Individual projects » Heavy-duty electric monorails for Adelholzener Alpenquellen

The perfect connection

With electrified monorail systems for more performance

Individual projects » Heavy-duty electric monorails for Adelholzener Alpenquellen
Adelholzener has to produce several ten thousand bottles per hour in order to meet market demand. This requires a fully automated intralogistics solution in which production, warehouse, order picking, and dispatch as well as the return of empties interlock perfectly with each other. The Bavarian beverage giant is relying on the expertise of the ROFA Group for the reliable handling of transport tasks.

Ready for big jobs

With the expansion of its central location for logistics, Adelholzener hoped to create more efficiency as well as generating higher turnover. This also includes the fast, reliable transport of palleted containers on two sections of line: One between production and the high-bay warehouse, with a track 900 meters long. The other runs into the trucks in the loading area, where the finished pallets cover another 100 meters. Heavy duty electrified monorail systems from ROFA will be used on both lines in the future.

Efficient fleet of 59 vehicles

For the long section of line between production and the warehouse, 48 double EMS were chosen that can carry two pallets each. There are single EMS leading to shipment. This decision was made after a thorough material flow analysis by ROFA to determine the optimum number of vehicles and the proper types (single or double).

Seamless integration and safe movement

The pallets carried by the EMS are various sizes, including EUR-pallets as well as industrial and Korea pallets. Integrated roller conveyors take care of loading and unloading and interact seamlessly with the adjacent conveyor systems. The EMS and roller conveyor control systems were designed by the subsidiary ROFA Controls. Through gentle yet rapid acceleration and deceleration, loads weighing up to two tons make it safely to their destinations. Gratings on the side panels provide additional protection. The EMS are also integrated into the superordinate control console that controls all warehouse movement. “Wherever our vehicles are needed next, they carry heavy loads at remarkable speeds and thus play a major role in reaching productivity goals,” says sales expert Manuel Widera.

Adelholzener showcase

Customer: Adelholzener Alpenquellen GmbH
Project: EMS heavy-duty transport in new logistics center
Involved Group companies: ROFA INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION AG, ROFA Controls Romania S.R.L.

Project period: approx. 18 months

Products & performance

  • Development and implementation of innovative EMS for transporting beverage containers on pallets between production and high-bay warehouses as well as between the warehouse and dispatch
  • 48 double vehicles (production), load capacity: 2 x 1 t, capacity: >600 pallets per hour
  • 11 single vehicles (dispatch), load capacity: 1 t, capacity: >300 pallets per hour
  • Total distance: about 1 km (900 m plus 100 m)
  • Material flow analysis to determine the optimum number of vehicles (EMS)
  • Development of system and vehicle controls to go with system and vehicles
  • Design of safety technology