Going Dutch
April 1st 2004

With the establishment of a European centre for excellence and the acquisition of a majority shareholding in an important Dutch manufacturer recently under its belt, these are exciting times for SDI Greenstone.

Charlotte Stonestreet reports

Always a company with strong tendencies to evolve and develop, over the recent past Greenstone Automation, or SDI Greenstone as it is now known, has undergone several particularly notable changes. First there was the major restructuring that, as well as the name change, saw Greenstone emerge as the UK- based headquarters of the expanding pan-European operation of the global SDI Industries Group.

Custom built solutions

Under the leadership of managing director, Gordon Smith, SDI Greenstones Hertfordshire base has become the Groups European centre for excellence for conveyor solutions in distribution and manufacturing. Already established as a leader in hanging garment sortation, Greenstone specialises in custom-built solutions for the (non-grocery) retail sector. SDI subsidiaries in France, Germany, Benelux and Italy are all directed from the Hertfordshire base, with talks currently being undertaken to establish another territory in Spain.

The other major news from SDI Greenstone is its acquisition of a majority shareholding in Dutch conveyor and sortation systems manufacturer, Promech. In fact, this move is reported to have made SDI Group the largest manufacturer and distributor of sortation systems in the world. It also means that SDI Greenstone substantially adds to its manufacturing capabilities, enabling the support of continued growth in continental markets.

According to Smith the joining of the two companies, which were until recently competitors, is a consolidation of equals that will result in the establishment of an engineering house for conveying and sortation in a strong position to attack the dominant German market.

Smith is very keen to promote SDI in Europe as something beyond an equipment supplier. What we are about is complete solutions, he says. We do not simply design a sorter, we design a sorter and then put it into a whole solution.

Concentrating on the relatively narrow non-grocery retail sector does mean that Greenstones client base could be seen as somewhat limited. However, as Smith points out, focussing on such a specialised area does mean that the companys expertise goes very deep and it is able to provide a true one-stop-shop. As well as front-end consultancy, system design, manufacture and installation. SDI Greenstone offers civil works such as building infrastructures including mezzanines and sprinkler systems.

Synergy is also enhanced by the software, which is developed in-house specifically for the equipment/application. This effectively eliminates any problems arising from IT and hardware differences.

Smith believes that one of the keys to the success of Greenstones installations is the companys aim to achieve automation as simply as possible and so retain flexibility. As he says, retail is a rapidly changing market and companies cannot afford to be stuck with expensive, inflexible equipment that fails to adapt to changes in business.

Smith is also wary of too much too soon when it comes to changing to automated systems. All too often the decision to automate is based upon forecasts that are, says Smith, fundamentally wrong and then the automated solution gets the blame when a company has shortfalls in its performance. Taking a customer from zero to huge levels of automation in one radical sweep can be very problematical. Systems can be very complex, change over is difficult and requires comprehensive training.

Wider market

Now that SDI Promech has joined the group, there is scope for Smith to apply Greenstones carefully considered, experienced approach to wider market sectors. Promech brings expertise in flat and hanging sortation systems for the logistics industry. One of its latest products is a multi-level flexible sorting unit system, capable of handling up to 10,000 trays per hour, with reconfigurable induction stations to support multi-point order picking. Other developments include a double-tray sorter and incorporating RF tagging on trays and trolleys to interface with warehouse control and management systems.

Promech is arguably the worlds most forward thinking manufacturer of sortation systems, says Smith. The companys substantial expertise, particularly in robotics and computer control systems, will enable us to improve our offering of creative turnkey solutions to the logistics business. Promechs extensive in-house manufacturing capability also gives us self-sufficiency, a high degree of flexibility, a greater control over price and quality, with improved speed to market.

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