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Richard Portas
13 Dec 2021
One of Tesco’s busiest distributions centres has turned to Presona...
One of Tesco’s busiest distributions centres has turned to Presona with increasing efficiencies and reliability, all while reducing their carbon footprint.
With the Avonmouth distribution centre processing over 30k tonnes of recycled material each year and with roughly 7,500 cages of product unloaded per day, reliability, efficiency, and emissions were all at the forefront of the specification to keep up with the increased demand and future proof the site for even more material.
Already equipped with an older and still very dependable and reliable Presona LP100 baler, Tesco selected another Presona baler over other baler models and styles.
Glen Billings – GXO Site Manager shared, “The reliability of Presona balers is why we wanted another Presona baler. Our original Presona is 12 years old and still running strong, even out doing our previous baler which was much newer. This is the proof that Presona balers are manufactured for longevity and the demanding conditions they face within the recycling sector”.
Adding to this, Glen went on “Linked to the longevity of the assets, the cost of maintaining the Presona balers with their pre-press, saves GXO and Tesco vast amounts of money from reduced energy, lower repairs and maintenance plus logistics”.
The baler selected for Tesco was a new Presona LP110 CH6S – which gives a massive 110 tonnes of press force within the compaction chamber. It’s also capable of producing dense “mill sized” bales at a large rate per hour (17-20). The LP110 range tends to be a popular choice around high throughput sites due to its capability of handling large tonnages.
An additional and very notable benefit from this install has meant that transport of the processed and baled materials has reduced from 4 to 3 lorry loads a day.
A staggering 364 lorry loads off the road each year - that roughly equates to 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions saved every year!
The increased density of bales has increased the weight – now 1 tonne bales are being produced – and also reduced the quantity of bales required to hit the maximum “payload” of the HGV shipping board and plastic. This equates to approximately 7% fewer loading movements per truck.
The installation…
Due to this site being one of the busiest Tesco DC’s, continuity of operations was critical, and the installations and moves were completed promptly and safely to keep downtime to a minimum. The plan included the install of one new Presona, removing the old baler, relocating their existing Presona baler after a refurbishment; a total of 3 significant moves and lifts to complete across the program of works.
This was a time critical project for the Presona team however, and with careful planning and preparation, Presona were able to execute and complete the install in record time – just 2 days in fact!
The collaboration between Tesco, Presona and their lifting team meant they were able work together seamlessly to get the job done, “It was a good project that just went well” Glen added.
From start to finish, the entire installation was managed by Presona’s Project Management team to ensure smooth transitions from one stage to the next – all while adhering to correct regulations throughout the installation process.
What does this mean?
Lower carbon emissions, less bales needed, less transport costs – yet higher density, higher revenue and better for the environment – it’s a “win win” situation for all.
Each year – like most businesses – Tesco DC’s face their busiest period over Christmas. Last festive season was particularly hard going at this site due to the unreliability of the non Presona baler and resulting in shutdown and downtime to production.
Going into this year’s festive period, Tesco feel that there shouldn’t be any issues with the two Presona balers keeping up with demand, especially with the new LP110 – “The operators can’t seem to get enough product into it” – Glen added.
This day and age, it’s important now more than ever to think about reducing your carbon footprint much like Tesco have. If you would like more information on how Presona can help save you time, create an efficient working team and generate you more revenue – all while contributing towards a greener environment – give one of the team at Presona a call today.
Together, we can all see a world where recycling just works!