September 01 2015
By: Morgan Williams, Marketing/Graphic Design Assistant
Westfalia has been committed to warehouse automation for over 35 years. What originated by a dairy farmer in the early 1970s in Germany is now a leading provider of logistics solutions for plants, warehouses and distribution centers. After recognizing that the pallet was the future of material handling, Westfalia Systemechnik GmbH & Co KG (Westfalia Europe) developed and marketed flow-through systems to handle pallet loads, in hopes to address problems the material handling industry faced.
Unlike the U.S., the European market recognized early-on that standardizing pallets would prove beneficial. Westfalia Europe quickly realized that the Euro pallet, which was commonly used at the time, would deflect if 2,500 lbs. worth of product was stored on it. Eager to solve this problem, the three-rail, or triple-support rail that Westfalia capitalizes in today was born. The triple-rail support allows for the pallet to be stored long-side or short-side facing and provides stability for the pallet.
Westfalia Europe installed the first automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) in a brewery in Herford, Germany, Herforder-Pils, which is still in operation today and uses all original equipment. After years of success in the European market, Westfalia Technologies, Inc. (Westfalia USA) was opened in York, Pennsylvania. Immediately after the incorporation of Westfalia USA in 1992, the company acquired Thompson Equipment Machine Company (Temco) of York. This acquisition provided a solid base of operation for the design, manufacturing and servicing of AS/RS equipment.
The vision of Westfalia USA was to introduce a European-designed line of AS/RS equipment to the North and South American markets. Recognizing the success Westfalia Europe had with the triple-rail support rack structure for pallets, Westfalia USA used this same design concept to introduce the AS/RS to the American markets. Triple-rail supported pallets allow for fewer problems with breakage and deflection, thus improving the overall quality of the system.
Since the installation of the first AS/RS, the system design has been refined and evolved to accommodate the need to store pallets short-side leading. Thus, the Westfalia Satellite® technology was born which allowed for high-density, multiple-deep storage and helped to eliminate deflecting. Westfalia’s Satellite® technology is a fully automated rack entry vehicle used to store and retrieve unit loads within the AS/RS. It has the ability to quickly and safely move 30 to 120 pallets per hour per storage/retrieval machine (S/RM) with gentle start and stops.
Westfalia has helped companies in the food, beverage, chemical, parking, and other major industries to optimize their warehouse processes and maximize efficiencies and savings. Westfalia’s business success is reflected by our unparalleled ability to deliver customized solution to our customers with unsurpassed quality and control.