Supporting logistics operations and maintaining health & safety at Kuehne+Nagel France

Kuehne+Nagel’s French division has taken a strategic approach to integrating innovative lifting solutions to facilitate the handling of heavy goods and maintain employee health at its logistics center in Heudebouville.

The challenge: supporting logistics productivity while maintaining employee health & safety

Kuehne+Nagel’s operations initially relied on manual handling processes. The introduction of TAWI lifting solutions has transformed these operations, reducing the physical strain on employees and improving shift efficiency.

Handling packages weighing between 40 and 120 kg was a real challenge for the teams. TAWI vacuum lifting systems have made it possible to efficiently manage large packages, supporting the overall productivity of the team. Thanks to these handling aids, a single operator can now handle large volumes and weights, simplifying daily operations. This transformation has also enabled better predictability of performance, stabilising the efficiency of the facilities.

The solution has been positively received by employees. TAWI lifting devices have therefore not only optimised logistics operations, but have also contributed to safeguarding the health & safety of the Kuehne+Nagel teams.

The solution: integrating TAWI technology to simplify daily operations

“We ran a lot of focus groups in the manual zone in order to identify areas of improvement. It was about finding a solution that could help us throughout the day without expending all our energy over the 7 hour work day” – Oumar – Chef d’equipe / Team Lead.

The solution itself was simple: lighten the load on Kuehne+Nagel employees, protect the health & safety of the teams, increase the autonomy of operators by giving them the ability to handle large packages alone.

Kuehne+Nagel integrated four TAWI vacuum lifting solutions, working closely with the TAWI implementation team to optimise the workspace and to find the best solution.

Supporting logistics operations at Kuehne+Nagel with TAWI vacuum lift systems for ergonomic palletising of large boxes

These tools facilitate the daily operations of teams by allowing one operator to handle large packages alone. TAWI vacuum lifting systems have given teams more autonomy and protected their health & safety.

The installation includes:

• To date, 4 vacuum lifters have been installed
• Suitable for handling all types of boxes (15 – 100kg / 33 – 220lbs)
• Floor mounted overhead crane systems

Completed in just a week, this installation is part of a wider project to install a total of 12 vacuum lifters across the Kuehne+Nagel’s Heudebouville site. Over the course of 16 months, the company is deploying a staged approach including research, testing and deployment of TAWI smart lifting solutions and the processes to fully leverage our lifters.

The result: sustained productivity, a more autonomous workforce, and improved health & safety

The integration of TAWI solutions has led to real support for team productivity. Employees maintain a constant energy level throughout the day, optimising production.

Thanks to the installation of TAWI lifting devices, box handling has become more efficient, allowing a single operator to manage this task. This innovation has reduced handling time to just 1 minute per box, improving resource allocation at Kuehne+Nagel.

“Yes, I’d certainly order from TAWI again. We’ve been looking at their solutions for preparation work, along the picking lines, and I’m interested in the container unloading possibilities too.” – Yanis – Directeur du Site / Site Director.

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Want to explore more lifting solutions tailored for the logistics sector? Download our white paper “Putting the Logic in Logistics” to learn how smart lifting can improve your logistics operations from container unloading to palletising and order picking.