Automated Guided Vehicles
Smart link in the supply chain
Still automates internal transportation at the Nestlé production plant in Biessenhofen with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). The challenge was to reorganize the intralogistics during ongoing production. The result of the automation is continuous transportation for the supply and disposal of production 24/7. The flow of goods has been smoothed out and stocks of goods at the machines have been reduced. The transport system controls itself.
At the Nestlé Nutrition plant in Biessenhofen, almost 650 employees produce numerous products in compliance with the highest quality standards, including well-known brands. In order to optimally implement the reorganization of intralogistics, the first step was to take stock. First of all, the affected halls with new buildings and all relevant goods and processes were digitized and analysed. Nestlé project manager Eilert Klatt: "For this brownfield project, we had to plan and implement the entire processes in the existing structures of our site, which has grown over 100 years, in contrast to the greenfield project. For the AGV, the uneven floor levels of the halls were extensively leveled and in some cases new paths were created. Thanks to the close planning and coordination with Still and the punctual delivery of all components, we were able to commission the automation of the internal transport system and the Still pallet shuttle channel storage system almost without a hitch and on time 'with the wheels turning'."
During the step-by-step installation, production was supplied manually using forklift trucks. Due to narrow aisles, Nestlé uses four automated high-lift trucks. The Still EXV iGo systems are precise high performers in the warehouse, which were designed for continuous industrial operation and have already proven themselves in various automation projects. The additional installation of three empty pallet magazines and fire protection doors round off the new organization of automated internal transport. The EXV iGo systems at Nestlé now form a smart transport system that continuously supplies the production lines 24/7 as required. The flow of goods on the lines has been better distributed over time. Areas on machines filled with stock are a thing of the past and are now available for production.
AGV for more flexibility in production supply
AGVs from Still take over the pallets at the transfer station of the roller conveyor. With a 360-degree laser scanner, they find their way safely through the sometimes narrow and winding aisles.
Eilert Klatt emphasizes: "AGVs and pedestrians as well as transports with forklifts can now also use the path network. Rigid conveyor technology would only unnecessarily obstruct the narrow aisles. With AGV transportation, our production lines are supplied more flexibly and continuously 24/7. Production has thus been converted from the push to the pull principle. A production line now pulls individual pallets with raw goods and packaging. It was possible to free up space with stock in front of the lines and smooth the flow of goods on the lines."
The tasks of the Still AGVs are varied. On the one hand, they transport raw materials and packaging to production. On the other hand, the automated EXV high-lift trucks handle the disposal of recyclable materials and the delivery of empty pallets. Still project manager Thomas Rothbauer: "If production reports a requirement in the SAP host, a transport order is triggered in the roller conveyor system in the warehouse. The inductive sensors on the conveyors control the Still AGVs. Prioritization enables an AGV to identify which of the roller conveyors needs to be served first. The Nestlé project manager sums up: Keep it simple. The automated system from Still controls itself. There is no interface to the Nestlé host system, which means we don't have to worry about the transport system because it organizes itself without Nestlé's complex IT structure."
Pallet shuttle channel storage: compact, powerful, economical
Another requirement for the reorganized intralogistics was to dissolve six warehouses for packaging and production aids and combine them in one warehouse. Still installed pallet shuttle racking systems for the packaging on Euro and industrial pallets. The shuttle and industrial truck, which serve the racking levels in the new channel warehouses, are used simultaneously. With semi-automatic storage and retrieval, the channel levels are loaded with goods independently of each other. This significantly increases safety, compaction and flexibility in the still-pallet shuttle channel warehouses compared to manually operated drive-in racks. Order peaks are processed quickly and flexibly with the simultaneous use of all satellite vehicles. Another advantage is the safe and gentle transportation of sensitive packaging with the satellite vehicles.
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