ILS European Logistics and Development Centre in Zakroczym, thanks to just finishing construction of fifth hall, enters the year 2020 with new possibilities. At the beginning of the year, new part of the premises will be approved for use, providing an extra floor space of 22,000 m². After the investment has been finished, the floor space of warehouses in ILS Centre Zakroczym shall reach impressive 67,000 m², i.e. the size of over 9 football pitches.
The new facility will allow for the division of the zones of receipt and issue of goods, which will significantly improve the complex logistics process of goods throughout the Centre.
Increased warehouse space, which will definitely influence the company’s work efficiency, is also significant.
ILS Sp. z o.o. is a logistics operator of the Inter Cars S.A. Capital Group, providing warehousing, distribution and transport services for the Inter Cars Group. The warehouse in Zakroczym directly serves countries in Central and Eastern Europe, i.e. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine. Additionally Inter Cars realizes direct shipment of goods to the countries of Western Europe, i.e. England, Ireland, France, Finland or Germany, which do not have a brick-and-mortar sales network, thanks to the ILS activity. In addition to the Inter Cars Group, the company also provides 3PL (third-party logistics) services for other entities, e.g. Inter Cars suppliers. At one point it was decided that the existing halls became “too cramped” and that it would be necessary to restructure the facility, which was done by building a new, fifth hall.
The new facility was technically and dimensionally adapted to the existing halls and was connected to one of them by a wall. – This was one of the reasons for the difficulty of the investment – says Radosław Wielechowski, ILS Contract Manager – The construction of the huge new area could not disturb the work of the Centre, at the same time maintaining maximum safety both on the construction site and in the existing warehouses, where 1,500 people work three shifts a day, six days a week.
The fifth hall, with a storage height of 11.40 m, is divided into a warehouse area (approx. 21 000 m²) and an office area (1200 m²).
The hall is equipped with a four-storey rack system with the height of 10.20 m for the storage of oils, lubricants, liquids and metal components (oversized items). The rack structure is equipped with roller tracks and fixed tracks for efficient and safe pallet logistics within the rack structure.
One level of the rack is 5,636 m², i.e. 642 pallet places.
Another important piece of equipment in the new hall is the high-storage rack, suitable for storing goods on pallets.
The high storage racks will be operated by modern forklift trucks dedicated to this type of work. A system of induction lines mounted in the floor controls the work of the trolleys and at the same time supports the operators of these 6 ton vehicles. – Modern forklifts not only speed up but also significantly increase work safety, to which our company attaches great importance. As many as 10,629 pallets can be stored in the high storage racks section. For comparison, a 20ft sea container holds 10-11 pallets – adds Radosław Wielechowski.
The new hall has been equipped with modern fire protection systems and the necessary infrastructure, which ensures the safety of employees and stored materials. The installations of the new facility, meet the requirements of environmental protection and provide measurable savings during operation. Only energy-efficient lighting and a ventilation system with heat recovery were installed.
Destroyed pallets, thousands of boxes, kilometres of film and tape and tons of paper. What to do with all this? With such a huge facility, the scale of the waste production must be as great as the facility itself. – Of course, when creating our halls, we could not have forgotten about the technical facilities where the waste is pre-sorted, crushed, compacted and prepared for transport. The ecological aspect is very important to our company. In addition, tidiness in the facility also translates unquestionably into safety, which should never be underestimated. This part of the hall is therefore closed and excluded from the logistic function of the service – says Marcin Łapiński, Logistics Manager.
The construction works are fully completed and the facility looks really impressive. It is true, a certain part of the hall, which at the moment will serve as a communication hall, is designed and pre-adapted in such a way that, if necessary, it can be used to create two mezzanines and a place for an automated warehouse in the future – said Marcin Łapiński.
Another interesting technical solution is the placement of a special entrance for smaller cars (vans) in addition to the usual gates for large delivery vehicles, which acts as an enclosed vestibule. The cars stop between the outer gate and the hall gate in an enclosed space. –This way, all safety rules are respected and costs connected with heating of the facility are optimised, – says Ireneusz Świderek, Senior Logistics Operation Manager.
However, a warehouse is not just about the goods that are stored. This is, above all, people who work in it. The project could not therefore lack a social area with changing rooms, showers and bathrooms. The project also envisaged very convenient logistics between the existing and the new hall, as well as between the existing and the new office, where apart from the offices, 4 multimedia conference rooms and social rooms were designed.
The main objective of building the new hall was to secure the possibilities of further development of the whole Inter Cars Capital Group. The additional facility will allow to increase workflow and optimize existing processes, and ultimately reduce logistics costs.
– It will be a place for storing a part of oversized goods, oils and surplus goods, which will significantly facilitate work for all sections, also in other halls. In the main hall, due to the automation used there, we want to store goods which we can handle with the help of this technology, says Marcin Łapiński.
ILS wants to share its experience in constructing, adapting and running a modern warehouse on 27 February 2020 during the Professional Warehouse Workshops. It will be dedicated to all industry practitioners, managers and directors of logistics and those who work in the broadly understood supply chain. More information about the event can be found HERE.
