The power to add value

Despite the exceptional breadth of its product range and the acknowledged productivity and whole of life cost efficiency of Linde forklifts, it is frequently the ability of the company to add value to strategic partnerships which can make a difference for customers.

The Winning Group, one of the country’s enduring business success stories is a case in point. The company transformed itself from a carriage and saddlery trade business in 1906 to an online and bricks and mortar powerhouse now.

Its Winning Appliances, Appliances Online, Big Brown Box and Handy Crew businesses have been on a strong growth trajectory over the last decade, prompting a decision to create a new national distribution centre in Sydney.

State-of-the-art STRATOS warehouse planning and simulation software developed by Linde has helped this high achieving Australian family company position itself for a second century of success.

The STRATOS software allowed the Winning Group to test its distribution centre design concepts in three dimensions instead of two - and produced an optimised outcome. STRATOS takes raw data and then identifies and designs the most cost-effective and efficient storage and handling process to meet nominated business objectives. 

It takes base data and develops an optimum design for today, three year or five year horizons. Then it takes that proposed optimum process and demonstrates it in 3D with fly-arounds and simulations.

STRATOS also has the ability to reconfigure proposals to answer “what if” queries by demonstrating the effect of alternative storage layouts and equipment types, labour and equipment levels by operational hours, with and without seasonal variations.

Each solution is optimised to make the best possible use of the most appropriate Linde material handling equipment.

Winning Appliances had initially developed a concept for a distribution centre unlike any previously operated in Australia - a 21,000 square metre facility with very narrow aisle (VNA) configuration, served by turret trucks fitted with carton clamps and 11.5 metre reach.

Read the next article: Linde New Zealand joins

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