Features

LINX Cargo Care Group supports its customers and their plans and visions for future sustainability right across Australia.
In regional NSW, Griffith’s almond industry has expanded over the last two years.  LINX continues to enhance its transport offering with our customer, Almondco Australia Limited, to help them meet the industry’s increasing volumes.
As a sign of its commitment to Almondco and its expansion planning, LINX has invested in co-branded trailer curtains on its B Triple Trailers. “The colourful trailers are highly visible on local and interstate roads to South Australia and we are proud to showcase our combined investment and support for the almond industry in regional NSW,” Anthony Jones, CEO, LINX Cargo Care Group said.
“Almondco are proud to be partnering with LINX to bring real value to our grower members both in the Riverina and further afield. It is important for our organisation to align ourselves with providers such as LINX, who not only have a demonstrated capability to provide superior service but also the capacity to grow with us into the future,” Brenton Paige, Almondco Australia Limited’s Group Operations Manager said.
Almondco’s manufacturing plant in Hanwood, NSW demonstrates they are here for the long haul and LINX is excited to keep their supply chain moving as they grow in the region.

Due to healthy growth in the Australian market, premium European appliance brand, Miele, needed to increase its warehouse and distribution capacity.
As a result, they completed the national rollout of their distribution network with new larger warehouses strategically located in Sydney and Brisbane. In line with its brand promise, “Immer Besser”, which means “Forever Better”, Miele chose to work with Stow Australia (Stow).
Stow was successful in winning the contract to design and install the racking for both new warehouses, having previously designed, installed and regularly inspected their Keysborough warehouse, which was opened in 2016.
A ten-year view was applied to the planning process, and plans had to allow for a substantial increase in throughput during that time. “We sought greater capacity while simultaneously strengthening consumer service and improving our operational efficiency,” Mark Bateson, the Operations Director Miele ANZ, said.
Stow Australia was successful in winning this contract because of Miele’s satisfaction with Stow as the incumbent supplier, the value offered in the proposal and the alignment of the Stow and Miele brands.
The racking design for both new sites was a non-standard configuration due to the Euro pallets used by Miele and Stow ensured design compliance to Australian standards. The design encompassed more than 7,500 pallet locations across both sites; 2750mm beams with larger spacers were needed to allow enough space for the larger Euro pallets.
As part of the quality design, Stow was the only supplier to include steel mesh decks as part of their proposal, in line with WorkSafe recommendations, with safety-yellow beams and European-certified end frame protectors. Stow also provided a 20-year warranty on all the new racking components, subject to annual inspections being done by Stow.
Miele is extremely happy with the final product and Stow’s communication and service during the process. Martin Bates, Stow’s National Sales Manager, said “Stow are very proud to continue our relationship with Miele.”

Senator Linda Reynolds, Federal Assistant Minister for Home Affairs, discusses the Australian Trusted Trader initiative and how it can help logistics businesses smarten up their supply chain as well as gain reputational and commercial benefits.
According to Austrade, Australia is now in its 26^th year of consecutive annual economic growth. Australia boasts the 13^th largest economy, and is forecast to realise average annual real GDP growth of 2.9 per cent of the next five years.
In 2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that Australia recorded a $2.2 billion trade surplus, which is the highest ever for a calendar year. The country’s two-way trade in goods and services also hit a record high of $854 billion in 2018.
Australia’s demonstrated economic resilience, adaptability and record of steady growth is underpinned by its ability to import and export goods safely and in a low-risk environment, says Assistant Minister Linda Reynolds, Federal Assistant Minister for Home Affairs.
Export growth
Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) is a program co-designed by industry and the Australian Government in response to the increasing volumes of freight crossing the Australian border. It is free to join for businesses small and large.
“This program has been initiated to do a number of things. Firstly, facilitate the movement of trade across our borders. The people who the Government has a degree of trust in can get their imports and exports approved far quicker with this accreditation. So, it gives a much faster and efficient service,” Assistant Minister Reynolds says.
Assistant Minister Reynolds says that as supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and as the country faces ever increasing border threats, this initiative allows the Australian Border Force (ABF) to focus on high-risk, unknown or illegitimate traders rather than the law-abiding businesses. “It frees up our officers to concentrate on those whom we may want to more closely exam,” Assistant Minister Reynolds says.
“ATT was designed to keep Australian businesses competitive in international markets through streamlined customs processes, while enabling ABF officers to focus on other goods and traders that are unknown or pose a greater risk to Australia,” the Minister says.
Currently there are over 300 businesses accredited with Australian Trusted Trader status, with many logistics providers included in this list. For Assistant Minister Reynolds, there are a number of added benefits for businesses to become accredited by this initiative beyond efficiencies and time savings.
 She believes that being accredited also demonstrates to international customers the business’ own government believe that they are a reputable company, which has huge reputational and commercial benefits. 
In addition, the Australian Government has signed Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) with Canada, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore, and is currently progressing negotiations with the US, Japan and Thailand. As well as being one of 77 Authorized Economic Operator programs recognised by the World Customs Organization.
According to Assistant Minister Reynolds, when businesses become accredited they are also presented with a rare opportunity to thoroughly assess their supply chain.
“Quite often businesses who have applied for the Australian Trusted Trader program do more work on the integrity of their supply chain overseas to minimise any risk. This has been a great benefit because there are many issues around slavery overseas. In order to become accredited, you need to demonstrate that you have a very robust supply chain,” she says.
Mutual benefits
This program has enabled industry, the ABF and the Government to work closer together. “Being accredited gives businesses access to a dedicated ABF account manager. This is a first point of contact with someone who they know and who knows their business,” Assistant Minister Reynolds says.
It also gives businesses a seat at the table to work with government and border control to improve processes.
“A lot of the feedback I have had from businesses is very positive on the relationship side of things. Many of the businesses tell me that a lot of the issues they wanted improved have been actioned as a result of this relationship,” she says.
Another area the Minister is particularly proud of is the recent updates to the program in terms of the process for businesses to apply. “I am very pleased that the ABF and the Department of Home Affairs have worked closely together to streamline the process, which cumbersome to begin with,” she says.
To be eligible for ATT, a business needs to have a two-year trading history, an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be financially solvent.
Importers, exporters, brokers, and freight forwarders involved in the movement of physical goods across the border are all eligible and Assistant Minister Reynolds urges all businesses, large and small, to apply.
“If businesses have the relevant information and accounts in good order it can take as little as an hour to complete the application form online and then the ABF will visit the business and validate the information that has been provided,” she says.
For Assistant Minister Reynolds, there are great benefits for smaller businesses too. She recalls the 300^th accredited business was a small business based in Perth with only 12 employees.
“Small businesses are time and resource poor, so this accreditation allows them to get their goods over the border quickly and with less expense,” she says.
This accreditation is part of a broader trade modernisation program that Assistant Minister Reynolds is responsible for. “I think international trade is changing globally, and very quickly. We have to do things faster, cheaper and with more risks. Any reduction in red tape is a good thing. With this initiative, we want to make sure that we match the processes elsewhere in the world and keep up with the pace of change to keep Australia a global business leader,” Assistant Minister Reynolds says.

Bringing with it new technology like lithium-ion batteries and state-of-the-art automation, Jungheinrich Australia is ready to make a lasting impact on the Australian forklift market.
Over the past 35 years not a lot has changed in the Australian forklift market, according to Grant Stewart, Sales and Marketing Director of Jungheinrich Australia. “There has been gradual technological tweaks over that time, but in general, everything has followed a market-driven standard that is as simple as asking customers what type of units they would like and how many,” he says.
Internationally, however, things have moved on. In Europe, Asia and elsewhere, rather than simply selling forklifts, suppliers offer complete warehousing ‘solutions’,” Grant says.
“The Australian market has now reached something in the order of 20,000 units and it’s ready for a change. It’s time for Australia to catch up with the rest of the world,” he says.
Jungheinrich Australia
As Stewart explained, the company began life three years ago when its German-based parent company Jungheinrich Group purchased a local dealership.
“After three years of strategy and planning, we are now ready to change the face of the Australian materials handling sector,” Grant says.
With 30 years’ experience in the industry, Stewart has held senior positions with international responsibilities within the material handling industry in Australia. His most recent role was as a Director of this country’s largest forklift company in Australia.
“I was actually retired, but the opportunity to come on board with Jungheinrich was enough to make me change my plans. The game-changing potential of their technology was something I couldn’t resist,” he says.
As Sales Director, Stewart oversees a team of five state-based sales managers who together boast in excess of 200 years’ experience in the electric forklift market.
In addition, the company recently welcomed David Calleia –  who previously headed operations at one of SE Asia’s largest OEMs, and himself has more than 30 years’ experience, as its Key Account Manager, in turn David has put together arguably the most experienced team of industry professionals available. They include Michael Harris, Chris Burns, Luis Astudillo, Johan Nieuwland and Brian Power and Calleia is still looking to employ more industry leaders.
With the majority of his team now in place, the company is ready to go to market.
New technologies
Jungheinrich Australia’s plan to bring Australia’s materials handling market into the 21^st century rests on three key factors –  lithium-ion battery technology, automation and intralogistics.
The example of a major Australian retailer, which used to run forklifts equipped with traditional lead-acid batteries but recently converted to Jungheinrich lithium-ion battery powered units, illustrates the benefits of this lithium-ion battery technology.
Before the change, the operation required three batteries per truck to get through each shift. To do that, they needed to store two batteries, while the units were in use. With more than 100 units on site, they needed enough storage space for 400 batteries, as well as enough (skilled) labour to charge them.
“On the three-shift operation it would take half an hour to 40 minutes to change a battery and set it up to get charged. That’s two and a half hours non-recoverable labour before anything starts,” Grant says.
After changing to lithium-ion batteries, they could actually run three shifts on one battery. Unheard of in this country, this made it possible for the customer to immediately cut those extra labour hours.
Automation is another key development that Jungheinrich Australia brings to the market.
For example, the company’s automated guided vehicles (AGVs), available in either full or semi-automated models, can eliminate the need of an operator for the vehicle for those very repetitive tasks of moving product in a production or warehouse facility over the same path. These AGVs could be seen as the way of the future of MHE.
Jungheinrich has also introduced another semi-automated vehicle which is their ECE225 low level order picker with EASYPILOT remote operation. This order picker will follow the picker around the warehouse aisles therefore eliminating the need for the operator to jump in and off to move the vehicle to the next pick spot. Like Lithium-Ion batteries, they offer impressive efficiency improvements in terms of picking items, labour cost etc.
Then, the company’s warehouse management system, which enables communication between trucks, allows companies to fully integrate their operations.
One-stop materials handling provider
Jungheinrich Australia’s upcoming introduction of an intralogistics department is set to transform it into Australia’s first one-stop materials handing provider.
Far from a simple forklift supplier, it will become an intralogistics provider with the capacity to find Greenfield sites for clients, then build, automate and equip it with everything from racking, forklifts and cranes to software.
“Unlike the rest of the market, Jungheinreich Australia offers integrated solutions. It’s not about the forklift. It’s about the solution, the service, and the consulting,” Grant says.
Rather than delivering a single quote, the company works with each new customer to provide the best possible solution. Because their portfolio includes manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic forklifts, they have no bias for any of these options.
“If the right truck is an internal combustion model , we’ll use our internal combustion model, but if the right truck is a very narrow aisle turrow truck, that’s the way that we’ll go,” said Stewart.
In terms of automation a staged introduction is also possible. Customers can purchase a standard truck, then we can semi-automate it and then we can automate that same unit.
“A staged introduction means less disruption to a business in terms of things like cutting half an existing workforce overnight. It allows for more gradual change,” Grant says.
The Jungheinrich Group
An international market leader, Jungheinrich employs 18,000 people in 40 countries and sold 125,000 forklifts worldwide last year.
One advantage of dealing with Jungheinrich is that the company is able to negotiate contracts that cover the entire global operations of large organisations. In other words, they can service the needs of these customers in Europe, Asia, the US –  and wherever else they operate –  under the one umbrella agreement.
Now, Jungheinrich Australia’s introduction brings this capacity to the Australian market.
With this in mind, the company is particularly targeting larger ‘key accounts’ across all industries. Indeed, according to Stewart, the company has already had some major wins in this area.
However, as he was quick to add, this focus in no way diminishes the company’s dedication to its other customers.
“Our commitment to all customers, regardless of their size, is one of the main reasons we are a global market leader. However, because we live in a globalised world, we also recognise the importance of  guaranteeing our key accounts worldwide sustained quality as well as continuity of service,” he says.
“Recently we met a customer who said one of our main competitors had offered to fly him to Japan or the US to talk to their experts in semi-automation.”
Their response said it all.
“We didn’t need to put him on a 15-hour flight. We put him in the car and drove him 15 minutes to the next suburb to talk to our semi-automation expert,” Grant says.
Sounds like that ‘something new’ has well and truly arrived.

Return on Investment (ROI) is becoming a more common concept in evaluating material handling equipment and storage solutions. Company owners and shareholders are asking ‘how can we fit MORE into LESS?”
In the Australian market, company executives are expecting more and more from their investment with greater density and increased retrieval speeds. One way to achieve this has been with a deep-lane storage solution, but historically this has been overlooked because it was economically impracticable – until now. Thanks to the latest generation of Stow’s pallet shuttle systems (sometimes referred to as satellite racking) this is now a genuine option.
The pallet shuttle system is ideally suited for companies storing a large number of items with a small number of SKUs, including cold storage (meat and beverages), agribusiness and large items.
The pallet shuttle system consists of a shuttle – specific rack and an automated mobile
shuttle. The shuttle is a self-powered device that runs on rails in the storage lanes to autonomously load and unload pallets. The only human intervention is via a remote control that is used to select the mode of operation and start/stop. The Stow Atlas system complies with the European FEM and Australian Standards, and the quality is assured to ISO 9001. All components have been thoroughly tested in specialised laboratories and are very cost-effectively produced in Stow’s fully automated manufacturing unit to a high – quality standard.
More and more companies are opting for automated storage solutions, such as shuttle racking to improve productivity with less manual handling required. Stow installed the Atlas Shuttle and selective pallet racking for Select Harvests, encompassing over 22,000 pallet positions. The Atlas shuttle is unique to Stow and Stow is one of the only storage manufacturers world-wide that manufactures their own pallet shuttle system in-house so it is fully integrated with Stow racking solutions.
As explained by Select Harvests’ Project Leader, “the Stow Atlas pallet shuttle is the best solution for us as it automatically picks up heavy pallets in a row and takes them to the desired destination. We opted for shuttle racking to maximize the area available in our warehouse. As we’ve had experience in the past with satellite systems, we know this solution works. We deal with many contractors in all aspects of our business. But I would say that our experience with Stow has them up there with our best major contractors … some who have worked with us for years.”
Stow’s Atlas II Shuttle System has considerable developments upon the original Atlas Shuttle design. The shuttles productivity and speed are increased ensuring maximum warehouse efficiency and productivity. Coupled with these product improvements are the smaller, more powerful and longer lasting 48v Lithium Yttrium batteries. These batteries have been developed to increase usable time up to 16 hours per battery recharge and decrease the batteries recharge time down to 3 hours.
Stow Australia has completed/is in the process of completing a number of Stow Atlas II Shuttle Installations for clients including:

• Gundagai Meat Processors in NSW
• Australian Lamb in Colac, Victoria
• Nolan Meats in Gympie, QLD
• Remedy Kombucha in Melbourne
• Fujitsu in Sydney
• WINC Stationary in Sydney and Melbourne
• Timberline Bathroom Products in Armidale, NSW

As a global manufacturer, quality and innovation is at the heart of the Stow brand. Averys Stow continues to invest heavily in automation and quality assurance processes. We are in the final testing phase for the Stow Atlas III, which has several new features and benefits, including:

• Precise DC brushless motors with integrated drives for better finetuning, fast and secure data communication and less maintenance
• Modular embedded PC with faster processing speed, improved connectivity, secure backups, simulation of various situations, onboard diagnostics and expandability for future needs
• 16 enhanced sensors, overhang detection, status lights and indicators for improved safety and operator usage
• Better protection and online charging of the batteries.

At Stow Australia, we provide industry-specific products and solutions. This includes high quality European designed and manufactured pallet shuttles, pallet racking and beams to bear heavy loads, multi-level mezzanine storage areas for small parts, variable sized racking for odd-shaped stock and deep lane storage solutions for parts that don’t need to be accessible at all times.
Are you searching for the most efficient deep-lane high density storage solution? Talk to the experts. For more information about our products and services, visit our website or call us on 1800 438 786.