Fixed path: Telescoping conveyor extends productivity

Samsonite International S.A. markets a range of luggage, business and casual bags, and travel accessories. It employs about 8,000 people worldwide and reported net sales of more than $2 billion in 2013, an increase of 15% from 2012. When installing a telescopic conveyor to improve the ergonomics of manual truck loading, the company was able to avoid any alterations to the leased building.

The company’s 81,000-cubic-foot distribution center in Belgium stores approximately 5,000 varieties of suitcases weighing between 8 pounds and 48 pounds. They are picked by hand and placed on a belt or roller conveyor before being transported automatically through the system, down a chute and to the new telescoping conveyor.

On average, 40 to 50 units are loaded or unloaded each day from a variety of trailers including small, 45-feet and high-cube. The extendable conveyor with operator platform is able to reach up to 53 feet into the back of a truck and can handle up to 100 pounds. Items traveling along the conveyor are validated against the shipping note. Any item mistakenly included in the dispatch is diverted automatically to a reject area, where it is removed by hand.

“Even with the challenge of putting the puzzle together so space is utilized in the best way possible, we manage to load about 25 cartons per minute, which is quite a speed,” says Germain Ghys, manager at the DC. “With extendables, this process is not only fast, it’s ergonomic.”

When the vehicle is docked and ready to be loaded, the conveyor operator extends the boom into the truck. Integral lighting brightens up the work environment; and as boxes are stacked, the operator can raise himself and the conveyor to an appropriate working height. Ghys says trucks can now be loaded with virtually no lifting, which means that any member of the workforce is able to manage the task.

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