Warehouses were once simply storage systems that were filled and emptied using manual pallet trucks or forklifts. Today’s fully automated high bay storage (HBS) warehouses play a vital role in optimizing decoupled, flexible production processes.
As the range of brands and formats used in the tobacco industry becomes increasingly complex, production plants face a constantly growing set of challenges in terms of adaptability and capacity. Yet any production process can only be as efficient and flexible as the logistics that support it. Modern high bay storage (HBS) systems lie at the heart of warehousing and transportation solutions. Hauni is a specialist supplier of quality solutions for fully automated high bay storage warehouses at every stage of the production chain – for tobacco in the primary, as a filter reservoir for storing filter rods before they are joined in cigarette or multifilter machines in the Secondary or for storing finished goods.
Filter production: decoupling raises efficiencyIn the increasingly complex world of filter production, high-performance intra-logistics are the key to efficiency and flexibility. The HBS system automatically transports filter rods packed in trays from the filter maker to the warehouse and opens the way for customers to integrate unlimited storage capacity into their existing world of Hauni makers and logistics components. The filter rods remain here until they are automatically transported to the cigarette or multifilter maker, which retrieves them when needed. Depending on the requirements of the process, the filter rods may be stored here for only a short time in order to guarantee ideal curing of the filters or for a longer period, e.g. to enable production of a whole week’s or month’s supply of a small series filter type to be completed in one run. “Decoupling the production of filters and multifilters or cigarettes boosts machinery capacity utilization right along the line,” explains Martin Vitz, project manager engineering. “Because the different makers can operate independently of each other and therefore produce cigarettes and filters without interruption, it is possible to maximize their efficiency on every level. Moreover, the ability to store excess production enables customers to reduce the number of set-up changes required during the manufacturing process.” Further advantages of HBS include optimized utilization of space and maximum warehouse transparency. Overall, HBS has proven itself to be a perfect solution for highly flexible storage in filter production. It therefore also qualifies as an attractive alternative for warehousing in cigarette production.