Not everyone is aware of the logistical performance of the almost 20,000 pharmacies in Germany. Typically, a pharmacy stocks around 20,000 medicines - in large pharmacies it can be as many as 60,000. Deliveries are made up to five times a day. This means high throughput, a complex warehouse and limited space. Picking systems have become established where the pharmacist requests the required medication at the touch of a button and can devote himself to his customer during the short waiting time and explain the medication to him, for example.

Drawer cabinet system saves space
Gollmann picking systems are particularly compact. While other systems work with fixed aisles in which a handling system moves, Gollmann relies on mobile cabinets that always open an aisle where goods are currently being picked or stored. This principle saves space and enables individual adaptation to the spatial conditions in all dimensions. Despite this production complexity, flexibility and reliability must be guaranteed. Gollmann relies on two factors here: a high level of vertical integration and high-quality industrial partners as suppliers. After all, the picking systems must be fail-safe and withstand around 15 million movements in 15 years of pharmacy life.

Movable power supply
Each cabinet moves with a stepper motor that must be supplied with energy and signals. For example, the end position is queried via an initiator. This means that there are many moving cables and correspondingly various energy chains, especially as the arm of the storage and retrieval unit and the gripper at the end of the arm also require energy.

Gollmann opted for energy chains from the E065 series from Igus, among others, back in 2007 and has stuck with them ever since. Somewhat later, the decision was made to also purchase the cables from Igus. As the Gollmann picking systems communicate via CAN bus, the focus here is on the bus cables from the Chainflex range. Last year, the company purchased almost 30 kilometers of cables from the Chainflex CF211 series alone. A specially developed Chainflex measuring system cable based on the CF211 series brought advantages in the processability of the cable. Igus has developed the entire range of cables specifically for moving and demanding applications in energy chains and tested them under real conditions. Igus offers a 36-month guarantee on durability, or up to 40 million double strokes for the Chainflex CF298, for example.

Good availability
With these consumption volumes, it is already possible to make representative statements about reliability. Sven Ronneberger: "To date, we have installed more than 20,000 energy chains in our order picking systems worldwide, and they run without any faults or maintenance." This is also important because pharmacies that invest in a Gollmann machine benefit from an "all-round carefree package": The manufacturer assumes responsibility and the costs for the complete service, including unplanned downtime, for the average system service life of fifteen years. Gollmann underpins the security promise with an additional expense allowance and a nationwide three-hour on-site service. The selection of durable and fail-safe components is therefore in Gollmann's own interest, which is why the cooperation also began with endurance tests of the energy chains and cables from Igus at the Gollmann test facility. At the same time, the components were compared under the parameters specified by Gollmann with the empirical values that Igus has been collecting for more than 27 years from tests in its 3,800 square meter test laboratory. The tests took particular account of the bending radius, which is often tight here due to the compactness of the systems.

"Our employees from the design and research and development departments value the open, long-term cooperation with Igus, which is characterized by partnership. An additional advantage that cannot be taken for granted is the personal product training provided by Igus on site," says Ronneberger.