A quantum leap with synergies

Two halls at a distance of around 300 meters; production in one, storage of the goods, semi-finished or finished, in the other. This constellation had one main consequence for H. O. Persiehl GmbH & Co. KG: long distances, high costs and complex processes, as 60 to 70 employees had to securely pack thousands of pallets of products almost around the clock every year and then transport them from one hall to the other using a shuttle. In order to always be able to supply customers as required, the large print shop produces individual packaging solutions and finishes for well-known customers from the tobacco, food and non-food sectors as well as the healthcare and beverage industries to the highest quality standards.

When an employee receives a picking order, he automatically selects the rack aisle to be opened by radio remote control. Photo: SSI Schäfer

The main site of the family business, which has been in existence for over 160 years and employs around 380 people, is located in Norderstedt near Hamburg. Other sites are located in Wanfried, North Hesse, in Poland and a sales office in France. Each product can be manufactured at any location in order to extend alternative planning and ensure the greatest possible production and supply security. Good transport connections ensure smooth transportation processes to all national, European and international customers. Provided that the internal material flow processes at each location also run smoothly - and Norderstedt became a problem. "Capacities were completely exhausted and the facility was no longer state of the art and therefore no longer met our requirements. We urgently needed a new solution," explains Andreas Grimm, Logistics Manager at H. O. Persiehl.

Capacity gain of 90 percent

"One of the reasons we chose SSI Schaefer was because of the competent advice and professional compilation of offers," says Grimm. The SSI Schaefer project manager quickly realized what was important for this project. "The problem of the long distances between the production hall and warehouse had already been solved by planning to combine the two halls," explains Kai Thiemann.

The system can be opened and closed not only by radio remote control, but also at the touch of a button directly on the shelves. Photo: SSI Schäfer

After an intensive examination of the current situation and detailed discussions, a heavy-duty mobile racking system was quickly chosen. The system from SSI Schaefer offers a capacity gain of around 90 percent compared to a stationary shelving system. Lack of space is therefore a thing of the past. What's more, the new system offers the option of mounting as many rows of shelves as required on carriages and moving them electrically on rails, depending on the customer's requirements. This ensures direct access to all items as well as great flexibility and safety for the load carriers used. For H. O. Persiehl an important aspect. "The solution that we developed together was exactly what we had in mind. We didn't think it was possible to experience such a change," says Grimm, explaining the choice of warehouse equipment.

The company first built the new hall directly next to the production facility before installing the heavy-duty mobile racking system from SSI Schaefer on an area of 2,400 square meters. With around 9,200 Euro pallet spaces, the new system offers around 6,700 more storage spaces than the old warehouse, ensuring sufficient capacity for the future. "In addition, the new mobile racking system provides direct access to the pallets, which employees can store and retrieve quickly and efficiently with forklift trucks while making efficient use of the space," explains Thiemann. The system has an unbeatable safety standard thanks to the use and performance of quality parts in the control technology, motors, light barriers and chassis parts.

Direct access to pallet spaces

To guarantee the quality of the goods and ensure clear processes at the same time, the system is divided into two blocks - one with six and one with seven storage levels. This arrangement was chosen for good reason, as the pallets are packed to different heights depending on the requirements of the goods. "Everything is clearly structured. Direct access to the pallet spaces prevents unnecessary and time-consuming relocations," explains Thiemann.

Company profile SSI Schaefer Group

The SSI Schaefer Group is the world's leading solution provider of modular storage and logistics systems. The company employs over 8,500 people at its international headquarters in Neunkirchen, Germany, in 60 foreign subsidiaries and at production sites in Germany and abroad. Spread across six continents, SSI Schaefer develops innovative concepts and solutions for its customers' industries, thus shaping the future of intralogistics. As a globally active general contractor, SSI Schaefer implements complex logistics systems, from system planning and consulting to turnkey systems and customized service and maintenance offers.

The company uses two forklift trucks for order picking, which handle around 30 pallets per order. The products are stored in a chaotic manner. When an employee receives a picking order, he automatically selects the rack aisle to be opened on the forklift via radio remote control. While the goods are being picked, the next aisle is opened in a path-optimized manner. To speed up the transportation of the goods, H. O.Persiehl has connected the two parts of the hall using conveyor technology. In this way, the goods from production are transported directly to the mobile rack by conveyor belt. In combination with the new storage system, the two processes interlock without delay.