Global Company | Pulp & Paper
AME technologies installed in over 30 DS Smith plants across Europe
At DS Smith production sites, paper reels are handled in environments where industrial vehicles and operators work simultaneously in the same areas.
The size and bulk of the reels significantly limit driver visibility, increasing the risk of interactions between forklifts and pedestrians, especially during manoeuvres and in shared spaces.
DS Smith therefore needed a solution capable of preventing collision risks even under limited visibility conditions, providing drivers with active support during material handling without compromising production continuity.
The project started at the DS Smith plant in Porcari, Italy, where AMESPHERE ALPHA collision avoidance systems were installed on material handling vehicles and AMESPHERE TAGs were provided to operators.
TAG-based technology enables the system to detect the presence and position of operators in real time, even when the driver’s view is obstructed by paper reels or other elements in the working environment. AMESPHERE ALPHA assesses the proximity between people and vehicles and, in the event of a risk situation, provides the driver with visual and audible alerts, while reducing the vehicle’s speed when necessary. The solution adds an active layer of protection to standard safety procedures, making interactions detectable even when they may not be directly perceived by the driver.
With the expansion of the project to other DS Smith sites across Europe, AMESPHERE technology was complemented by AMESPHERE Platform services, transforming data generated by daily operations into actionable information for safety management. The platform provides HSE and Operations teams with a structured view of interactions between people and vehicles, highlighting where, when and how frequently risk situations occur.
AMESPHERE services enable teams to:
The project enabled DS Smith to strengthen the safety of paper reel handling by introducing an active prevention system that supports drivers even under critical visibility conditions.
The experience at the Porcari plant became the starting point for the deployment of AMESPHERE solutions across other DS Smith sites in Italy, Spain, France and Portugal, supporting a more structured and replicable approach to internal material handling safety.
The integration of collision avoidance technology and data services also added a new dimension to safety monitoring, based on the analysis of operational dynamics and objective indicators. This enables DS Smith to identify areas and activities requiring greater attention, assess the effectiveness of corrective actions and continuously drive improvement based on concrete data.
Greater protection for operators, even under limited visibility conditions
A replicable safety approach across DS Smith sites in Europe
Data and KPIs for continuous safety performance monitoring
Greater visibility of risks and high-exposure areas
