Twintex, a Portuguese clothing company with 45 years' experience and specialising in the production of garments for medium/high-end and luxury brands, has installed the Hänel Lean-Lift automated vertical warehouse from VRC Warehouse Technologies.

‘Today, a garment factory is much more than a warehouse where clothes are produced. That's why we've embraced a highly complex logistical responsibility,’ explains Mico Mineiro, COO of Twintex. ‘With the VRC equipment, an operator can call in and collect all the necessary goods in a few short steps, while stock management is done by the day, hour and minute, thus improving performance dramatically.’

As well as allowing operators to quickly access the materials they need, eliminating low value-added manual tasks and ensuring real-time control of stored items, the new installation has also made it possible to reduce the space occupied in the factory by 40 per cent and improve safety conditions for workers. ‘We don't use ladders and we don't walk with a lot of effort. This was a change from 8 to 80,’ emphasised Ana Almeida, from the Trimming department.

In addition, this investment reinforces the company's commitment to sustainability, an area in which it holds various eco-labelling certifications, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and Global Recycle Standard (GRS).  

‘We have a growing need to keep everything well separated and divided at all times. This amplification in our organisation has allowed us to be much more efficient, much more concise and to work in a much more simplistic way,’ added Beatriz Tavares, ambassador for Social and Environmental Sustainability at Twintex. 

‘The solution adopted illustrates how technology can transform the textile industry, making it more efficient, sustainable and prepared for the future,’ VRC emphasised in a statement.

The Twintex/VRC case study will be highlighted at the INTRALOGISTICA conference on 28 January in Braga.