As one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive technology, the Bosch Group produces components for commercial and passenger vehicles at its Homburg site. The common rail system is probably the best-known product in the portfolio - an efficient injection system. Approximately 5,200 employees work in all plant areas, including Bosch Rexroth. As in all other plants, production is based on the Bosch Production System (BPS). Based on the Toyota Production System (TPS), according to which all industrial trucks are produced by Toyota Material Handling, it guarantees the quality of the products. Elmar Hornberger, Group Manager of Central Purchasing and Logistics for Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, explains that the most important customer requirement is to maintain the highest quality.

Numerous test steps for more quality
Elmar Hornberger uses an example to explain how quality can be ensured in day-to-day production: "Our production lines include a large number of testing and washing steps. The part is cleaned and checked after almost every production step." To ensure that production runs smoothly, the right parts have to be transported to the right place at the right time - not an easy task with a total of 590,000 square meters of factory premises divided into two sections.

On the extensive factory premises, all logistics processes for production supply are handled according to the milk run principle. Kanban cards are also used to ensure the availability of parts. A central incoming goods department is the main point of contact for the entire plant. Deliveries are distributed just-in-time from the logistics center - speed is the watchword here. Downtimes in the supply chain can lead to disruptions in production. This is why the availability of the industrial trucks for transportation is crucial. "If a tugger train or other piece of equipment breaks down, this can lead to a problem for the production supply. That's why we have to be able to rely on the function of the equipment here at the site," says Elmar Hornberger, explaining one of the challenges for the logistics concept. Bosch therefore relies on the service provided by Toyota Material Handling to minimize equipment downtime.

99 percent of industrial trucks serviced on site by Toyota
Toyota Material Handling has been a partner of Bosch in Homburg since 2013. One of the milestones of the collaboration is the servicing of almost the entire industrial truck fleet at the site. After an initial test phase with 20 devices, Toyota Material Handling is now responsible for almost the entire service - including third-party devices. "The advantage for us is that we now have a single point of contact. On the one hand, we see a significant reduction in costs, and on the other hand, we have a one-stop service provider - this creates trust in the equipment among our employees," adds Elmar Hornberger. More than 300 industrial trucks move around the factory premises every day. Toyota currently services 99 percent of the vehicles. But it's not just factory transportation equipment that needs to be serviced at the site.

Increased bandwidth for electric tugs
An electric tow tractor from Simai is being used for test purposes in the factory's own machine maintenance department. The Italian electric tow tractor and platform truck manufacturer has been part of Toyota Material Handling Europe since 2016. This significantly expands Toyota's portfolio of towing solutions. In maintenance, the tug is used to transport spare parts across halls. With a maximum towing capacity of seven tons, the tractor can also effortlessly negotiate inclines on the site. Long distances between the two parts of the plant are no problem for the TTE71 electric tow tractor. On the other hand, it also pulls a heavy-duty device - a hydraulic lifting aid weighing 1.5 tons. For the supply of spare parts and tools, the tug is therefore instrumental in preventing production downtime. After a 6-month test phase, Peter Bossert, maintenance technician with additional tasks in the manual bearing area at the plant, gives his verdict: "Everything is perfect! At the beginning, my colleagues in the halls often asked me what a nice vehicle it was. I was also impressed by the design. It goes down well with everyone here - I'm very satisfied." Thanks to the weather protection cabin, transportation in poor conditions could also be managed comfortably. The overall conclusion: test passed.

Concept for the future
In the long term, Bosch wants to increase the efficiency of factory transportation and production supply at the site. According to Elmar Hornberger, an economic advantage is the direct result of an optimized industrial truck fleet: "If you jump on the bandwagon, you can really save money or time." A strategy for the future was therefore developed together with Toyota Material Handling. The use of new technology, CO2 savings and higher equipment availability are key issues. Rolf Heinert, Key Account Manager at Toyota Material Handling in Germany, says: "We want to go down this path together. We are supporting Bosch in optimizing its logistics concept at the Homburg site - now and in the future."