This year, PST CLC Mitsui-Soko implemented a complete renewal of the handling equipment fleet at the Philip Morris ČR plant in Kutná Hora, where it has been providing internal logistics services for 17 years. The tender for the supplier was launched last year and the equipment was gradually replaced by the end of April this year. Two brands of trucks were selected, namely Jungheinrich and Toyota.
The fleet of dozens of pieces of material handling equipment was replaced with new ones. Over the past three years, the PST CLC Mitsui-Soko team in Kutná Hora has managed to optimize the number of trucks by 13 units, also thanks to the implementation of a digital twin and fleet management system, which significantly saves operating costs.
“We were considering whether to buy or lease the new handling equipment again. The decision was made to go for a long-term lease,” says Pavel Nodžák, Logistics General Manager at PST CLC Mitsui-Soko.
When selecting new equipment, the company was interested in new technologies. “For example, we used laser targeting for retractors, which are used to determine the position of forks in individual rack parcels, which not only slightly speeds up handling operations, but also makes them safer. Laser targeting eliminates the risk of hitting the rack structure or the goods,” notes Igor Staš, Operations Manager at PST CLC Mitsui-Soko.
At Philip Morris ČR in Kutná Hora, the operation of combustion equipment, specifically gas-powered equipment, has been discontinued. These trucks have been replaced by Li-Ion battery trucks. “This technology is a trend today. Many companies are switching from combustion or traction batteries to Li-Ion technology. At Philip Morris CR, we have eliminated additional costs through this transition. There was no need to build a large charging station, a charging point is enough to charge the trucks with Li-Ion batteries,” says Igor Stas.
A special type of tongs is used to handle the tobacco boxes, which is an additional device that prevents possible damage to the carton packaging.
