Vaillant Group is one of Europe’s leading heating technology manufacturers and it is driven by a culture of thinking ahead. Therefore, when A-SAFE first unveiled its new RackEye rack monitoring system, Vaillant Industrial (Belper) was keen to introduce it at its state-of-the-art warehouse facilities in Belper, Derbyshire. The results have been compelling – and were felt almost immediately.

威能集团（Vaillant）是欧洲领先的供热技术制造商之一，它受前瞻性思维文化的驱动。 因此，当A-SAFE首次推出其新的货架实时监控系统RackEye时，Vaillant就渴望将其引入位于英国德比郡Belper的最先进的仓库设施中。安装RackEye后的结果令人信服满意，现场立即就能感受到安全方面的效果。

With more than 13,000 employees worldwide and operations in twenty countries, Vaillant is Europe’s second largest manufacturer in the heating technology sector. Its UK operation in Belper, Derbyshire is home to a high-tech manufacturing facility, as well as around 12,400 square metres of warehouse facilities. The Belper Plant places a strong emphasis on employee safety and already uses A-SAFE safety barriers extensively throughout both its factory and warehouse. Adrian Ancliff is the Head of Production Logistics and Scheduling at Belper. He is responsible for all material handling and logistics at the site, as well as production planning the shop floor, “We have always seen A-SAFE products as top of the range,” he says. Vaillant

Vaillant在欧洲拥有超过13,000名员工，业务遍及二十个国家，是欧洲供热技术领域的第二大制造商。 它在英国德比郡Belper的英国工厂拥有高科技制造工厂，以及约12,400平方米的仓库设施。 Belper工厂非常重视员工安全，并已在工厂和仓库中广泛使用A-SAFE弹性安全防撞护栏。 Adrian Ancliff是Belper工厂的生产物流和计划负责人，他负责现场的所有物料处理和物流，以及车间的生产计划，“我们一直将A-SAFE弹性防撞护栏产品视为现场安全的首要任务，”他说。

Ever since Ancliff and his team first became aware of RackEye, they had been eager to try it at Vaillant. They immediately recognised its potential for improving warehouse safety and wanted to see the system in action in the real-world conditions of their facility, “A-SAFE were looking for test customers for the RackEye product, so we just jumped at the chance,” Ancliff explains. “We are quite an innovative plant and we are always looking for new technologies and new ways to raise the bar in terms of logistics and safety.” 

自从Ancliff和他的团队第一次了解RackEye产品信息之后，他们就一直渴望在Vaillant集团内部进行尝试。 他们立即意识到该“货架实时监控系统RackEye”在提高仓库安全性方面的潜力，并希望看到该系统在其工厂的实际条件下运行，“ A-SAFE正在寻找RackEye产品的测试客户，所以我们只是抓住了机会，” Ancliff解释。 “我们是一家颇具创新精神的工厂，我们一直在寻找新技术和新方法来提高物流和安全方面的标准。

 A new era in rack safety 

RackEye takes an innovative approach to rack safety. Unlike passive impact protection systems such as rack guards – which protect vulnerable parts of a rack from impact damage – RackEye works by actively monitoring the complete racking infrastructure via intelligent sensors fitted to the rack legs. If these detect that an impact has occurred, the system will pinpoint the affected rack and send an immediate SMS notification to the warehouse management team. This then allows them to assess any damage and take remedial action if necessary. The RackEye system also collects statistical data for reporting, which can help to identify impact hotspots and address long-term problem areas within a facility, ultimately reducing the potential for future incidents. 

仓库货架安全的新纪元

货架实时监控系统RackEye采用创新的技术方法途径来实现货架的安全性。 与普通的货架立柱防护之类的被动冲击保护产品不同，普通的货架立柱护角仅可以保护货架的易损部件免受冲击撞击破坏，货架实时监控系统RackEye的工作原理是通过安装在货架立柱腿上的智能传感器主动监控整个仓库货架的结构。如果RackEye检测到货架立柱受到了撞击，系统将自动查明受撞击的货架，并立即向仓库管理团队人员发送短信通知。 然后，他们可以评估现场受撞击造成的损坏并在必要时采取补救措施。 RackEye系统还收集统计数据以进行报告，这可以帮助识别高频率碰撞发送的货架区域，并可以解决货架仓库长期存在问题的区域，从而最终减少将来发生货架倒塌事故的可能性。 

Following a site visit and more detailed discussions with the Vaillant team about their requirements, A-SAFE installed the RackEye system in the Vaillant warehouse. It went live in January 2019 and in the eight months it has been operational, the team in Belper has already seen significant benefits, “Within that timeframe, we’ve seen a 75 percent reduction in impacts across the legs where we’ve been trialling it,” Ancliff says.  

在对Vaillant团队进行现场访问并就其要求进行更详细的讨论之后，A-SAFE在Vaillant仓库中安装了“货架实时监控系统RackEye系统”。 它于2019年1月投入使用，在投入运营的八个月后，Belper的团队已经看到了显着的收益，Ancliff 说：“在安装后的这段时间内，我们仓库的货架立柱碰撞事故整体降低了75％”。

  Data-driven improvements

The data from RackEye has been instrumental in helping Vaillant to make improvements within the warehouse, as well as highlighting layout problems and racking issues,  “We’re getting really good data from the KPI reporting; we get regular alerts through the SMS messages, so we’re always doing spot checks on the racking – if problematic areas arise, we’re doing something about it. We’re talking to the guys and asking for ideas on why certain areas are causing us a problem and having more alerts than others.” Ancliff recalls that early on in the project, one of the RackEye racks was regularly reporting impacts. He flagged the issue with his team, who informed him that there was a long-term problem with some mesh decking on the rack shelf. It was damaged and kept catching. The team knew about it, but nobody had reported the problem until RackEye flagged it. The decking was subsequently replaced, and the problem never occurred again, “Without RackEye, I don’t think we would have picked up on that.”

数据驱动的改进

 “货架实时监控系统RackEye系统”提供的数据有助于Vaillant在仓库内进行各方面的改进，通过数据分析，可以突出显示仓库布局问题和货架问题。“我们从后台软件系统的KPI数据报告中获得了非常好的数据；我们通过实时短信消息会定期收到警报，因此我们可以实时对仓库货架进行安全检查，如果发现出现问题的区域，我们会对此进行处理。我们正在和现场的工作人员沟通，并研究为什么某些区域导致我们出现问题，并比其他区域引起更多碰撞事故警报的原因。” Ancliff回忆说，在项目早期，一个安装了的RackEye货架立柱位置经常报告碰撞警报。他向团队反馈了此问题，团队告诉他，仓库货架上的某些网格层板长期存在问题。它已经损坏并不断被剐蹭。现场工作人员早就知道这一问题点，但是在“货架实时监控系统RackEye系统”安装之前，仓库现场没有人报告过该问题。随后更换了网格层板，碰撞警报问题再也没有发生，“如果没有“货架实时监控系统RackEye系统”，我认为我们不会对知道现场有这方面的问题。”

Part of the daily routine

According to the Vaillant team, one of the most important factors for the success of the RackEye trial has been how members have embraced the system and made it part of their daily routine, “By getting them involved early and making them aware of it from day one, they have really taken ownership of it. They really understand the benefits of the system. It’s not about blame, it’s just about ownership; it’s about accountability” Ancliff says. Besides identifying issues within the warehouse, individuals within the team are using the monthly KPI reporting to identify areas where they can improve their own performance.

日常工作的一部分

根据Vaillant工作小组的说法，RackEye试验成功的最重要因素之一就是成员如何接受该系统并将其作为日常工作的一部分，“通过让他们及早参与并从一天开始让他们意识到这一点。 第一，他们确实拥有了它的所有权。 他们确实了解该货架实时监控系统的好处。 这不是责备，而是所有权。 这是关于问责制的”， Ancliff说。 除了识别仓库中的问题之外，团队中的每个人还使用每月的K数据PI报告来确定可以提升自身绩效的领域。

Changing driver behaviour

Another benefit has been a general change in driver behaviour since RackEye was installed. The sensor units fitted to the rack legs have served as a visual reminder for drivers to take greater care. Drivers also know that the instant an impact is detected on the rack, an alert will be triggered, and the data will show precisely where and when it occurred. This awareness – together with driver-training and other safety initiatives within the plant – has driven up standards.

改变叉车驾驶员操作行为规范

安装货架实时监控系统RackEye之后，另一个好处是驱动现场叉车驾驶人员的日常安全操作规范的改善。 安装在货架立柱腿上的RackEye为驾驶员提供了视觉提醒，让他们更加小心驾驶作业。驾驶员还知道，一旦检测到货架受到撞击，就会触发警报，并且数据会准确显示碰撞发生的时间和地点。 这种认识，加上工厂内的驾驶员培训和其他安全措施，已经提高了安全标准水平。

Building on success 

RackEye has been hugely positive for warehouse operations in Belper, as well as for the entire warehouse and logistics team. However, such has been the success of the trial, it has also captured the interest of senior management and other operations across the Vaillant Group, “It’s almost become part of the logistics showcase when we show customers and visitors around.” The Logistics and Scheduling team at Vaillant is eager to build upon the success of the RackEye trial and roll it out to other racks within the facility, “We really want to increase the number of legs that we’ve got across the plant,” Ancliff says. “We can say only positive things about the benefits it’s had.” 

立足成功

货架实时监控系统RackEye对Belper的发挥的作用，让整个仓库和物流团队都非常满意。但是，这次的测试取得了成功，也吸引了整个Vaillant集团的高级管理层和其他运营部门的兴趣，“当我们向客户和访客展示仓库时，RackEye几乎已成为物流展示的必要的一部分。”Vaillant的物流和计划团队渴望在RackEye试验的成功基础上，并将其推广到全球其他工厂内的货架仓库， Ancliff 说，“我们真的想增加整个工厂的安装数量，我们只能说这个产品给我们带来的价值是非常高的。”