“Our truck drivers love it. We are processing trucks around 30% faster.“
Nate Holland-Kearins, Engineering Lead, Northland Waste Ltd
Highlights
Summary
Northland Waste is using Atrax weighbridge automation technologies to process trucks 30% faster, while cutting staff workload and taking stress away from weighbridge operators. Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras mean there’s no need for weighbridge operators to enter number plates – vehicle plates populate automatically into the Weightrax software. Automated barrier arms control the flow of trucks in and out, while ensuring transactions are complete before vehicles move off the weighbridge.
Weightrax software captures and reports on all materials that enter or leave, making it easy to analyse and plan new waste diversion projects. Compliance with changing government regulations is built in.
Business benefits
- Automated weighbridges ‘work fantastic’
- ‘Truck drivers love it’
- Automatic Number Plate Recognition
- Automated barriers control site access
Key outcomes
- Process trucks 30% faster
- Easy government compliance
- Easy to capture, analyse and report on data
The new purpose-designed facility is focused on recovering materials that don’t need to go to landfill. This includes everything from paper, glass and plastics to batteries, scrap metals and aluminium cans. Northland Waste uses Weightrax software to record and report on all materials that enter and leave the site.
“We’re very happy with the data we get from Weightrax,” says Nate Holland-Kearins, Engineering Lead, Northland Waste.
“We capture a large amount of data, including what materials are and where they come from. Weightrax gives us as many material codes as we need. The government is requiring ever more detailed reporting so we try to stay in front of that by capturing the data before it’s required.”
Materials leave as general waste to landfill or as product that can be on-sold or re-used. A ‘refuel our waste’ project extracts waste wood materials and processes them into wood chips which are sold as a commercial fuel source. Green waste is diverted from landfill and composted before being sold.
“Weightrax records all of these and is a useful tool to help manage volumes. We can pull reports for any time period and analyse the data in different ways,” Nate Holland-Kearins says.
“Atrax makes sure everything is working when the first customer comes through the door.”
Nate Holland-Kearins, Engineering Lead, Northland Waste Ltd
Northland Waste has a long partnership with Atrax for weighbridge hardware, software and support.
“Atrax makes sure everything is working when the first customer comes through the door,” says Nate Holland-Kearins.
“Their support is really good, they’re very responsive whenever there is an issue. We haven’t had issues with new sites but with our older sites maintenance is important. We can often get service or repair within hours from Atrax. They’re also available by phone and can remote into the software. Atrax is always willing to help you out.”
The new site features above-ground weighbridges. Northland Waste has moved away from pits as above-ground weighbridges are easier to service, says Nate Holland-Kearins.
“At waste sites you get a lot of windblown litter and road grit and with an above-ground design it’s easy to clean out while maintaining operations. This is important because our weighbridges are in constant daily use, we can’t afford to have them stopped.”
Two unmanned truck kiosks have automatic number plate recognition cameras, automated vehicle weighing and site entry controlled by automated barriers. Trucks leave site in the same automated way. The number plate recognition technology also captures an image of the vehicle and links it to the transaction. If staff pick up an anomaly it’s easy to check the photo.
“It works fantastic,” Nate Holland-Kearins says.
“We are processing trucks 30% faster. Our truck drivers love it and it’s reduced our workload.”
“We think this automation technology could speed up car throughput by 50%.”
Nate Holland-Kearins, Engineering Lead, Northland Waste Ltd
Nate Holland-Kearins says Northland Waste had reservations about implementing unmanned kiosks because the company is known for its personal service.
“The doubters have been converted,” he says.
“We think this automation technology could speed up car throughput by 50%. At this stage we still have an operator to say hello to cars and help them on their way. But we’ve installed two more Atrax kiosks with EFTPOS and intercom and will introduce cars to those once they get to know the new site.”
Atrax weighbridge automation in action at Northland Waste facility, Sandspit Road, Warkworth | Image credit: Northland Waste
About Northland Waste
100% New Zealand owned and operated, Northland Waste is a vertically integrated Waste Company specialising in waste collection, transfer station operations and recycling. Northland Waste is the largest collector of household refuse in the Northland Region. It provides waste collection services to commercial and household customers from Puhoi to Cape Reinga. Northland Waste also holds contracts with the Whangarei District Council and Far North District Council for collection of refuse and recycling. See: www.northlandwaste.co.nz