QVC benefits from the ‘waterfall effect’
Home shopping channel QVC approached Newland Conveyors to implement the automatic loading of cartons into its trailers.
Newland initially was a little cautious when approached by QVC. Its established Auto-Loader product was a proven design for loading mail sacks & catalogue bags, it had never been used for loading cartons/boxes.
Mail sacks and catalogue sacks have a natural ‘angle of repose’ when loaded on top of one another whereas cartons / boxes behave differently. This is especially so as the cartons at QVC are of varying size & weight.
Trials were carried out at the QVC distribution centre in Knowsley using one of the Newland multi-telescopic units from the hire fleet. This was fitted with sensors and mounted on a mobile twin powered chassis to simulate an Auto-loader telescopic unit with slewing left/right & raise/lower movement.
Working closely with John Pickavance, engineering maintenance & project manager of QVC & his engineering team, trials were carried out over a four month period. The trials proved to be very successful, going through a number of Auto-Fill cycle patterns and using all the different carton sizes & weights. From the information gathered, a program using Siemens software was designed specifically for the loading of cartons/boxes to avoid any damage and give a minimum of 80% trailer fill.
QVC has recently installed a fourth Auto-Loader. The Auto-Fill program has evolved from the first machine installed at QVC to the current ‘Waterfall Effect’ vehicle fill pattern. The Auto-Fill cycle starts with a low level left/right sweep of the vehicle building up to the ‘Waterfall’. Sensors mounted on the front telescopic boom in a specially designed PVC casing detect product build-back, vehicle walls & ceiling.
The control panel is fitted with a HMI touch screen showing graphics with ‘Real Time’ Vehicle Fill; Auto-Fill Cycle Complete; and Machine Diagnostic fault check of motors & sensors. The HMI screen can also include machine maintenance schedule & manual.
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When the Auto–Loader has completed its fill cycle, it automatically retracts and lowers to its ‘At Rest’ position, giving an output signal at the same time to a flashing beacon from the control panel to indicate fill-cycle complete.
The Auto-Loader is mounted on a powered slewing chassis to move in an arc left/right & right/left. The QVC Auto-Loaders are also fitted on two additional chassis. Traversing chassis to enable the Auto-loader to operate on several doorways and a forward /reverse chassis.
John Pickavance says: “We are extremely pleased with the performance of the Auto-Loaders. Cartons are received onto the Auto-Loader belt from a tilt tray sorter. Initially the project was contracted for a minimum of 2,000 items per trailer, we are now averaging 6,500 items.’’
Mrs Lynn Kerfoot MBE, managing director of Newland Engineering adds: “We worked together with the engineering department of QVC as a team. The relationship and trust between our two companies was very good and ultimately very beneficial to both.
“We can now offer true ‘Hands Free’ loading of non palletised cartons to end users and can also act as system integrators covering high bay storage to vehicle despatch.”
Video footage of the Auto loaders at QVC can be viewed on the Newland website:
