An automated pallet retrieval system from Westfalia Technologies (York, Pa.) is helping The Boston Globe save time and money at its Morrissey Boulevard plant in Boston. The system conveys palletized newspaper inserts from one floor to another within the plant.
A series of Westfalia roller conveyors and turntables transports palletized inserts from a first floor receiving dock, weighs the pallets, checks their contents and delivers them to a manned pick-up station on the third floor using high-speed vertical reciprocating conveyors or pallet lifts. The lifts have a vertical operating rate of 400 feet per minute and can handle 120 pallets per hour. The system also conveys pallets from a Quipp Systems conveyor and palletizer back to the delivery dock. In addition to faster material delivery, the system reduced labor needs by two people per shift.
