Ontario-based Cimcorp inks $33M automation deal with Chinese tire maker
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
The deal includes six independent automated lines, and is the biggest in Cimcorp's history
GRIMSBY, Ont.—Chinese tire manufacturer Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd. has placed a $33.5 million (approx. 30 million euros) order with Cimcorp Group, the biggest order in the Grimsby, Ont.-based automation company’s history.
Cimcorp, which manufactures turnkey robotic gantry-based order fulfillment and tire handling solutions, will supply material handling equipment for Qingdao Sentury’s new factory in Thailand.
Sentury manufactures and sells tires under the brand names Landsail, Delinte and Sentury, with 13 product ranges and more than 400 sizes.
Cimcorp recently supplied the automated handling systems for Sentury’s Qingdao plant in China, which led to Sentury’s selection of the same Dream Factory concept for its new facility in Thailand.
The automated handling system covers six independent automation lines, each consisting of monorail systems to unload the tire-building machines and transfer green tires to the curing buffers; green tire buffer storage; spotting stations; and monorail transfers for press delivery.
Cimcorp will also provide finished tire buffers and palletizing stations, rail guided vehicle (RGV) loops, stacker cranes in a high-bay warehouse, and shipping buffers in the dispatch area. The material flow will be controlled by Cimcorp’s Warehouse Control Software (WCS).
The system will become operational in stages during 2015 and 2016.
“We want to build a modern tire plant with the latest automation technologies to ensure high product quality and high productivity from the beginning. Our experiences with the first project with Cimcorp have convinced us that they are a competent and reliable partner for us for the Thailand project,” said Qin Long, president and CEO of Qingdao Sentury Tire.
Cimcorp Group, part of Murata Machinery, Ltd., is a global supplier of turnkey automation for intralogistics, using advanced robotics and software technologies.
