#Industry News
Inauguration of the Distribution center of O-Rings and Bonded Seals in Château-Gontier
Hutchinson inaugurates its new BS O-rings and bushings distribution center on Wednesday June 14, 2023 in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne. With a surface area of 4,000 m², the distribution center is located near the seals manufacturing site.
Inauguration of a new building
The new distribution center is located in the northern industrial zone of Bazouges, 1km from the Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne (53) plant, which has been manufacturing rubber seals since 1981. The management of the Mayenne site joined forces with the Communauté de communes du Pays de Château-Gontier to construct the building. In operation since March, the official inauguration took place this Wednesday, June 14, in the presence of Mrs. Hélène Moreau-Leroy, CEO of the Hutchinson group, Mr. Philippe Henry, Mayor, President of the Communauté de Communes du Pays de Château-Gontier & Vice-President of the region, and several officials invited for the occasion.
A state-of-the-art facility to better meet customer needs
This new distribution center is part of the Hutchinson Group's Factory 4.0 project, and meets several objectives:
- Improved quality of service and customized packaging for customers
- Automation and robotization of the warehouse and order-picking stations
- Optimization of flows, through the implementation of WMS (Warehouse Management System) software developed specifically for this project
- Improved working environment for employees
"I'm delighted to inaugurate this new distribution center today. This new structure is a perfect realization of our Factory 4.0 development plan and is designed to better serve our customers through digitalization and automation," explained Ms. Moreau-Leroy.
After 18 months of construction and installation, the logistics warehouse went into operation in March 2023. It includes an automated warehouse, 200 m² of office and technical space, 8 order-picking stations, a bin and pallet conveyor serving the workstations, a robotized palletizing/de-palletizing area and 5 loading bays.
This structure enables the site to fully integrate its previously outsourced warehousing, and to better meet the logistics and packaging requirements of the O-rings and BS rings manufactured at Château-Gontier and the division's other sites.
A positive-energy building
This project also contributes to the Group's carbon neutrality objectives, with interior and exterior insulation to the latest standards, a rainwater recovery system, and photovoltaic panels on the roof to ensure energy autonomy and make it a positive energy building (BEPOS), producing more energy than it consumes.
Adapted workstations
The system not only optimizes storage space, but also reduces the need for operators to carry heavy loads. The project team called in ergonomists to study the workstations with a view to improving gestures, limiting the carrying of loads and thus avoiding the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Order-picking operators no longer need to handle bins, and the packing of gasket sachets is carried out using on-screen instructions detailing the customer order.
The project in figures:
- Surface area of around 4,000 m2
- 2,600 m2 of photovoltaic panels
- 8 order-picking areas
- 5 loading bays
HUTCHINSON plans to double its distribution capacity with the installation of a 2nd automated warehouse at the Mannheim site in 2025.
About Hutchinson
Hutchinson's Château-Gontier site, historically known as Le Joint Français, is part of the Hutchinson Group's Precision Sealing business.
A specialist in sealing, with over 5 billion seals manufactured every year, Hutchinson designs and manufactures standard and customized O-rings, BS rings and form seals for all industrial sectors, guaranteeing a high level of quality and constant regulatory monitoring.
Our site holds multiple certifications: ISO 50001, (Energy), ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 16949 (Automotive), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety), ISO 14001 (Environment) and most recently EN 9100 (Aerospace).
For more details: www.oring.hutchinson.fr
Press contacts
Julie Malicot, Château-Gontier Communications - Tel: + 33 2 43 09 23 83 / julie.malicot@hutchinson.com
Clothilde Lebrun, Press Relations Manager - Tel: +33 1 40 89 55 07 / clothilde.lebrun@hutchinson.com
Coralie Weislinger, Communications Director PSS / coralie.weislinger@hutchinson.com
