April 18 (SeeNews) - Automotive parts supplier Continental Romania said on Thursday it is investing 1.9 million euro ($2.13 million) in a fully automated storage system at its electronic components plant in Timisoara.
This is the first such system in the company's automotive plants worldwide, Continental said in a press release.
You can download the 2023 Automotive industry in Southeast Europe report here
"We are performance oriented and this goal can only be achieved and sustained if all trends and conditions imposed by the market are taken into account. One of these requirements is industrialization, which is directly related to the quality of our employees' work and the quality of our products," Continental Timisoara production unit manager Ralf Luchs said.
"Acquiring this innovative system is a great step in this direction. The decision to invest 1.9 million euro in modular and ultra-modern storage equipment came with the weighing of the benefits it provides us," Luchs added.
The fully automated storage system is managed through battery-operated robots which collect and stack product boxes inside a metal frame and then rearrange and deliver them automatically to dedicated lifting stations.
This system spreads on 1,000 square meters and contains 42,500 boxes. Its installation ensures 50% reduction in the total surface area originally used for this purpose and provides faster, more ergonomic and cost-effective services at a much lower cost. Its integration is another step that the Timisoara plant is doing towards the 4.0 industry, Continental said.
Earlier this month, Continental said it has invested 1.7 million lei ($400,009/357,037 euro) in an X-ray industrial scanner at its ContiTech facility in Timisoara.
Opened in 2002, the Timisoara production facility also serves other Continental locations around the world such such as Serbia or Mexico. In Timisoara, Continental manufactures 26 million pipes for automotive air conditioning system, power steering and chassis control systems as well as transmission and distribution belts.
($=0.8888 euro)