Innovative TRAPO loading system awarded 2nd place
The renowned Handling Award 2020 goes to North Rhine-Westphalia this year: to TRAPO GmbH! “I am proud of this appreciative recognition of our TRAPO Loading System,” says a delighted Volker Kugel, CEO of the company from Gescher-Hochmoor.
For pandemic reasons, the prize was awarded online for the first time in the presence of the nominees! Employees, partners and customers were able to join in and were there live! The Handling Award, presented by a scientific and expert jury, has a signal effect for the automation industry. Based on innovations in production and handling technology, it looks in particular at groundbreaking automation competencies.
The 2nd place awarded TRAPO Loading System TLS 3600 enables autonomous loading and unloading of trucks and containers. “We are very pleased that the added value of the TLS has been recognized in this way,” said Dr. Stefan Kurtenbach, Technical Manager Design / R&D. “As a partner for industrial automation, we put the safety of people first and foremost when it comes to new developments. With the autonomously driving TLS, we have opened a new chapter.”
Lack of space, long standing times at the loading bay, outdated industrial trucks and narrow halls – this is the everyday situation in the loading area in many places. The new, compact loading and unloading system from TRAPO GmbH acts autonomously. The goal: more safety for people and goods in the loading zone. The solution: complete automation. For the implementation, the Research & Development department exhausted all possibilities to develop the autonomous system, build the prototype and test it at a forwarding partner. The first order was placed during the planning phase – in the meantime, the TLS is also available as a special version in stainless steel for use in the food industry.
Autonomous loading & unloading enables 24/7 operation and saves costs. The innovative TLS is a high-tech vehicle with laser scanners to detect the truck’s contour. Thanks to rear-wheel steering, it is able to automatically compensate for slight tilting of the truck.
In combination with automated guided vehicles (AGVs), it replaces forklift transports between production, warehouse and loading zone. The TLS – optionally placed on rails or on a 20-ton AGV – can serve several gates. Loading takes place in four steps. First, up to three pallets are placed side by side in a row on the stationary part of the system and aligned. This is followed by picking up and loading the row. During the loading process, another row of pallets is formed and provided on the stationary part. This is a continuous process that saves time and distance and avoids waiting times during pallet loading. Thanks to the continuous loading cycle, food products spend only a short time in the loading area between the air-conditioned warehouse and the truck refrigerated box.