container,
identified through container and batch numbers in a
bar-code system and tracked through Konecranes
ASRS system software. After arriving at the blending
station, the crane lowers the container to blending
position. Final positioning is manually conducted by
an operator. After blending, the enzyme is loaded
into tanker trucks and shipped to ethanol producers.
And the customer says . . .
"Customers don't purchase just one enzyme," says
Reikowsky. "They order a combination of two or
three or several enzymes specifically suited to the
raw material they are working with. That's why
automation was such an important factor in the
crane purchase. The warehouse control software
knows what product is in what location. When we
specify the elements of the recipe the customer
requires, it knows where to move boxes to retrieve
the container we need. It's an efficiency tool we're
utilizing to improve our business."
is a proud member of the CMAA Industry Group of the
Material Handling Industry of America
7300 Chippewa Blvd.
Houston, TX 77086
800-231-0241
www.konecranesamericas.com