February 12th 2025 – Element Logic Site Visit – Linney, Mansfield
AMHSA recently attended the Element Logic and their clients, Linney’s, site at Mansfield for a full demonstration of the Autostore system and how the business had employed an automation strategy to increase business capability to attract new customers and increase overall productivity and profitability.
In 2022 Linney engaged Element Logic to design, install and maintain a state-of-the-art storage and retrieval Autostore system to meet the aspirations of their growing business and strategy development. The flexibility and modular capability of the Autostore system captured the imagination of the team at Linney which stoked even greater ambition. Today Linney rely on a system which utilises only about 12% of actual floor space of their existing distribution facility and which employs 31,000 bins and 35 robots. The growth of their client base means that they manage the promotional POS and marketing projects for more than 60 recognised high street retailers and brands from the Mansfield facility and with the more space available and new structures being erected capacity seems endless. The system has also incorporated CMC’s Genesys packaing equipment and machinery which is capable of forming packing for most items delivering greater efficiencies and resource savings and allowing greater studies and analyses of other fulfilment processes to further improve their automation journey.
The visit allowed members fantastic opportunities to network and develop relationships with like minded people from around the industry.
January 22nd 2025 – Cyber Security & Sustainability Conference Siemens Congleton
AMHSA member company Siemens, recently threw open their doors at their Congleton Production Facility, to AMHSA members, on 22nd January 2025.
In the last few years Cyber Security has become one of the most global technological challenges to businesses around the world. When added to the pressures of ever-increasing environmental tests it is easy to see how businesses might inadvertently sleepwalk, into problems that are near impossible, if not time consuming and financially perilous, to resolve.
This event provided the opportunity for members to enjoy knowledge transfer from this global brand leader with and share experiences offering solutions to prevent or overcome these high risk and damaging challenges.
The Siemens experts were on hand and guided delegates through the high level challenges of these two most important areas posing common but threatening global challenges.
Cybersecurity – Paul Hingley:
From ransomware and data leaks to whole Distribution Centres coming to a standstill, the issue of cybersecurity is higher up the agenda than ever before. An increasing concern for all businesses, downtime brings with it huge costs, carries reputational challenges, and ultimately impacts the bottom line.
The solutions – robust Cybersecurity systems and protocols – are often thought of as a grudge purchase, an insurance against the risks brought about by modern threats. And yet, counterintuitively, investing in cybersecurity often carries with it a range of digitalisation benefits. And in many ways it can be viewed as the catalyst for digital transformation and better connected and protected Operational Technology and Information Technology.
Paul Hingley covered the latest in cybersecurity regulations affecting the logistics sector and covered some of the most important considerations that we needed to know to help keep your business secure against the criminals and data harvesters whilst considering your customers and their information.
Sustainability – Sarah Black-Smith
In 2015 Siemens set out its commitment to make its Congleton facility carbon production neutral by 2030. This massive challenge was met head on by the team at Congleton who managed to achieve net zero 8 years early, in 2022.
Sarah Black-Smith explained the journey to net-zero and how Congleton identified and eliminated Carbon emissions from their production operations and supply chain. But also how these learnings would be applied across their business and industry to help others on their sustainability journey.
Congleton Tour:
Founded in 1971, Congleton is the oldest Siemens factory in the UK, but due to a culture of continuous improvement it also has one of the highest productivity rates per square metre of any Siemens site.
This factory tour gave us an overview of the manufacturing processes and how the development of the factory over the years to go from producing 50,000 devices in 1971 to now over 1.2 million in the same footprint. Some of these gains have been achieved the automation of their own production and employing robots as part of the production line facilitating the upskilling of staff.
In addition we learned about the community events that Siemens had led. In particular the installation of an Archimedes screw style Hydro-Electric generator along the River Dane located at the Havannah Weir. The project can generate 275KW hours of green energy which is mainly used by the Congleton facility but which also generates an surplus of energy which raises approximately £5,000 for other local good causes.
Furthermore, we witnessed one of the many ventilators manufactured by the joint efforts of the NHS Scientists and the experienced Siemens Engineers and Production Teams to help tackle the shortage of equipment when helping vulnerable patients during the Covid 19 Corona-virus pandemic. Testament to the committed efforts of and “can do, will do” attitude of the workforce of the Siemens, Congleton workforce.
20th November – Autumn Conference Members’ Meeting.
The AMHSA Autumn Conference Meeting was held at The Three Swans Hotel, Cromwell Suite, Market Harborough, on Wednesday 20th November 2024.
A record number of AMHSA members, for this event, were in attendance and enjoyed networking and collaborative working opportunities. Delegates heard from industry specialists, major exhibition organisers and leading market researchers in relation to the direction, external factors and latest trends in relation to the industry sector.
Updates about the the industry standards from around Europe and the latest Machinery Directive and Conformity Assessment issues were an important topic whilst the latest trends featured from partner research company, Interact Analysis who were able to offer information from their latest data analysis in relation to the industry.
Delegates were able to connect with many new and familiar faces from around the industry before the networking lunch held in the main restaurant of the Three Swans Hotel.
We look forward to hosting a full calendar of events during 2025 and hope to continue with our progressive membership recruitment.
19th November – Autumn Conference Members’ Meeting Social Event.
Before the serious business several AMHSA Members met in the comfortable and relaxing environment of the Oak Dining room at the Three Swans Hotel. The AMHSA secretariat had arranged the usual ice breaking activity which proved, as ever, a roaring success with many new and existing members forging new relationships and strengthening their outlook across the industry.
The evening continues to prove highly lucrative in terms of knowledge sharing, insights and awareness and members always leave the evening wishing for more and excited for the next networking opportunity.
