Interroll conducts research project with universities in Germany and China
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sant'Antonino. The Interroll Group, a global player in the fields of conveyor technology, logistics and automation, has launched a scientific study for the sustainable construction and operation of distribution centres. The study is being conducted in collaboration with Leibniz University in Hannover (Germany) and Southeast University Nanjing (China).
The goal of the study is to write a simulation programme that can calculate the performance data of distribution centres for fast-moving and moderately fast-moving merchandise,” explains Jens Karolyi, Vice President Corporate Marketing. “The programme will identify long-term optimization potentials for newly built distributing centres and for modernizations of existing centres, and it will also provide professional and practical support for investment decisions.”
The simulation tool that is currently being developed will evaluate benchmark data such as throughput, number of employees, operating and energy costs, etc. and then generate predictions with regard to energy balance, optimization potentials, overall operating costs and ROI time. “With project simulations such as these, we’ll be able to offer significant added value to our customers and to the operators of distribution centres worldwide. Furthermore, the plausibility of a calculation for an individual project can always be compared with reference projects from our many other applications around the world,” Karolyi adds.
In addition to experts from Interroll, the project team includes competent partners from Leibniz University in Hannover (Germany) and Southeast University Nanjing. The scientific coordinator is Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Lothar Schulze, who heads the Department of Planning and Controlling of Warehouse and Transport Systems (PSLT) at Leibniz University. The partner in the Chinese market is Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lindu Zhao from the Institute of Systems Engineering at Southeast University Nanjing. The project was launched at the beginning of September 2011 and will be completed by the end of March 2012.
Under the direction of Prof. Lothar Schulze, the faculty for the planning and administration of warehousing and transportation systems (PSLT) at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University in Hannover focuses on teaching, research and industrial projects, and inquires into praxis-relevant questions in the fields of material flow and logistics. “For many years, our faculty has cultivated a lively research and education partnership with Southeast University Nanjing. Our research project with the worldwide Interroll Group and Southeast University Nanjing facilitates a global context,” explains Prof. Schulze.
Interroll moved into a larger production facility in China this year, a step that represents its second large expansion phase since it entered this emerging market. The new plant in Suzhou, which is located to the west of Shanghai, will officially be opened in September 2011. It serves as a regional Centre of Excellence for Asia and strengthens Interroll’s customer services in China and other Asian markets. The enterprise manufactures and/or assembles on its own the entire spectrum of products and provides application engineering, so it can accordingly widen the spectrum of customer services, shorten delivery times, and complete smaller and larger projects on schedule.
Interroll Group profile
Interroll is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the fields of unit-load handling, internal logistics and automation. Its products are used primarily in the areas of food processing, airport logistics, postal services, distribution and in various segments of industry. They include easy-to-integrate drive solutions such as drum motors for belt conveyors, conveyor rollers and DC-powered rollers for conveyor systems; gravity-fed flow storage modules for compact pallet and container racking systems in distribution centres; crossbelt sorters, belt curves and other user-friendly conveyor modules for cost-efficient material flow systems. Interroll serves more than 23,000 customers, mainly regional plant manufacturers and engineering firms as well as system integrators, multinationals and end-users. Interroll has 1,500 employees working at 28 companies and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Managed by a strategic holding company, based in Sant'Antonino, Switzerland, the Group is split into two global business divisions: “Global Sales & Service” markets and distributes the full range of Interroll products in line with customer requirements; “Products & Technology” oversees the global Centres of Excellence and other production facilities, with responsibilities ranging from R&D, global product management and strategic purchasing to production technology and manufacturing.
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For more information please contact:
Lorenz G. Koehler
+41 91 850 25 21
l.koehler@interroll.com, www.interroll.com
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