The adaptability of the historical city of Manchester, renowned for its 19th-century brick architecture and constant rainfall, continues to play a crucial role in modern industrial operations. Among its manufacturers, Kingsland Drinks shines as the UK’s premier independent supplier of bulk wine and spirits. Established in 1955, Kingsland Drinks has continually navigated changes in the industry, pioneering innovations such as lightweight glass bottles and flexible bulk wine packaging.
With over 400 employees, the company operates from a site that has seen significant advancements in production, supported by automated processes running 24/7. However, the challenges associated with the physical structure of their facilities—specifically, thick brick walls and frequent rainfall—pose obstacles to their wireless network effectiveness.
Challenges of a Brick and Water Environment
As Kingsland Drinks expanded its operations, the reliance on robust wireless connectivity became indispensable. The company initially installed a Wi-Fi infrastructure alongside a new SAP business system three years ago. This was intended to streamline stock movement via handheld scanners used by forklift drivers across the sprawling warehouse and bottling areas.
Unfortunately, the WLAN setup soon faced numerous complications. According to IT manager Brian Polkinghorne, the system was poorly designed and struggled to maintain reliable connectivity, leading to frequent helpdesk requests and significant productivity losses. Forklift drivers found themselves needing to dismount and manually log information, which proved to be both time-consuming and inefficient.
Importance of Reliable Wi-Fi
For Kingsland Drinks, reliable Wi-Fi is crucial in connecting over 100 wireless access points throughout the building. Issues arose due to dead spots in coverage, forcing employees to revert to outdated manual processes. Polkinghorne stated, “The Wi-Fi failed us,” which illustrated the vital role of a dependable network in the operations of a modern brewery environment.
Given that their current Wi-Fi setup utilized only Wi-Fi 5 technology, a review of the network solution became necessary. The initial deployment was committed to providing adequate coverage but still saw challenges with connectivity and reliability, particularly in the production areas where conditions fluctuated with the comings and goings of trucks and workers.
Partnering for Solutions
Recognizing the need for a more robust wireless infrastructure, Kingsland Drinks engaged with managed service provider Holker IT. Their intention was to gain insights into a strategically sound Wi-Fi architecture that would cater to their unique operational dynamics. Holker IT, with expertise in manufacturing and educational environments, provided a fresh perspective to the wireless challenges faced by Kingsland Drinks.
Holker commenced its engagement by conducting site visits, during which they assessed the technological and operational requirements of Kingsland Drinks. The feedback from this collaboration was critical in understanding the demands placed on the network and the specific issues that needed resolution.
Implementing the Channel Blanket Solution
Resulting from Holker’s evaluations, a proposal was made to implement the Channel Blanket solution utilizing Allied Telesis technology. This innovative design focuses on providing high-performance Wi-Fi, specifically tailored for environments where traditional deployment methods often fail. The architecture minimizes co-channel interference while enhancing user device mobility across access points, which is essential for maintaining connections in the bustling production environment.
This deployment has since scaled, now featuring 128 access points with a single SSID, covering all operational zones both inside and in loading areas. The technology is engineered to achieve seamless connectivity, overcome physical barriers, and ensure uninterrupted access to critical applications.
Learning Experiences from Deployment
While Kingsland Drinks anticipated a straightforward implementation, the actual deployment process proved quite complex. Continuously operating 24/7, it was essential to coordinate with production schedules, enabling installations during designated downtime periods. With only three such windows a year, the implementation stretched over three months primarily due to the large-scale undertaking and the necessity of working in phases.
Addressing the complexity of installation involved adjustments to original plans as real-world conditions diverged from expectations. Metcalfe from Holker highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts with production managers, stating, “We realised we were better engaging with the production managers to get stuff done and worked with them to understand our complications.” This collaboration was pivotal in smoothing out the integration process.
Results and Future Directions
The successful implementation of the Channel Blanket solution has led to measurable increases in productivity. Polkinghorne reported that drivers save a day of manual entry per month, as the enhanced WLAN allows them to remain mobile while accurately tracking inventory. These efficiencies have effectively justified the investment in the new wireless infrastructure.
Moving forward, Kingsland Drinks plans to continue utilizing Allied Telesis for their core technology needs, with future enhancements likely to include newer wireless devices and ongoing infrastructure improvements. Polkinghorne remarked on the newfound freedom the improved wireless system has afforded his team, stating, “What senior management is happy about is that we’re not losing all that time anymore.”
