Since its introduction to the market over 30 years ago, the Modula vertical lift system is among the most reliable and advanced storage systems available today.

The Modula vertical lift system is the ideal solution to store any industrial products, components or spare parts in all possible industrial environments, industries and departments. The system allows for up to 90 000kg of capacity depending on the configuration chosen.

Many companies have chosen a Modula storage system to reorganise and improve workflow due to its flexibility, the wide range of models, the overall design and ease of use.
Software can be used with a Modula vertical storage system or as a stand-alone system that manages all possible warehouse operations or, a combination of both.

Ultra Lock installed a Modula automated storage and retrieval system. The system Ultra Lock have installed occupies 15m² of floor space yet gives close to 200m² of storage space. It really makes use of the wasted air space that is usually associated in a factory or warehouse. The Modula VLM utilises the full ceiling height of your facility thereby maximising the storage potential. Items are stored in systems up to 16m high. Tray loads are up to 990kg and the software will recognise if this figure is exceeded. These vertical warehouses are designed to reduce occupied floor space by up to 90%, increase productivity, speed up picking throughput and improve warehouse efficiency by reducing risks to both people and goods

To gain the most benefit from a Modula and increase your productivity there is a wide range of accessories like a laser pointer, an alphanumeric LED bar, label printing, barcode reading, etc. The system also has a extremely flexible user authentication system that allows many levels of access and control.

The main advantage you will notice straight away is the optimisation of your available space. When you store goods in our automatic vertical warehouses, you can recover up to 90% of floor space. Not only that, you also save significant amounts of time, as operators stay near the automatic warehouse and don’t have to move around in order to pick or refill goods. Amongst the advantages of using the system technology are also the increased security of your goods and safety of your operators

Considering all your warehouse needs and storage solutions can be daunting. Many facilities need to accommodate both large equipment as well as smaller tools, materials and parts. Beyond storage, your employees need to be able to access and retrieve stored items quickly and easily in order to stay productive, efficient and safe.

Optimising your warehouse space doesn’t have to be an overwhelming endeavour. Vertical warehouse storage can give you the space you need to streamline your workflow, increase efficiency and enhance safety while ultimately increasing your bottom line.

Ultra Lock have recently invested in a Penta Swan hand-held fiber laser for welding. The welding machine performs very well with aluminium , carbon steel and stainless steel welding applications

“In our business it is not just about making products, it is about making the best products in the most effective way, and that means you have to take the best care of your machines and tooling that is used on our press brakes and other bending and cutting equipment for example,” said Derrick van Niekerk.

Storage of press brake tooling
Brother Henk interjects with an example of why he is so excited about their new capital equipment investment: “We have built up a large inventory of press brake tooling alone. There are a few important things to remember to properly maintain your press brake tooling. The first is, don’t store it in a general storage rack away from the press brake when it is not in use. Storing press brake tooling in a general storage rack in the back of the shop, for example, is usually a serious productivity killer. It forces the press brake operator to step away from the press brake to retrieve the tooling required for the next job, or it puts the operator in the position of having to wait for the tooling to be delivered to the press brake when a forklift driver or setup person is involved.”

“When multiple press brake operators share the same tooling between two or more press brakes, it is common for tooling to get spread out over multiple locations. This invariably results in the press brake operators spending a lot of time searching to locate all of the individual tools that they need to run the next job. Needless to say, the amount of time consumed while doing this can really add up over time.”

The 1500 watt Penta Swan hand-held fiber laser for welding is achieving results that Ultra Lock did not expect. “In our business the less post processing work you have to do the more you save on costs and time.”

Storing press brake tooling in a general storage rack leaves it out in the open, exposing it to airborne dust and debris and much greater potential of damage

“For these reasons, it is always better to store your press brake tooling in an organised storage and retrieval system.”

“It was always our intention to make storage of the press brake tooling a priority but as we investigated the Modula vertical warehouse, we realised that there is more space available for storage than at first anticipated and there are many more advantages that we had not thought of so allocated shelves to creating an organized secure storage system inside the Modula system along with all out other tools and stock items.”

“Amongst the advantages of using Modula’s technology are the increased security of your products and safety of your operators. In fact, access to the warehouse is only permitted to authorised operators via advanced recognition systems and the movement of tooling, components or product is facilitated by an ergonomic and functional warehouse structure.”

“The Modula software manages your warehouse in real time via a user-friendly PC interface which is simple and intuitive. All you need is a PC as a server and a certain number of clients depending on your needs. Items are stored, catalogued, and retrieved using a touch screen interface, and can be catalogued by shelve number, part number, compartment number, or part description. Users can even enter digital photos into the system, which lets them visually identify an item, then touch the photo on the screen to retrieve it. The software even lets managers determine who has access to which shelves. Safety criteria set for weight and size of item or tray is also recognised by the software. All this means is that a full multi-user system is within easy reach.”

“The Modula automated storage system saves you time and helps reduce personnel required for picking operations. In our case the press brake tooling is stored inside the trays of the vertical lift system (VLS) and traced automatically. The trays are picked up by an automatic lift and delivered to the picking bays. Utilising quick and easy picking operations, the tooling is retrieved and brought to the operator automatically. The picking access bays can be customised in different configurations depending on the needs of each individual automatic warehouse and automated storage system. Depending on the available floor space, you can set up a single, dual or multiple, internal or external bay.”

The company is currently testing how they can incorporate an Omron collaborative robot/s into their production

“These vertical warehouses are designed to reduce occupied floor space by up to 90%, increase productivity, speed up picking throughput and improve warehouse efficiency by reducing risks to both people and goods.”

“The system we have installed occupies 15m² of floor space yet gives us close to 200m² of storage space. It really makes use of the wasted air space that is usually associated in a factory or warehouse. The Modula VLM utilises the full ceiling height of your facility thereby maximising the storage potential. Items are stored in systems up to 14.1m high. Tray loads are up to 990kg and the software will recognise if this figure is exceeded.”

“Modula is an automated storage and retrieval system designed to optimise space, work and warehouse management for a range of industries and applications. Spare parts, accessories, semi-finished or finished goods, tools and components from small electronic components or pharmaceuticals to heavy and bulky objects like moulds or engine/car parts can be stored. The list is endless.”

Protect your investment
“Like anything of value, it only makes good sense to protect your investment and store it and use it wisely so that it provides you with the maximum return on that investment.”

“I have had sleepless nights about the thought of the tooling for example ending up in some scrap dealer’s yard with there being no respect to the actual value of each tool. These apprehensions and worries will all come to an end now that we have installed our first vertical lift Modula automated storage and retrieval system.”

For further details contact Ultrafab on TEL: 011 474 9810, email info@ultrafab.co.za or visit www.modula.com