In order to make optimum use of the site's capacity, the intralogistics specialist is installing a Dematic Multishuttle warehouse in silo design with over 60,000 container storage locations, which will enable space-saving, multi-deep storage of the headlight components.

Throughput rate of up to 1,500
140 shuttles automatically access the containers in the storage system and transport them to the work stations for palletizing as well as incoming and outgoing goods. In addition, the three-kilometer-long conveyor system transports the components fully automatically through the plant to the production area. This will enable ZKW Lichtsysteme to increase its throughput rate to up to 1,500 containers per hour. Construction of the system will begin in the third quarter of this year.

Start of operations in 2021
The logistics center is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of 2021. "With our intelligent, flexible and efficient intralogistics system, we at ZKW Lichtsysteme ensure an efficient supply of materials between the warehouse and production," says Jessica Heinz, Head of Marketing and Business Development Dematic Central Europe.

Due to the increasing variety of products and the associated more complex intralogistics processes, ZKW Lichtsysteme decided to automate its material flow. At its main plant, the system supplier for the automotive industry produces around three million headlights per year and also manufactures numerous spare parts. One of the biggest challenges here is to provide the various components for production in line with demand.

In future, the material will be transported fully automatically through the plant to the production area via a three-kilometer-long conveyor system. A station for container cleaning and a tugger train for load handling are also integrated into the installation in order to optimize the cycle-controlled supply of the production lines. The intralogistics specialist's SAP experts are responsible for integrating the Dematic system into ZKW Lichtsysteme's IT structures. They also ensure that both the Dematic Multishuttle and the material flow are managed directly in the SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) system. No additional systems are required. The SAP EWM also guides the employees when distributing the containers to the assembly racks via an innovative light pointer system.