Over the course of more than 350 years, Merck Life Science has evolved from a small pharmacy into a global corporation that develops, produces and markets high-quality medicines, innovative products for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries and for academic research as well as specialty chemicals for special applications as a leading, vibrant science and technology company. The company employs over 12,000 people in Germany and is represented here by the three divisions Healthcare, Life Science and Electronics. The group headquarters are located in Darmstadt.

At the Group site in Darmstadt, the individual packaging warehouse for the storage and provision of finished goods for outgoing goods was restructured within one of the existing logistics buildings in order to expand storage capacity.

For more storage space, better ergonomics and standardized processes

To equip the storage and picking areas, Merck was looking for a racking system that was suitable for particularly space-saving and at the same time very ergonomic picking of containers. Until now, different shelf types and systems had been used in the logistics section of the building. As part of the redesign, the company now wanted to use only the same type of racking in order to standardize the storage and picking processes there.

The aim was also to double the number of storage locations in the existing area in order to be able to store goods from other locations in the newly designed storage and picking area in the future. An additional requirement from the customer was therefore to design the storage facility in such a way that it is prepared for the transfer of additional products. The ceiling heights in the warehouse building vary, and concrete beams, sprinkler systems and conveyor systems run over the racking, so it is important that the new racking system can be adapted to the different heights. Last but not least, a particular challenge was that the conversion of the hall had to be carried out gradually during ongoing operations.

Felix Hensche, Project Manager Group Engineering Infrastructure & Logistics at Merck Life Science: "We already knew Bito-Lagertechnik as a reliable supplier from previous projects. In this project, too, it was clear from the inquiry phase how committed the team was to dealing with the requirements in order to develop detailed solutions together with us right from the start. We were then provided with sample shelving units that exactly matched our application. During a factory tour at Bito in Meisenheim, we were also able to see for ourselves the quality of the products and the high level of vertical integration. The combination of price and performance was also the best - so it quickly became clear that we would choose Bito in all respects."

Piece goods flow rack system for ergonomic order picking

The logistics area is now fully equipped with Bito shelving racks and Bito live storage racks. Here, the various containers with chemical ingredients are stored and picked individually or in outer packaging. The racking heights are adapted to the different ceiling heights and Merck has been able to more than double the storage space in the existing storage and picking zones thanks to the well thought-out arrangement and division of the racking systems.

Bito shelving systems are available in various sizes. They offer plenty of space and are very flexible and versatile in use. The high-quality and particularly sturdy boltless shelving units can be optimally adapted to any room in terms of height and length and are easy to assemble or convert so that they can be modified as required. The shelving system can therefore be extended at any time, even retrospectively. The shelving racks are ideal for storing and picking loose units or containers and smaller outer packaging units. They can be fitted with different shelves depending on requirements and area of use.

Plastic rollers transport the goods from the end of the shelving to the sloping front. As Merck has installed a sprinkler system in the storage and picking area for safety reasons, the shelving racks are fitted with water- and air-permeable Bito Grid mesh shelves for fire protection. © Bito

As a chemical and pharmaceutical company, Merck has installed a sprinkler system in the storage and picking area for safety reasons, the water- and air-permeable Bito Grid shelves are used here for fire protection reasons. Slow-moving items or small and residual quantities are also stored on shelving racks in the single-pack warehouse at Merck and are picked directly from them.

Bito flow racks for unit loads are flexible storage and picking racks. They enable a compact and clear arrangement of goods - whether individual items, entire packaging units, cardboard boxes, containers or bundles. Plastic rollers transport the goods from the end of the rack to the sloping front. Merck provides the containers with the chemicals in cardboard boxes in the Bito flow racks for picking according to the FEFO principle (First-Expired-First-Out) and also FIFO (First-In-First-Out); the containers are picked directly from the outer packaging by the employees.

The design of the live storage racking is ergonomically well thought out, so that the physical strain on employees during order picking is greatly reduced. The compact arrangement of the goods in the racking system ensures short travel times, which means that working times can be reduced, while the throughput rate is increased, resulting in a quick return on investment. Depending on the ceiling height, the flow racks are equipped with four or five shelf levels.

Gradual conversion during ongoing operation

The construction phase in the storage and picking area of the Merck distribution center was spread over seven construction phases. The construction and conversion of the racking systems took place as planned during ongoing operations, with close timing to the upstream and downstream trades. Felix Hensche: "In some cases, assembly work from different trades and order picking activities were carried out in parallel in the same room. This was also planned and executed in such a way that the operational processes were not impaired. The interaction between the assembly team's conversion and construction work and our own work activities always worked very well."

The smooth process also meant that both the delivery of the shelving components and the assembly always had to take place at a precisely coordinated time. "Bito-Lagertechnik and the assembly team always reacted flexibly and quickly to any necessary adjustments to the schedule. Re-ordered parts, such as push-through protection, additional shelves or additional impact protection, were provided at short notice and integrated directly into the construction process. It was also a great advantage that the same installation manager and usually the same installation team were always deployed for the individual sections. This also contributed significantly to the fact that the conversion and assembly work ran smoothly and without delays," says Felix Hensche.

Another special feature of the installation was that it was carried out in the aviation security area and the installation team was checked and trained accordingly.

Bito flow racks and Bito shelving racks, as coordinated racking system solutions, are now an integral part of the operational processes in the storage and picking area of the newly designed single-pack warehouse in the Merck Life Science distribution center. At the same time, all processes and internal workflows are now coordinated with the solution.