Advanced automated material handling system from FKI Logistex to provide groundbreaking solution for the UK's national library (Kettering, Northampton, UK : October 20, 2006) FKI Logistex has won a major contract to provide The British Library with a comprehensive storage-and-retrieval system. The new facility will house and safeguard a substantial part of the UK's national collection of books and journals, currently requiring an additional 12.5 km (7.7 miles) of shelving space per year. The sophisticated and innovative storage unit will meet The British Library's rigorous requirements, incorporating 262 linear km (163 miles) of high-density, fully automated storage in a low-oxygen environment.
Working closely with the Library and its architects, FKI Logistex will supply and integrate an extensive range of customized, high-density storage-and-retrieval systems into the new-build facility, located on the Library's existing northern site at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. The new unit meets the environmental and handling standards needed to preserve the collections that the library has committed to keep in perpetuity. With its innovative interweaving of technologies, the new library storage facility material handling system is expected to generate interest from national libraries around the world.
"In the face of tough competition, our company is delighted to have been given the responsibility to design and supply these vital systems in the major new British Library storage facility," says Andy Smith, managing director, FKI Logistex Warehouse, Distribution and Manufacturing Systems Europe. "As the material handling system integrator for the Library's original Boston Spa site, we have already developed an excellent working relationship with the Library and its partners. We look forward to delivering the final phase of this complex and exciting project."
About FKI Logistex
FKI Logistex is a leading global provider of automated material handling solutions, supplying its customers with an integrated set of leading-edge technologies in high-speed sortation, conveyor systems, palletizing, paperless pick products, AS/RS, controls, order fulfillment systems, RFID implementation, EDS integration, baggage handling systems, warehouse control systems, and total material handling automation. FKI Logistex provides material handling solutions for airports, postal facilities, parcel distribution, manufacturing operations, library automation, and for warehouse and distribution facilities. With projects that include many of the world's largest and most advanced material handling operations, FKI Logistex has manufacturing, engineering and support facilities around the world.
About The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection.