N. Kjær Bilcentret is a busy company with several business areas. The company sells Ford, Mazda & Suzuki cars as well as Brenderup trailers, and with associated repairs and service, there is a need for storage solutions that can keep up.
Business need
As N. Kjær Bilcentret grew, there was a need to find a better storage solution for the tire stock.
The tire changes are not only time-consuming, but also involve heavy lifting - a focus area for the Danish Working Environment Authority. Thorough research was conducted by visiting other tire storage centres to find the correct solution.
The solution
The decision was made to create a storage solution with mobile tire racking. An 800 sqm warehouse was designed and built to provide the racking solution. Rails were embedded in the floor across the width of the warehouse making room for possible future expansion - up to 5 bases if necessary.
The facility consists of 4 static racks along one of the warehouse walls, as well as 6 mobile bases with 8 bays each. The racking goes up to a height of 6 meters with 5 levels. The installation contains a total of 7200 items - 1800 sets of customer wheels, which are stored in sets of 4 on the pallets.
The tire storage centre is operated by a man and truck. Every morning a list is drawn of the tires to be used and when. The pallets are then picked from the racking and driven over to the workshop, where they are placed on wheel trolleys.
These trolleys make sure that the tires are at the right height for changing. The replaced tires are transported out of the workshop and picked up by the truck which drives them back into the tire storage area.
The pallets are picked up from the warehouse and driven out of the facility. The warehousing system is operated via a remote control from the truck. This means that the racking closes and opens the aisle to be used for the next pick without the operative having to leave the truck.
The result
“With up to 53 tire changes on the busiest days, it goes without saying that it is important to avoid bottlenecks, e.g. at the tire storage centre. With mobile tire racking, we have a solution that accommodates all wheelsets, has room for growth and most importantly, complies with the Danish Working Environment Authority's requirements for tire handling.” says Hans-Christian Kjær, owner.
About N. Kjær Bilcentret
N. Kjær Bilcentret is a family-owned company dating back to before the 1950s, when founder Nikolaj Kjær opened his bicycle and car workshop in Gudbjerg, just outside Svendborg. The company sells the car brands Ford, Mazda & Suzuki as well as Brenderup trailers, and employs around 60 people.