Monorail at Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht

Without a doubt, the largest investment undertaken by Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht in 2022, is the acquisition of a Monorail system. This multi-million euro investment will improve efficiency, delivery reliability and will also result in a better and safer working environment. Work planning for this project started in 2022. The installation of the entire Monorail systems is expected to be complete by the end of the third quarter of 2023.

With the Monorail system, Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht automates part of the logistics movements in its warehouse in Zwijndrecht, as a result of which there is a significant drop in transport movements involving cranes and internal transport vehicles. The picked goods are loaded onto the Monorail, after which the pipes are automatically transported to the truck’s loading site. At 315 meters in length (across the entire warehouse), it soon will be the largest pipe sorting center in the world. More than 12.5 km of foundation piles, flared by Combulex, were used for the foundation.

Van Leeuwen Zwijndrecht created a special team that ensures that the construction work is proceeding as planned. Director Operations Marco Broeren: ‘As a result of the Monorail, fewer human interventions will be required in the future. This increases efficiency and delivery reliability. It also improves the sustainable employment of our employees. The Monorail reduces the severity of the heavy physical work.'