New Danske Fragtmænd storage facility will be partially automated

Danske Fragtmænd is doing well. At the end of the year, the Danish transport and logistics company will open up a 16,000 square meters large storage facility, which will work as a partially automated warehouse. The new building is an extension of Danske Fragtmænd’s existing facilities at Østhavnen. At the same time, it is also part of Nordjysk Transport Center’s significant expansion, which Port of Aalborg announced in August last year. With this expansion, Danske Fragtmænd now looks forward to 40,000 square meters of storage facilities.

Among other things, Danske Fragtmænd has invested in so-called AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles). The investment in AGVs means that there will be self-driving trucks in the warehouse.

– We need to move pallets over a distance of 200 to 300 meters, which an AGV can handle all by itself. These trucks do not lift in height but move solely on the ground from point A to point B, which is a huge advantage in large warehouses like ours, says Bo Kristensen, Terminal Manager for Danske Fragtmænd in Aalborg. He adds that Danske Fragtmænd has previously tested AGVs, but this is the first actual AGV solution the company is investing in.

In addition to the AGVs, Danske Fragtmænd has also invested in a narrow aisle truck, making it possible to store more goods in less space:

– The storage building consists of eight meters high storage racks for pallets. Now, we get a narrow aisle truck specially made for the racks. With this solution, we can place the storage racks closer to each other, thus enhancing storage capacity. The truck is partially automated and runs by a thread on the floor, but still an employee to control it, he says.

Another automated area at the new storage facilities is a parcel terminal, which will make the sorting of parcels easier and faster.

– As of now, our employees handle all parcels manually by looking at the parcel and correctly sorting it. With the new facility we get a new parcel sorting system that sorts the packages itself. Furthermore, it can also take pictures of the parcel, as well as scan it to determine its size and weight and see where it has previously been, explains Bo Kristensen.

Danske Fragtmænd retains all employees

Just because the robots are making their grand appearance at Danske Fragtmænd’s new storage facility in Østhavnen it does not mean the company is dismissing any employees.

– The robots are by no means replacing our employees. They primarily take over stationary and heavy work – for example, at the parcel sorting plant. The automation provides a much better physical working environment because, among other things, it means that our employees do not have to move heavy parcels over long distances. Additionally, we are experiencing growth, which is also why we expect to retain all of our employees. Automation will take over a few processes that employees handle today, but with continuing growth, we need both employees and robots, Bo Kristensen finally concludes.

For further information please contact:

• Jeppe Faber, Commercial Manager, Port of Aalborg Logistics A/S, tel. +45 99 30 15 03 / 29 20 72 03 and jfa@portofaalborg.com
• Bo Kristensen, Terminal Manager, Danske Fragtmænd, tel. +45 72 52 10 40 and bo.kristensen@fragt.dk
• Press Service: Maja Thordahl Schou, Head of Branding & PR, Port of Aalborg A/S, tel. +45 22 61 83 08 and mts@portofaalborg.com