Sustainable Packaging Solutions for a better world with Visy
Visy and E80 Group share a vision to optimize manufacturing and supply chain processes.
Visy distribution center and facility in Australia and New Zealand are a virtuous example of how to digitalize intralogistics processes through automated and integrated systems.
It is a global leader in packaging and resource recovery. The company’s unique closed loop systems turn recyclable materials back into resources, powering the circular economy.
The privately-owned company employs over 7,000 people, with more than 120 facilities, predominantly in Australia and New Zealand.
E80Group Visy Epping & Truganina on Vimeo from E80 Group.
Visy’s mission towards sustainability
Sustainability sits at the center of Visy’s operating model, that consists in collecting and sorting used paper, cardboard, glass, plastics and metals from multiple streams, maximizing the recyclable content to be re-manufactured into valuable packaging and, in the process, reducing both the reliance on natural resources and waste going to landfill.
Visy is constantly innovating and investing to find better ways to rethink waste, redesign supply chains and re-manufacture packaging from materials that are recycled and recyclable. The use of automation, and investment in the research and development of innovative technologies, is a major area of focus for the company.
The partnership
Visy and the E80 Group have a shared vision to optimize manufacturing and supply chain processes to improve operational efficiency, while at the same time reducing emissions and delivering positive impacts for the environment and Visy’s customers. After researching and analyzing multiple facilities across Australia, Visy and E80 Group started to work together on the design and implementation of cutting-edge integrated and automated solutions.
In 2015, this partnership led to the creation of the first model of Industry 4.0 for Visy’s greenfield Truganina facility in Melbourne. Construction work for the new corrugated packaging plant commenced in 2018 and the facility was officially opened in April 2019.
To meet Visy’s requirements, E80 Group designed and developed a new innovative LGV Reach Double Deep: an automated laser guided vehicle, capable of storing and picking products up to a height of six levels and double deep. The LGVs at Truganina manage a warehouse with 9,000 pallets of corrugated cardboard finished goods, moving 160 pallets per hour from the production lines to the warehouse and then to the truck loading bays.
Through this partnership, E80 Group capitalised on the expertise gained in various industries, such as the corrugated cardboard manufacturing sector.
The solution
In 2021, E80 Group implemented automated handling solutions for Visy’s operations at Epping and Yatala. Here, the LGV Elephant handles paper reels weighing up to 4,000 kilograms and stacking to heights of more than eight meters, storing them in dedicated warehouses, while the LGV Reach stores pallets of manufactured beverage cans. The LGV Reach also handle the incoming packaging materials, feed the production lines, and carry out the pre-staging on the ground or on automatic loading bays.
All the operations are integrated by SM.I.LE80, the software platform which connects systems and flows, interfaces with the factory management software and supervises in real time the whole solution performance, guaranteeing the total traceability of the handled product.
Benefits are also guaranteed by our Customer Service, which offers customers, on site and remotely, the highest levels of innovation, reliability, and reduction in the margins of error.
Thanks to 24/7 service, it helps the companies to keep the best production capacity of the plant and protects the customer’s investment over time.
With the aim of boosting its competitive and strategic edge, Visy plans to use the E80 for future projects.
The partnership between Visy and E80 Group embraces innovation, and a constant focus on safety and service to the market.
