With the commissioning of its new AutoStore small parts warehouse, Siemens Mobility has completed another part of the warehouse modernization in Braunschweig. The production site was planning to renew its warehouse technology because the supply of spare parts for several components of the previously used automated small parts warehouse (AKL) was coming to an end. Siemens Mobility operates the company's largest rail automation site in Braunschweig. Assemblies and individual components for train control and warning products, such as on-board units or the ETCS train control system, are stored there.

Thanks to the compact AutoStore technology, Siemens Mobility can now store 30 percent more items at the Braunschweig plant and also increase throughput by around 30 percent. On a floor space of around 1,000 square meters, the warehouse site has thus gained a significant growth reserve. In addition, the facility was designed to be ESD-protected for the sensitive electronic components.

Because AutoStore does not have a single point of failure, the reliability of the new system is significantly higher than that of the previous AKL. On average, the AutoStore systems used worldwide have a reliability of 99.6 percent. Even if a robot fails, storage and retrieval remain possible. In contrast, the failure of a storage and retrieval machine in Siemens Mobility's previous mini-load warehouse in Braunschweig temporarily blocked the entire affected aisle. These were the advantages that tipped the scales in favor of AutoStore for project manager Kai-Christian Greve. "We can implement the new AutoStore system more cost-effectively than a retrofit project for our old warehouse technology. The operating costs of the new system are also lower," he reports.

The AutoStore warehouse from Siemens Mobility Braunschweig at a glance

- 31,700 containers
- 16 robots
- Seven conveyor ports
- Approx. 300 container deliveries per hour