In order for waste management to be as efficient and time-saving as possible at your warehouse, it is not sufficient to just focus on what machines you need but also to pay attention to the internal logistics. The entire waste stream has to be optimized: waste being transported from the source, where goods is unpacked, to a baler or briquette press in the warehouse and then bales and briquettes being transported to a collection point outdoors for pick up and transfer to a recycling station. This article presents how a large warehouse invested in AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) forklift trucks and improved internal logistics.

Large e-commerce warehouse invested in high-tech waste management with advanced warehouse logistics

A large Swedish e-commerce warehouse, that handles a lot of products sold online, faced a big challenge. When a large amount of incoming goods was unpacked and then repacked, it generated a lot of packaging waste that had to be dealt with in a smart way. The used packaging material was thrown into bins and due to the vast accumulation of waste at the different picking stations, the bins had to be emptied up to 50 times per day! The waste handling resulted in a significant loss of valuable working time in the warehouse.

The warehouse realized that they needed help to optimize their waste management, especially in terms of logistics in the warehouse. To meet the challenge and efficiently manage the daily vast volumes of waste, Orwak’s Swedish sales organization – ATS-Orwak – proposed a modern high-tech solution that involves AGV forklift trucks. It is solution that works very well for another customer in the Netherlands.

All picking stations have their own bins that get filled with empty packaging material. When a bin is full, a signal is automatically sent to one of the AGVs that operates in the warehouse. The AGV picks up the bin and transports it to the waste station, where, with the use of a bin lifter, the packaging material is disposed of into a compactor. The empty bin is then returned to the pick-up station. Depending on the volumes of waste and on the preferred recyclable waste product – bales or briquettes – the packaging material can just as easily be emptied into a horizontal baler or a briquette press.

This type of solution based on AGV forklift trucks is unique in Sweden, but it is very likely that more companies will embrace this type of smart and effective solution. An AGV forklift truck of this type can make 80 rounds per day, which is time-saving and increases productivity in the business significantly.

If you are planning to rebuild, expand or move a warehouse or distribution center, or want help to optimize the internal waste logistics on your premises, please contact Orwak! We are happy to guide you to the optimal waste management solution for your business.

Inlägget AGV forklifts optimize logistics at large warehouse dök först upp på Orwak.

The work is not done just because your new waste management solution is in place and in use. The baler and the briquette press must be cleaned regularly and serviced at least once a year to ensure that they are still functional and safe. It is also important to continuously monitor the operations and the waste streams in your business in order to adapt waste management to possible changes in waste volume and type of material.

The first step to streamline waste management at your warehouse or logistics center is, of course, to plan and outline a solution optimized for your business. Once the solution is in place and in use, it is important not to lean back and become complacent.

Longer service life thanks to regular care and service

With relatively simple means and routines you can extend the service life of your waste compactors and balers. With common sense and regular maintenance you will go quite far! A general advice is to treat the waste compaction equipment like you treat your car. Wash, clean and try to keep the balers clean and orderly. Then they will last for a long time.

In order to make sure the machines are fully functional and safe to use, it is also important to let a trained service technician make a thorough check up and inspection of the machine at least once a year to make sure everything is working properly. Just like a car inspection!

Sign up for a service agreement – a brilliant idea

Orwak has an international network of distributors and service partners and we recommend our customers to sign a service agreement when purchasing new machines or implementing a new waste solution. If the customers choose to rent the machines instead, the service agreement is often part of the package.

With a service agreement in place, a service technician normally visits your warehouse or logistics center once or twice a year depending on the type of baler or briquette press you have, performs maintenance and makes a full inspection to make sure the machines are functional and safe for the warehouse staff to use. If something unexpected happens and the baler or waste compactor is in need of repair, a trained service technician will be sent out to make sure the machine is up and running again as soon possible.

It is part of a long-term commitment and relation with our customers and with a service agreement you do not need to worry about service and maintenance. It will be taken care of!

Evaluate and follow up

After your new waste management solution is implemented, it is important that you follow up and evaluate the results of your new solution. Over time, the amount of waste and the type of waste you manage will most likely change and that requires a corresponding adjustment of your waste disposal strategy and possibly an upgrade of the waste management solution. This is something Orwak and our partners can help you with.

In other words, optimized and effective waste management is an ongoing project. Therefore, in order to save as much time and costs as possible, continuous reviews of the waste streams and regular inspections and maintenance of the waste management equipment are recommended.

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Tommy is one of the leading Croatian retail chains with 206 points of sale, where over 200 000 loyal customers shop on a daily basis. Tommy has recently invested in a new effective waste management solution, Orwak balers for sorting and compaction of recyclables.

It is impressive to be one of the biggest food retail chains in Croatia and the largest company and employer in Dalmatia and South Croatia. Tommy is continuously growing and developing and operates more than 200 stores in different sizes from “supermarket”, the local convenience stores in residential areas and cities, to “hipermarket”, the megastores for the weekly grocery shopping.

Cardboard volumes were a challenge

To handle all the empty packaging material, mainly cardboard, from the constant goods deliveries was a big challenge and in spring 2018, Tommy signed a contract with Interseroh, environmental service provider and Orwak distributor in Croatia, for a new effective waste management solution for the stores.

New waste management solution

The following months, more than 70 Orwak balers have already been delivered to Tommy stores. The high capacity yet low-built Orwak baler POWER 3420 with several modern features is ideal for the big stores, which deal with really large volumes of cardboard.

Compact design crucial

The best selection for the smaller stores with limited ceiling height is the COMPACT family – the smallest balers in the Orwak range. The newest addition, model 3120 is the most popular choice among these stores. It has a convenient compact design and low height and yet offers a wide loading gate and produces a bale weight in line with what the recycler prefers to pick up. Compact machine design is essential at sites, where the baler will be installed at the second floor and needs to fit into an elevator to get there.

Big balers at the warehouses

In addition, Tommy uses the toughest Orwak baler, POWER 3620, at the three central warehouses to compact huge volumes of cardboard and plastic foil.

Less manual labor, more efficiency

Before the investment in the Orwak balers, some stores used press containers out back, but most of the stores throw the cardboard in 1100 L bins. As there was no compaction, the bins filled up quickly and the staff had to put in a lot of time and energy to squeeze in more cardboard in the bins.

Tommy is happy with the new Orwak baler solution and the advice and service from Interseroh. The most evident advantages are the increased efficiency and the improved working environment; much less manual labor; less time spent on cutting and folding boxes.

Automatic sliding door

The POWER balers are equipped with automatic sliding doors, so that the door is always open when the staff returns with more cardboard and the aperture is at an ergonomic height for loading the material.

More space, more recycling

Furthermore, replacing the 1100 L bins with one baler and a neat pile of bales saves a lot of value storage space, which is important for the stores located in the city center and with the new solution, the cardboard balers from the Tommy stores will be recycled, which contributes to a sustainable business.

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Inlägget Tommy – a leading retail chain invests in Orwak balers dök först upp på Orwak.

How you handle your waste at your warehouse and logistics center can make a big difference in cost and time. For the cheapest and most efficient waste management, it is highly recommended that you sort all your waste and separate it in different bins. Depending on the type of waste you deal with, there are solutions optimized for your situation.

The most common waste types in warehouses and logistics centers are cardboard, dry mixed waste destined for incineration, plastic foil and wood, in that order. As different waste solutions are suitable for different types of waste, it is important not only to look at the amount of waste, but also at the kind of waste involved.

Orwak, as provider of waste compaction solutions, has long experience from different waste types and applications and when our sales reps visit customers, they do not only look at how much waste there is to handle, but also what the waste consists of and what fractions it can be divided into.

Corrugated cardboard is the most frequent waste type, but cardboard is not just cardboard. There are different kinds of it and we must also look at the density and determine if it is the one-, two- or three-layer type and to consider the dimensions of the boxes. All these factors matters when recommending the best waste management solution.

A common mistake – machines with insufficient capacity

When the waste management solution is not adapted to the type or volume of material, it often results in unnecessary time-consuming waste handling. If the waste compaction equipment in use is not powerful enough to compact the waste, the staff must put in manual labor to compact the waste by hand and foot. They cut boxes open, flatten them and push to make them fit into an overloaded machine or they jump in a container to be able to throw in more packaging waste. The staff does its best to cope with the situation, but it is time consuming and a safety risk in the working environment.

It is quite common that companies use compaction equipment with insufficient capacity for the current volumes of waste. The capacity may have been right in the beginning but the business has expanded and the machines have not been upgraded to keep up with that development.

Sorting at source is the cheapest and most efficient way

Sorting all waste directly at the warehouse is the cheapest and most efficient way to handle the waste. The optimal solution is to compact each type of waste separately in different balers or briquette presses. It minimizes the number of transports, which saves money and is better for the environment. Disposing of all material in the same container or compacting mixed waste in one baler or waste compactor can seem easier, but with the right solution, it does not take more time to sort the waste at source instead. In addition, you do not have to pay any processing fee to the waste collection company to sort the waste, so sorting at source is a cheaper solution.

Today the waste management becomes increasingly digitized and automated, which makes the work to sort waste easier and easier. In some environments where AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) forklifts bring the waste from the picking station to the compactors, the warehouse personnel only need to make sure to put the right type of waste into the right bin at the picking station, the rest is handled automatically.

Centralized or decentralized waste management depends on space and distance

The goal when a new waste solution is planned for a warehouse or logistics center is primarily to save as much time, and thus money, as possible. It is also important to free valuable floor space, so that the regular operation runs smoothly without disturbance. Therefore, in addition to the waste itself, it is essential to look at the whole picture – the conditions at the premises.

The internal logistics must be taken into consideration; how far the waste has to be transported to a central waste station. If it is a long way, it is preferable to place balers or briquette presses, provided that there is room for them indoors, at the picking stations to avoid spend unnecessary walks or drives back and forth with the waste.

If the waste is compacted at source in the warehouse, there will be significantly fewer internal transports, when bringing the dense bales or briquettes to the central waste station or collection point for the waste management company. This saves both time and money!

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Inlägget It is always cheaper to sort the waste dök först upp på Orwak.

Orwak celebrates the production of machine number 100 000 in our factory in Sweden since the start in 1971! It is a major milestone in Orwak’s history showing our strength as a worldwide world-class manufacturer of waste compaction equipment. Watch the video greeting from Orwak HQ and see machine no. 100 000 being born!

Today, Orwak is a world leader in waste compaction solutions, but it all began in the 70s, when Orwak invented the classic in-bag-compactor 5030, a patented solution that was displayed at major exhibitions and led to an early international success.

The 5030, in new design, is still going strong and maintains its solid market position in the hotel & restaurant segment.

The first Orwak unit           The 5030, still a best seller in the restaurant segment

Over the years, the focus in the product range has shifted to vertical balers and automated systems. Orwak has always been in the forefront of innovation and develops new concepts and provides the market with innovative waste handling and recycling solutions. Since the beginning in the 70s, the Orwak machines have traveled far and wide and the installed base in the world is substantial. Our balers and waste compactors have reached every continent, even a research station in Antarctica!

In spring 2018, Orwak launched the newest addition to the product range, model 3120; a baler that offers strong compaction on the spot: compact machine design, yet convincing volume reduction and a bale weight of up to 100 kg. It is part of our new generation of balers with intelligent features and prepared for M2M communication.

The launch was a success and it has become a very popular part of the range. Therefore, it is not surprising that machine no. 100 000 is of model 3120 and today, the devoted Orwak team is gathered to celebrate the happy occasion. We are proud of it and all the prior 99 999 successful deliveries since 1971 and are looking forward to many more to come!

Tomas Johansson, Sales & Marketing Director at Orwak, comments:

“This is an important milestone in Orwak’s history, showing our strength as a worldwide, world-class manufacturer of waste compaction equipment. All members of the Orwak team both at the factory and around the world should be proud of the joint effort to be where we are today.”

Inlägget Orwak celebrates machine no. 100 000 since 1971 dök först upp på Orwak.

Some fearlessly sail the seven seas, some find their places in the most remote locations, while others move into prominent people’s homes or become residents of official buildings and famous landmarks.

Wherever they go, they are appreciated for their dutiful service and the benefits they bring to the business and many have an exciting story to tell! As a special edition celebrating Orwak’s machine no. 100 000, watch a movie that will take you from icy mountain tops and the frozen continent Antarctica to the desert sun in the Middle East and to prominent people’s homes and residences: https://youtu.be/uCe2WvGfRjs

Inlägget Orwak travels the world dök först upp på Orwak.

When building new or rebuilding existing warehouses and logistics centers, it is important to include waste management in the plan at an early stage. If it is initiated late in the process, mistakes are often made, or worse – no decisions, which can lead to expensive and ineffective solutions that also affect the working environment in the warehouse.

Inlägget Building a new warehouse? Start planning waste management from the beginning! dök först upp på Orwak.

Inlägget Christmas Greeting from TOM in Helsinki, Finland dök först upp på Orwak.

Warehouses and distribution centers are often very large, consisting of several floors and sometimes even several buildings. The waste handling and transportation can be a major challenge in this type of environment. When building new or making additions to existing warehouses, it is important to organize the waste management strategically and effectively, so that the final result turns out as well as possible.

Unfortunately, waste management might be forgotten or at least less prioritized at the planning stage, which can result in unnecessarily expensive and ineffective solutions. In this article, we will review what is important to consider regarding waste management solutions when building a new warehouse or adding a new section to it.

Regardless what the reasons are for building a new or expanding an existing warehouse or logistics center, the challenges are similar, and it does not really matter if it is a warehouse or logistics center, the principle is the same. There are goods coming in and goods sent out, and a huge volume of packaging waste, often in the form of corrugated cardboard and plastic wrappings, is left behind and needs to be taken care of.

Optimize valuable retail and storage space with efficient waste management

One of the most common reasons for building a new warehouse is to have one central warehouse, thus optimizing the retail space by removing as much as possible of the storage space from the individual stores. But with a large central warehouse, there will be more waste and higher demands on efficient waste management solutions.

The ever-present challenge of new construction or extension is to get maximum storage space on a surface that is as small as possible. Storage space is valuable and therefore smart solutions are required to optimize the area you have to work with.

Think about waste management right from the beginning

A common mistake for both small and larger companies when planning a new building or an extension is to forget about how the waste streams shall be handled.

It is often so, that the drawings of the entire construction are finished before anyone takes the waste management solutions into account. It can have expensive consequences and result in a less efficient flow in the warehouse. It is ideal for all parties, if a supplier of waste management solutions gets involved at an early stage of the planning to make suggestions and recommendations. At that point the supplier is able to recommend different solutions, than if it is only involved later, and it is very likely that the warehouse will get a sustainable solution instead of an emergency last minute solution.

Consider how it will actually work and look at similar solutions

The waste equipment supplier Orwak comments: “If we come in early in the process, we will first and foremost gather information to get a clear picture of what it will look like when it is ready. What type of goods will be received and where? What kind of packaging and what volumes of it are expected? How to organize the waste handling most effectively in the warehouse; centralized, decentralized or perhaps a combination of both?”

“It is important to ask the right questions. Of course, there will be some assumptions and you must roughly estimate the kind of waste and the potential volumes, which the warehouse will have to deal with. Then we can start thinking about different solutions and look at similar reference cases to see how they have solved their waste management. We have helped many warehouses and distribution centers with their waste management, so we have a lot of knowledge and best practices to share.”

It is expensive to make mistakes, so do it right from the start

The smart way to achieve a sustainable waste management solution is therefore to involve us at the very beginning of the process. Do not wait until the new warehouse is already in place. It can be very expensive to make mistakes, when it comes to waste management. On the other hand, you can save a lot of money with the right solution.

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Inlägget How to optimize waste management at your new warehouse? dök först upp på Orwak.

Team Rynkeby is a North European charity cycling team, who cycles to Paris every summer to raise money for seriously ill children. In 2018, the team donated in total €9.4 million to this cause. In Sweden, the entire donation goes to the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Orwak will be a proud sponsor of Team Rynkeby 2019, when a member of our team, Anders Lorentzson, is one of the devoted cyclists.

BY BIKE TO PARIS TO SEE TOUR DE FRANCE

Team Rynkeby was founded in 2002, when 11 enthusiastic amateur cyclists decided to ride to Paris to see the final stage of Tour de France. The juice producer Rynkeby Foods was the main sponsor of their trip, but the cyclists were so accomplished at finding sponsors that, when the team returned to Denmark, they had made €5100 profit, which they donated to the children’s cancer unit at Odense University Hospital. A new tradition was born!

2100 CYCLISTS FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES

Today’s Team Rynkeby involves 2100 cyclists divided into 54 local teams in the Nordic countries and Germany. The team members are selected from thousands of applicants and for almost a full year the energetic participants must not only prepare themselves for the 1300 km trip to Paris, but they are also obliged to do what they can to raise money for children with critical illnesses. In Sweden, the entire amount from the national sponsors is donated to the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Photo: Thomas Nørremark

ORWAK IS A PROUD SPONSOR

“To help children with cancer is definitely a worthy cause that warms our hearts and creates engagement. At Orwak we are happy to be one of the sponsors of Team Rynkeby 2019 and we are proud of our team member Anders, who is committed to this project and will be one of the enthusiastic participants cycling to Paris in summer!”

Anders Lorentzson, Orwak, a seasoned cyclist and a member of Team Rynkeby 2019, will ride to Paris for the benefit of children with cancer.

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Read more about Team Rynkeby

Inlägget CYCLING TO PARIS FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER dök först upp på Orwak.