Autostore and cross-warehouse central WMS

Robel Bahnbaumaschinen in Freilassing has been developing, producing and supplying track-laying machines since 1901. Around 670 employees at the site provide modern, safe and economical machines, systems and services for all aspects of track construction. In order to expand production capacity and the level of automation in Freilassing, the construction of a new logistics building and a centrally controlled, new material flow concept are planned. At the heart of the forward-looking intralogistics solution is a comprehensive warehouse management system (WMS), which ensures optimal logistics operations and the digitalization of internal processes.

Hörmann Intralogistics prevailed with its overall concept consisting of the Autostore system and the Hilis WMS and was awarded the implementation contract. With the proven, modular WMS, Robel's complex requirements can be mapped from the management and control of all warehouse areas, to incoming goods and quality assurance, to production connection and dispatch.

"The new intralogistics concept will allow us to digitalize our warehouse and transport processes at the Freilassing site, integrate all heterogeneous warehouse areas and centrally control the connection to production via tugger train and forklift," says Christoph Bräuer, Head of Procurement and Logistics at Robel Bahnbaumaschinen, summarizing the project.

Structure of the new material flow processes

The plan includes a new logistics building in which, in addition to the AutoStore small parts warehouse, a narrow-aisle warehouse will also be built and where incoming goods, quality control, consolidation, production supply, packaging and shipping will be handled. Small components are stored and picked in the AutoStore system, which is directly linked to the incoming goods and shipping departments and is located on the second floor of the new warehouse building.

Ten Red Line robots handle a total of 20,000 bins on the single-double grid, which has loading stations on the side. Just in time, the AutoStore robots bring the required items to one of the four bin lifts with swing ports on the first floor. Two further bin lifts are already planned. The new building also includes a narrow-aisle warehouse and a cantilever warehouse.

Consistent, digitalized and transparent warehouse and logistics processes with Hilis

The overarching goal of introducing a new WMS is, in addition to the standardization and systemic support of processes, to increase the degree of automation, achieve significant optimizations through improved inventory transparency and increase efficiency through tailored logistics processes.

The Hörmann Intralogistics Warehouse Management System Hilis will manage and control all material flow processes in the future: from incoming goods to quality control, a total of six storage areas including Autostore, consolidation - where the goods from the storage areas are brought together according to order and prepared synchronously for transport -, production and service supply, packaging and shipping.

Andreas Wimmer, Head of IT Sales Hörmann Intralogistics, sees the Hilis WMS as the heart of the new intralogistics solution: "Hilis implements all asynchronous, existing and new, manual and automated warehouse areas, including the Autostore system, and ensures that the requested goods come together synchronously at the consolidation point." The new intralogistics concept at Robel will go live at the end of 2024.