In the ever-evolving world of agriculture, innovation is key to meeting the demands of a growing global population. Enter the Automated Garlic Storage Bridge Crane—a game-changer in the realm of smart farming. This cutting-edge technology isn’t just about moving garlic from point A to point B; it’s about revolutionizing how we store, manage, and maximize the efficiency of agricultural products. In this post, as part of our business blog section, we delve into how the automated garlic storage bridge crane is making the industry smarter.
The introduction of intelligent equipment is transforming traditional agricultural production and storage methods. One notable example is Henan Kuangshan Crane’s design and manufacture of the intelligent storage EOT crane for Shandong Lingdong Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.’s “Garlic Through the World” Industrial Park Unmanned Cold Storage Project. This project marks the introduction of the first automated storage bridge crane applied to agriculture in China.
This equipment not only promotes the intelligent upgrade of the garlic industry but also brings significant benefits to the entire agricultural sector.
This intelligent storage overhead crane boasts several outstanding features. It has a large span, long operating distance, high lifting height, fast operating speed, smooth and stable operation, and more than 1,400 high-precision positioning points with an accuracy of ±5mm. These characteristics enable the bridge crane to operate efficiently in complex storage environments, significantly improving the efficiency and precision of storage. Compared to traditional storage methods, labor efficiency is increased by 100 times, land utilization is improved by 10 times, and overall operational costs are reduced by 60%.
In Jinxiang, Shandong, a major garlic-producing region, the annual garlic harvest season once posed significant challenges for storage and handling due to the mountains of garlic piled in warehouses. Traditional manual operations were not only inefficient but also required workers to wear oxygen masks to endure the pungent smell of garlic, adding to the labor and time costs in such harsh working conditions.
Henan Kuangshan Crane conducted in-depth research on the garlic industry’s storage methods and proposed an innovative garlic storage solution. This solution introduced an intelligent overhead crane and a dedicated large bin storage system, enabling automatic stacking and retrieval of garlic. The intelligent bridge crane can automatically identify bin codes and monitor the status of stored goods in real-time through a backend database, completely replacing the cumbersome manual stacking process.
The successful application of the intelligent overhead crane has brought numerous advantages to garlic storage. Firstly, it has enabled high-density storage, greatly improving land utilization.
For example, a single 60,000-ton cold storage unit has a land utilization efficiency more than ten times that of traditional cold storage. Secondly, the intelligent technology allows the overhead crane to operate 24/7, reducing downtime and significantly lowering the potential losses caused by manual handling. Additionally, the centralized refrigeration system and standardized business processes further reduce electricity and labor costs, resulting in a 60% decrease in overall storage costs.
More importantly, this intelligent storage system has greatly liberated productivity. In the past, a warehouse required dozens of workers to labor in harsh conditions, but now only two people are needed to operate the intelligent system, completing all tasks. Each truckload can now be loaded or unloaded in just five minutes, with efficiency increased by 100 times. This dramatic improvement in efficiency benefits all aspects of the garlic industry chain.
As artificial intelligence and intelligent manufacturing increasingly integrate with agriculture, the industry is evolving from traditional “agriculture” into a more intelligent and modernized sector. Henan Kuangshan Crane, as a practitioner of “Made in China 2025,” actively responds to the national call for benefiting agriculture, industrial manufacturing, and energy conservation and environmental protection. Through the development and application of intelligent equipment, Henan Kuangshan Crane is providing strong technical support for the industrialization of agriculture. This innovation not only adds momentum to agriculture but also injects new vitality into the overall competitiveness of Chinese agricultural enterprises.
Danella Yaptinchay is the managing director of Full Suite, a service company providing back end support to small businesses. She is a cofounder of Co.lab, a coworking space, and of the media company Homegrown.ph. In constant pursuit of balance and self-development, she tries to apply the practices of yoga to her daily life.
