Stöcklin Logistik AG was commissioned as the general contractor responsible for the intralogistics. Winterhalter + Fenner AG is one of the country's leading electrical wholesalers. It sells electrotechnical components, installation materials, products for data networks and photovoltaic systems. Winterhalter + Fenner's customers can place their orders via practically any conceivable channel: via mobile app, web store, telephone, electronic data connection or directly in the electrician's store. As a result, networking and digitalization are key components of the corporate and logistics strategy. The service concept, which focuses on product availability and delivery quality, is also at the forefront.

Commitment to the environment and courage to innovate
The construction of the 22-metre-high high-bay warehouse (HRL), which is mainly made of wood, is striking. A project of this kind, implemented for the first time in Switzerland by Brühwiler AG Bauingenieure und Planer, requires a special commitment and the will to innovate. Just over two years have passed between the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on February 27, 2018 and the go-live of the automated system on June 25, 2020 - an achievement that can certainly be described as sporty and was achieved by the project teams working hand in hand.

Synchronized material flow over three levels
In the new central warehouse of Winterhalter + Fenner AG, up to 50,000 items are compactly stored on an area of 10,000 m². These are distributed across a fully automated high-bay warehouse, which offers space for 6,000 pallets and 1,500 cassettes, and an Autostore system with 55,000 containers and 70 robots.
In addition to containers of various sizes, Euro 1 pallets in four height classes and special pallets designed to hold cassettes are used as load carriers. The load carriers are fed into the incoming goods area on the first floor (EG). They pass through a contour and weight check and are transported via conveyor technology to the transfer stations of the storage and retrieval machines. Similarly, storage can be initiated via the conveyor system in the basement (UG) and on the upper floor (OG). These three levels are connected to each other via cable lifting devices. The central warehouse also receives cassettes, small parts to be transferred into containers and cartons. In order to be able to move the latter between the levels, spiral conveyors have been integrated into the carton conveyor technology suspended from the ceiling.

Storage and retrieval without wasting time
Four 22-metre-high storage and retrieval machines (SRMs), each equipped with a 2-prong telescopic fork, pick up the pallets from the stacker cranes and store them in the assigned compartment of the high-bay warehouse (HBW). RBG 1 is designed exclusively for cassettes. Up to 33 double cycles per hour are performed during storage with parallel retrieval for picking. The additional task of stacker crane 2 is the handling of pallets with reusable cable reels (bobbins). Here, 13 double cycles per hour are achieved. Stacker cranes 3 and 4 are used exclusively for picking up, storing and providing Euro 1 pallets. Here too, two pallets are retrieved and stored on each trip. The number of possible double cycles is 24 per hour. Orders are picked via picking stations integrated into the conveyor system and set up in the basement. Chain and roller conveyors, lift transfer units and turntables serve as transport elements for the provision of the requested load carriers at the picking workstations and their return to the high-bay warehouse. A pallet dispenser is also available. While the picking stations for cassettes are located both in the basement and on the ground floor, bobbin picking takes place exclusively on the upper floor. As soon as the picking orders are completed, the goods are fed to the sorting lanes in the basement or transferred directly to the staging areas also set up there.

IT-supported, continuous optimization
Material flow and storage location management is the responsibility of the StöcklinWCS (Warehouse Control System), which is controlled by the higher-level host via transport orders. Among other things, storage strategies are used to determine suitable storage compartments. The best possible equal distribution of items, container dimensions and ABZ zones are taken into account. Load reduction is planned and managed. Also included are priority control and order sequencing, empty container management and control station functionalities. Among other things, it is possible to visualize the current warehouse image via the control station. The occupancy level of all subsystems is dynamically displayed there in 2D. Faults that have occurred in the system are also displayed. Rapid localization has the decisive advantage that temporary problems can be resolved quickly. The WCS also includes an application for energy management. The sleep function automatically switches control components to standby mode during non-operational periods.

The latest success of a long-term logistics strategy
The entire system can be operated 24 hours a day if required. However, ten hours a day, five days a week is the norm. With the intralogistics system realized by Stöcklin, Winterhalter + Fenner AG has taken an important step towards automation and securing the future. In addition, the central warehouse, which is characterized by high energy efficiency, does justice to Winterhalter + Fenner AG's understanding of the environment. There is no need to compromise on safety and value retention, as wood meets the same criteria as steel in terms of precision, durability, structural safety and fire protection.

The article appeared in materialfluss 5/22.