Hauff-Technik is one of Europe's leading companies in the building entry systems segment. This includes sealing systems for cables, pipes and building entries to protect buildings from water, gas, fire, dirt and vermin - from single-family homes to power plants.

In addition to supplying production with goods, order consolidation is at the heart of the new logistics center. All order items of a customer order are collected there and made available directly at the packing stations in a synchronized manner once they are complete. The combination of two automated racking systems for container and pallet goods and an automatic order consolidation buffer streamlines material flows and halves throughput times.

From narrow-aisle trucks to full automation

Just over three years ago, one of the largest projects in Hauff-Technik's history began: the expansion measures at the company headquarters. After just 18 months of construction work, the new logistics center was built here and inaugurated at the beginning of 2021. With the new building, the company also decided to change its intralogistics strategy. Away from manual, paper-based warehousing with narrow-aisle forklifts and towards full automation. The advantages of the automated pallet high-bay warehouse clearly outweighed the originally planned, conventional, forklift-operated warehouse. The "goods-to-person principle" made processes more efficient, faster and simpler. Operation of the system is intuitive and employees do not require a long training period.

"We will continue to invest in the strategic development of Hauff over the next few years," explains Thomas Kölle, authorized signatory and Head of Materials Management. "By automating our logistics, we are strengthening our core business and opening up new business areas by being able to offer additional services. We were impressed by the detailed data and process analyses as well as the Klinkhammer planning concept, which is tailored precisely to Hauff's needs thanks to the open, constructive collaboration." In close planning cooperation between Hauff and Klinkhammer, a flexible and expandable logistics concept for small parts and palletized goods was developed on the basis of detailed growth scenarios and projections. Throughput, delivery performance and capacity were adapted to the increased order volume and strong growth in the construction industry, and throughput times were halved.

Large and small parts picked efficiently

Three automated storage systems are digitally networked with conveyor technology so that large and small parts can be picked efficiently and packed in a way that optimizes shipping costs. The larger goods are stored in the two-aisle pallet high-bay warehouse in silo design using pallet conveyor technology. An automated small parts warehouse, also with two aisles, stores the items that are separated from pallets, mesh boxes or cartons into containers in the incoming goods department. After identification and booking in the warehouse management system, cross-docking goods can be transported directly to one of the nine loading gates for the end customer.

The twelve-metre-high, automated order consolidation buffer is a centrally located system with walking beam SRMs. This is where picked orders are temporarily stored for dispatch, an order from different containers is consolidated or goods for production orders are made available. When all the totes belonging to an order have arrived in the order consolidation buffer, the order is transported to the next available packing station. There, the employee checks whether goods from the high-bay warehouse are to be packed or the carton consolidated into a pallet order. Each picking workstation has sufficient buffer space. This prevents a backlog on the main line and ensures uninterrupted work. When the containers are placed on the conveyor system, they undergo an overweight and height check and are ejected if necessary.

System visualization brings transparency to the warehouse

The Klinkhammer material flow computer controls both the automated warehouses, including storage location management, and the conveyor technology and communicates with the SAP EWM software via an interface. The Klink- Vision system visualization displays all target data and the status of the loading units in the storage locations. All operating and fault messages from the system are recorded, visualized and logged. This minimizes downtimes and ensures rapid alarm diagnosis in the warehouse.

During the planning stage, the overall concept was already designed for further growth and greater automation. Corresponding areas for the later expansion of the automated warehouse and the packing and picking zone have been planned and can be extended. As the new logistics buildings have been erected next to the existing production building, there is the option of a tugger train or, in a further expansion stage, connecting production via a lifter and conveyor bridge for pallets and containers.

An article from materialfluss 8-9/21.