Smart waste solutions: How wheel.me and LSM automated DB Schenker’s waste management in Ireland

Every year, 330 tons of cardboard, 42 million tires, 5 million glass bottles, and 1.5 million computers are crushed and compacted by LSM balers. The Irish company makes and distributes these highly engineered and simple to operate machines to sites worldwide for compaction of waste, making it more efficient 

For most large operational facilities, bins are filled with waste and then typically taken to waste balers to be emptied and the waste is compacted into bales. The bins are then returned to their original location to start the process again. Doing all of this manually takes time, and can be cumbersome and expensive. 

Discover how wheel.me partnered with LSM to automate the waste management process for DB Schenker’s 220,000 square feet logistics facility in Ireland.

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Recruitment for manual handling roles is getting more difficult – ‘persistent labor shortages are most common in the manufacturing and construction sectors’. What’s more, new laws on reducing, reusing and recycling means investing in infrastructure upgrades and renewals is essential.

Faced with this challenge, LSM turned to automation as a solution. Over the past five years, they’ve invested in solutions designed to minimize the number of times manual input is needed for safe and efficient waste handling.

“In manufacturing, because you have such a vast array of products on the move at any one point in time, you’re always looking for the non-value-added activities, and trying to streamline these.” Jamie O’Dea, Engineering Manager, LSM

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Logistics distribution centers are one of LSM’s core customer groups, where waste management efficiency is crucial. LSM realized the potential for wheel.me to increase efficiencies in waste management especially at large logistics facilities.

DB Schenker Ireland, was using 30 bins, each one with a 1,100 liter capacity, to dispose of the large volumes of cardboard and plastic passing through the facility in Ireland each day.

Workers would manually transport the bins to LSM balers such as the LSM H50 featured below. The machines then compressed the waste into compact bales, ready for recycling and disposal.

LSM saw an opportunity to integrate wheel.me's autonomous wheel technology with their existing machinery to further streamline the process at DB Schenker.

• Bottlenecked traffic
  There were times when the volume of waste meant bins were needed across different places at the same time. This meant operatives had to move bins quickly to the correct positions, at short notice and sometimes blocking each other’s routes. 
• Health and safety risks
  Bins were sometimes left outside where they would get wet and slippy. On windy days the bins would also get blown around the outside areas. Vermin would also come to the site, attracted by the waste left around the site. 
• Inefficient processes
  Workers would also have to go outside to retrieve bins that were left outside after deliveries. Sometimes this was at night, with reduced visibility.

• Improve safety for all
  The waste was also appearing around the warehouse floor, adding to the risks from obstacles and hazards.
• Free up resources at peak times
  Most 1,100 liter bins are at least 1m 30cm high and wide. They take up a lot of space, and need at least one person to move one bin, often more when packed with heavy waste. When you have got 30 of these that need emptying at the same time, that is a lot of human resources required.
• Reduce their carbon footprint
  If DB Schenker could reduce the number of waste collections needed, they could reduce their carbon footprint. This meant they would be eligible for a rebate.
• Improve the warehouse appearance
  DB Schenker wanted to avoid waste piling up at the rear of the warehouse. Apart from looking untidy, the waste would get blown around, making more work for people cleaning up.

A standard 1,100 liter bin comes with its own castor (non-autonomous) wheels. The first step involved creating a custom version instead. This was achieved by removing the conventional wheels to mount Genius 2 wheel sets in place of the original wheels, enabling automated transport of the bins.

Genius 2 can be mounted to almost any object, whatever its shape or dimension, but for this use case the brackets were placed in exactly the same place for each of the bins. That was so the baler could automatically pick up the bin and empty the waste automatically. And then workers would no’t have to manually move the bin into position. 

The design also needed to withstand any changes to the bin’s shape. After all, 1,100 liters of waste, especially if some is cardboard left out in the rain, puts serious strain on the bins when they’re being raised. When putting down the bins, it was important to make sure it was a smooth process. That meant no heavy bumps or vibrations that could affect the calibrated robotic wheels.

The design also needed to factor in the ground. The distribution center has three different surfaces on the route from site to the balers. Genius 2 needed to be stable enough to transport the bins across the differing surfaces, in both moist and dry conditions.

Now that Genius 2 was able to fit the bins, it was time to integrate with the LSM H50 baler. A wise unit was deployed, acting as an interface to receive Wi-Fi signals from the robotic wheels and the balers. The communication protocol meant the balers knew when to pick up the waste delivered by Genius 2.

LinkedIn video here

This involved a visual lighting system, using colors to signify:

• Green: LSM baler is ready for Genius 2 to deliver a bin to be emptied
• Red: LSM baler is in motion; no Genius 2 can enter or leave 
• Blue: LSM baler has emptied the bin and compacted the waste; Genius 2 can now transport the empty bin away

This created a closed loop safety system, with the lights acting as constant visual signals to operatives in the area. This adds an extra layer on top of Genius 2’s existing cameras, sensors, and collision safety features.

To integrate with DB Schenker’s existing infrastructure, LSM designed a custom H50 Rear-Filling Clamped bin lift and a specially-made enclosure to fit seamlessly with the site’s leveling dock. This system allowed for efficient and automatic handling of the bins by the balers, eliminating the need for workers to manually move the bins into position.

• Heightened health and safety
  Creating the closed loop safety system reduces the time workers spend moving the bins, and limits exposure to the waste materials.
• Cost avoidance of around € 80,000 per year
  By implementing autonomous driving waste bins, DB Schenker could avoid hiring two FTE.
• Optimized labor resources
  Automating the baling has freed up 3–4 people to work on other value-added activities.
• Increased space efficiency
  The consistency levels of the facility’s waste management now means only 7 bins are needed instead of the previous 30.

The collaboration’s measurable success means LSM plans to offer wheel.me solutions to more of their clients.Learn more about LSM’s Waste Baling and Compacting Solutions → here  Want to explore how wheel.me can automate processes, improve health and safety, and boost productivity for your business? Simply by turning almost anything into a mobile robot? Visit Solutions to find out more.