From drums and big bags to unmixed pallets with packaging material - at Sanofi's production site in Lüleburgaz/Turkey, more than 1,000 euro pallets roll over the incoming and outgoing goods conveyor system every day. The Sanofi Group, headquartered in Paris, is one of the world's leading healthcare providers. According to IMS, Institute for Healthcare Informatics, it is the fourth largest pharmaceutical company in the world and has long been present in emerging markets. In addition to over-the-counter medicines, Sanofi also focuses on solutions for diabetes, vaccines and innovative medicines in therapeutic areas such as oncology, thrombosis, cardiovascular, central nervous system and internal medicine. In Germany, Sanofi is the fourth largest manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. Its product range includes Maaloxan, Bronchoforton, Mitosyl, Ibuflam and Heumann Tees. The Lüleburgaz site exports to 40 countries.

With the expansion of the product range, the need for new conveyor technology solutions to easily handle pallets weighing up to one ton increased. The Klinkhammer Group received the order from Sanofi, Turkey, to plan and implement the conveyor technology, including two vertical conveyors, a pallet changer and the complete control and visualization system. The project was implemented in April 2017. "Due to strict pharmaceutical quality specifications in accordance with GMP, pallets must undergo a changeover process. Up to 60 pallets per hour are changed from wooden pallets to hygiene pallets and vice versa on the high-performance logistics system from Klinkhammer," explains Hakan Kaya, Logistics Manager Industrial Operations at the Sanofi site in Turkey.

The investment in the new conveyor technology had become necessary as additional product lines were added to the already diverse range. In addition to liquid and solid pharmaceuticals, Sanofi also produces ointments. These three production areas are now connected via a conveyor bridge. The heart of the system is a pallet changer with a capacity of up to 60 pallets per hour, which supplies the production areas with raw, auxiliary and operating materials. With the help of the optimized conveyor line, finished products are conveyed fully automatically from the production areas to the central outgoing goods area. In addition to the mechanical system, Klinkhammer also implemented the system control, visualization and material flow control. "The optimization of the material flow helps to increase the throughput of goods while reducing manual processes. This has significantly increased the efficiency of the logistics system," explains Hagen Schumann, authorized signatory and Head of Sales and Consulting at Klinkhammer. as