Linde Material Handling makes a pit stop in the warehouse

Daimler AG currently manufactures eight different Mercedes-Benz models at its Bremen site: in 2014, around 340,000 cars rolled off the production line in the Hanseatic city. One basis for success in production is smooth logistics in the background, which is usually handled by specialized service providers such as Lorel Logistik. The Japanese Kaizen philosophy is particularly widespread in the automotive industry and has been consistently applied to the logistics service provider by those responsible at Lorel. Its business activities are integrated into the overall process of just-in-time and just-in-sequence production at Mercedes-Benz. The company management's main focus is on avoiding waste with the aim of realizing cost savings and continuously developing the company.

Comply with clear time requirements for check-in

In its basic function, the Plant Consolidation Center is a logistics center that handles tasks such as cross-docking, CEP processing and set sequencing. It has a One Entry Point (OEP) for central truck registration. Around 350 trucks arrive at this point every day within 24 hours. Loading and unloading takes place exclusively at the side at one of ten gates and within a tunnel that surrounds the outside of the logistics center, as well as at two gates in the open area that serve as rear docking stations. Lorel has clear time specifications from its client regarding the maximum time a truck may take to be processed. Compliance with the idle times is meticulously monitored using score cards. Due to the strict time requirements, the incoming goods department is an important area of operation for the Linde forklift trucks. A total of 12 of the 90 vehicles in the entire fleet are Linde E45 electric forklift trucks, which are primarily used for unloading and loading trucks and for cross-docking. With a load capacity of up to 4.5 tons and a load centre of gravity of 1,200 millimetres, the trucks remove several load carriers from the truck at once. In addition to high handling capacity, the reliability of the trucks is what counts most. "Whether you have fun with a forklift brand is decided during use," says the management. Lorel has been relying on Linde and Linde contract partner Willenbrock Fördertechnik for 15 years.

Front loader as an all-rounder

The 58,000 square meter full-load warehouse, where most of Lorel's warehouse movements take place, contains 16,000 rack storage locations and 18,000 block storage locations. The block storage area is accessed by 30 E18 front loaders. "The compact, maneuverable trucks allow the drivers to move quickly around the warehouse," explains Frank Boblat, Head of Operations Management at Lorel Logistik. In this way, the E18 models support set sequencing, among other things. In this area, Lorel employees ensure that the individual components for each vehicle are pre-picked according to the respective assembly step on the car manufacturer's assembly line. The Mercedes-Benz workers always have two sets around them: one in use and another in stock. If one set is used up, Lorel has exactly 90 minutes to deliver a new one for stockpiling.

Reach truck with RFID sensor

More than 8,000 load carriers are stored at Lorel every day. The racking is supplied to the 16,000 storage locations by 13 Linde R16 electric reach trucks with a load capacity of 1.6 tons. They are equipped with RFID sensors and a camera to identify the correct storage location quickly and reliably. Another special feature of the reach trucks is their adjustable forks, which enable them to pick up around 800 different load carriers individually. "The R16 trucks achieve a lifting speed of 0.45 meters per second under full load, which is in line with our idea of efficient rack serving," emphasizes Boblat. "To ensure that the drivers can concentrate on their work in this area, we have also increased the driving comfort of the reach trucks with hydraulically suspended seats."