At the chassis manufacturer KW automotive in Fichtenberg, Swabia, the task was to implement the entire intralogistics in the form of automated warehouses and modern conveyor technology as well as a so-called pick-to-light system (PTL) in the built-to-order production, integrate it into a flexible production structure and network it. Together with the Gebhardt Intralogistics Group, KW automotive has successfully implemented this.

KW automotive is a suspension manufacturer specializing in the development and production of coilover suspensions and motorsport dampers. In over 25 years, the owner-managed company has developed from a three-person operation into a global player with a total of six foreign subsidiaries. As a development partner for sophisticated controlled suspension systems, the company has the complete product portfolio of hydraulics, electronics, sensors, control units and damper control systems as well as the necessary expertise for the application and tuning of complex driving dynamics control systems from a single source. In addition, the business field of original equipment for special models, super and customer sports programs in the automotive industry is developing extremely positively. The suspension manufacturer founded by Klaus Wohlfarth has long been an important partner for the aftermarket and the automotive industry. KW automotive in Germany currently employs almost 350 people and the total production and floor space has grown to around 45,000 square meters in the years 2017 to 2020. This growth and the desire for faster response and delivery times as well as functioning logistics chains made a state-of-the-art, flexible and scalable intralogistics solution necessary. In addition, the aim was to perfectly coordinate the entire warehouse management system with its various warehouses, orders and order picking in order to achieve an optimal, cost-efficient and transparent process. "KW stands for quality and innovation. As a racing company, we always set ourselves ambitious goals, and this project was no exception," explains Klaus Wohlfarth, founder, Managing Director and shareholder of KW automotive. "In the end, Gebhardt was the only supplier willing to tackle our ambitious goals."

The solution in detail
The entire logistics process chain and warehousing at the Fichtenberg plant is divided into the automated small parts warehouse (AKL) for production supply using StoreBiter one-level shuttles (OLS), the automated pallet high-bay warehouse (APL), the StoreBiter multi-level shuttle warehouse (MLS) as an order buffer warehouse and an AKL with stacker crane for shipping, including connecting conveyor technology and corresponding workstations. Warehouse management and control of all material flows is handled by Gebhardt StoreWare.

The route through the warehouse system
Receiving goods is still a manual process. Once the goods have been received and the items prioritized, they are made available to the various automated storage systems for storage. The AKL is primarily used to supply the assembly department. It is designed as a shuttle warehouse and has a total capacity of 19,760 storage containers. It consists of three aisles, each with 23 storage levels. Five Gebhardt StoreBiter One-Level-Shuttles (OLS) are used per aisle. A shuttle lifter is installed at the front of each rack. This enables the shuttles to be moved between the different storage levels. Using the Roaming+ concept, the system is supplemented by one storage and retrieval lifter per aisle. This enables storage and retrieval at every storage level. One container lifter is responsible for storage and the other for retrieval. The system can be used to convey and store goods weighing between two and a maximum of 30 kilograms. It is possible to store and retrieve 630 items per hour. Goods arriving at the miniload for production supply are transported manually to one of the four feeding stations. There, the goods are separated, married to the storage container, transported via the conveyor system in the direction of the "loop" and stored in the miniload via the container lifters. The goods are retrieved accordingly and delivered to the three picking workstations via the retrieval lanes.

In the APL, KW automotive stores goods in pallet cages and on pallets. On the one hand, the warehouse supplies the paint shop with raw springs and, on the other hand, large quantities of goods are transferred to the containers, which are then stored in the miniload. The APL consists of an aisle and a Gebhardt Cheetah heavy storage and retrieval machine as well as a Gebhardt StoreBiter One-Pallet-Shuttle (OPS), which can transport goods weighing up to 1,000 kilograms. Each side of the aisle has 35 rack columns, five rack levels are provided for low pallets and two rack levels for high pallets.

The racking can be stored 9-deep. The total number of storage locations is 4,266. 28 storage and retrieval operations are possible per hour. The Gebhardt StoreWare pre-sorts the pallet cages and pallets, which are reorganized and relocated overnight. The software is used to define the sequence, which is pre-sorted and delivered to the retrieval point. The StoreBiter multi-level shuttle warehouse serves as intermediate storage for production containers. After a container has passed through the assembly line, it is stored in the MLS warehouse until a production order has been completed. The goods are then packed and transported via the conveyor system to the dispatch warehouse and the small parts warehouse there.

The empty containers are returned to the storage systems via the conveyor system. The single-aisle MLS warehouse offers 589 storage locations and is equipped with a Gebhardt StoreBiter multi-level shuttle. Small containers are stored double-deep, large containers single-deep. The system transports goods weighing from two kilograms to a maximum of 30 kilograms and achieves 146 storage and retrieval operations per hour.

The dispatch warehouse was realized as a three-aisle mini-load warehouse with a total of three type 716 storage and retrieval machines and offers 13,848 storage locations. High and low cartons can be stored single or double-deep. The AKL is used to consolidate the orders. The cartons are transported via the conveyor system to one of the four dispatch workstations, where they are checked, labeled and strapped. Finished cartons are packed onto pallets and loaded onto trucks. The result is a fully automated production process from goods receipt to dispatch.

The conclusion
"Working with Gebhardt was very good. They responded professionally and quickly to every request. Thanks to the Gebhardt solution, our processes are much more reliable and faster and we can already see a very good return on investment," says Klaus Wohlfarth, drawing a positive conclusion.

This article appeared in issue materialfluss 5/2021.