WAREHOUSTICS 2009

Warehousing plus Logistics equals Warehoustics. Schaefer Singapore, together with Crown Equipment, Chloride Batteries, CoGri Group, Loscam, and Sunstream Industries hosted the Warehoustics Open House 2009 on July 31 in Singapore. Held for only the second time, Warehoustics showcased a variety of new technologies and innovations for warehouse applications. And as detailed below, representatives from all six companies were only too keen to talk to Logistics Insight Asia about the event and what they had to offer.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

PICKING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY

“The first edition of this event in 2006 was held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, where we faced loading constraints and so could only provide a static display of our machines. This year, the event is held in an actual warehouse and visitors can see the solutions in action and experience product live demonstrations,” said Sean Lim, Schaefer’s country manager for Singapore.

“The other five exhibitors, which are complementary to our business, provide a one-stop shop for customers who want to set up warehouses. We expect to see about 300 visitors from the logistics, warehousing and supply chain management industries at the event.

“As for products, we are featuring the SSI Schaefer i-Pick system, which is a semiautomatic paperless picking system that allows the fulfilment of order data via various options. It is also connected to SQL-compatible databases.

“Ideal for warehouses with up to 800 products, a user can equip the facility, parts of it or expand the existing pickby- light system with the i-Pick system, and increase output by up to 300 percent and enable a 10-fold reduction in error picking.” noted Lim.

-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

PROVIDING THE POWER

“This is our second time participating in this event and our main business is in powering forklift trucks with batteries,” explained Sam Chaudhuri, chief operating officer, Chloride Batteries, to Logistics Insight Asia.

“The falling demand in Europe has led to a decline in the need for logistics in Asia, resulting in a slowing down of orders for battery replacements. However, despite the sluggish economy, we are investing S$900,000 – about 20 percent of revenue – in branding, software systems and the restructuring of our company.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

PRODUCTIVITY BOOST

Headquartered in Singapore, Sunstream provides material handling, packaging and automation solutions for boosting warehouse performance and productivity. The company has established subsidiaries in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and China.

“While we are experiencing a slowdown in our business as a result of the economy, we hope to provide solutions that can help our customers save cost and enhance safety in warehouses today,” explained Heng Junyuan, assistant sales manager, material handling, Sunstream Industries.

“Indeed, we have noted a positive turnout at our booth, and the event has also provided us the opportunity to work with the other Warehoustics exhibitors. We are showcasing a full range of products to visitors, and we aim to brand and promote our company at the show.

“I believe that the show should be held yearly in order for us to keep the market informed of new products and brands, as well as to help visitors make informed purchases in the future,”

-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

HIRE & HIGHER

“We are seeing more visitors at the event this year than in 2006, which indicates that the industry is possibly growing. By holding the event in a warehouse, visitors are able to know how work is done in a realistic environment,” said Abby Dionisio, general manager for pallet rental specialists Loscam.

“As a provider of pallets, we aim to offer our customers a one-touch product – goods that are loaded onto pallets would go through the supply chain and are unloaded at the retail stores. Parties along the supply chain need not unload the pallets unless there is a need to add value to the goods.

“The pallets are also rented across the region, which lowers the cost of pallet use. A smaller number of trees are therefore needed to meet market demand as many of the pallets are recycled,” notes Dionisio.

-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

FOR THE FLOOR

A provider of concrete flooring solutions for warehouses across Asia, CoGri’s services include construction of direct-finish concrete floors to globally recognized flatness specifications and upgrading of VNA floor flatness with the patented Laser Grinder.

Speaking to Logistics Insight Asia about the company’s decision to be part of Warehoustics 2009, Gary Curtis, general manager, CoGri Asia Pacific, said: “There are very few trade shows to market the type of warehouse flooring services that we provide.

“Warehoustics brings all the industry solutions together in one place. This is a great opportunity for all involved and we hope to see it become an annual event.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------

LIFT ME UP

“As a returning exhibitor, we aim to create awareness among companies on a one-stop shop concept where various solutions can be seen under one roof. We are showcasing our solutions for SME customers and are gathering their feedback on our products.

“Visitors to our booth are trying our solutions and witnessing product demonstrations. The response has been positive and it would be ideal to have this event yearly,” said Joseph Heng, general manager, Crown Equipment (Singapore). The lift truck supplier has been operating in the region, through its Singapore office, for 20 years

According to Heng, while customers are now more prudent in their spending and there is a trend towards the rental of refurbished trucks – it offers flexibility in asset ownership for customers who would usually rent the vehicles for one or two years – the company did have several confirmed sales through this year’s event.

“In terms of products, we are showcasing the Wave Work Assist vehicle. The vehicle works in most indoor applications with 198.4 lbs (90 kg) load tray capacity and 253.5 lbs (115 kg) load deck capacity. It elevates an operator and a load, which is normally carried by hand, to 17 feet (5.2 meters).

“The Wave Work Assist travels nearly twice as fast as an average walking speed, navigates in tight spaces, and turns within its radius. The vehicle replaces the need for rolling ladders and warehouse ladders typically used in warehouse and maintenance applications,” Heng explained.

-----------------------------------------------------------