The collaboration between the Ferretto Group and Michelin, the global giant in tire production, becomes stronger and stronger. The Ferretto Group, one of the leading Italian operators in the field of storage solutions and materials handling, will build a new high-performance storage system capable of managing significant inbound and outbound flows for Michelin in Mexico. This new storage system strengthens a partnership which began in 2016. In fact, the Ferretto Group has already designed and built 3 storage systems in France, Mexico and Thailand in the last 5 years.
With this new order, the four logistics solutions will reach a total surface area of 7,000 square meters and a total capacity of 15,000 ULs including reels, raw materials and semi-finished products.
A unique feature of the storage system is the presence of areas considered to be in “explosive environments”: an aspect that required the development of specific solutions to ensure maximum safety.
Here are the words of CEO Riccardo Ferretto: “This is a new challenge, and also a further step in a collaboration that strengthens our international presence and has led us to operate in three different continents. Being the logistics partner of a giant like Michelin is a source of pride for us and an incentive to pursue the route defined by an industrial plan that focuses on development and growth, starting with investments in innovation and process efficiency”.
Specifically, the storage system that will be built in Mexico, the works for which are expected to begin early in 2022, will be fully automated, self-supporting and 30 meters tall. Equipped with 6 double-depth stacker cranes with forks, it will be used to store raw materials and semi-finished rubber products.
What distinguishes the new plant – like those before it – is the attention dedicated to safety, since some areas of the storage system are designated as located in an “explosive environment”: this required compliance with specific regulations (NFPA hazardous classification Class II Div. 2 Group F T3) and made it necessary to equip the stacker cranes and conveyors with special motors, cabling and electrical components.
Following a thermal analysis, the Ferretto Group also decided to install rock wool roofing panels and walls with different thicknesses, depending on sun exposure, to ensure efficient control of the temperature within a specific range and a maximum percentage of humidity inside the storage area.
The entire automatic storage system was designed with redundant systems in order to avoid downtimes: interfacing with the various areas distributed on multiple levels, it ensures an inbound/outbound flow of approximately 240 pallets/hour.
As explained by the Ferretto Group’s general manager, Otello Dalla Rosa: “The relationship with Michelin draws on all of the Group’s skills: in addition to designing and building storage solutions targeted to the specific needs of the customer, the Ferretto Group also supplies management software and ensure 24/7 assistance service. In this way, it supports the customer not only with cutting-edge products but also with all the expertise necessary to ensure maximum efficiency.”
Indeed, the partnership is also based on an efficient servicing program which includes, among other things, continuous remote assistance and a series of on-site preventive maintenance cycles lasting a few weeks each. During the scheduled maintenance, the Ferretto Group technicians work side by side with the customer’s maintenance team, with the aim of training them until complete autonomy is achieved.
The program also includes other essential activities to exploit the system to its full potential: from shadowing in the design step, aimed at identifying the most efficient system with respect to specific needs, to training during the start-up, commissioning and production ramp-up phases.
