Central dispatch - standardized processes

With over 600 million linear meters of packaging and 30,000 tons of polyethylene film annually, delo is one of the leading suppliers of packaging materials in Europe. In the production of its roll and pouch packaging, the company relies on high-quality raw materials as well as modern systems and machine technology. The company has retained this care when converting to an automated warehouse solution, so that the new logistics system has been tailored precisely to its individual requirements. Together with intralogistics specialist WestfaliaLogistics Solutions Europe, the packaging manufacturer tackled the following objectives: centralized dispatch, increased storage capacity, increased performance and expansion options. The overarching plan was to consolidate the existing manual warehouses and shipping operations at a new location. "In addition to a coherent concept and a market-driven offer, the proximity to the location was the decisive impetus for the cooperation with Westfalia," reports Jan Bünnemeyer. Westfalia's logistics concept includes a high-bay warehouse with extensive conveyor technology and automatic loading and unloading as well as the delivery of a shuttle truck. Storage takes place double-deep via three storage and retrieval machines with telescopic forks, which in turn are supplied via an infeed and outfeed conveyor system. A staging zone for shipping is also integrated. Everything is controlled by the Savanna.NET warehouse management software, which communicates with the customer's own ERP system. In addition to the cross-plant material flow, the logistics software is responsible for the complete order compilation. Among other things, it manages batch information, generates shipping labels and finally assigns shipping orders and provides them in the desired sequence.

Secure shipping provision thanks to automated high-bay warehouse

"Our solution takes effect directly after production. The pallet coming from production is placed directly onto our conveyor technology. From there, the goods are transported via a shuttle to the newly created high-bay warehouse and finally to dispatch," says Westfalia project manager Mathias Spötter, describing the flow of goods. In order to ensure optimum storage of the various pallets and safe shipping, the high-bay warehouse comprises around 10,400 pallet spaces for Euro, plastic and industrial pallets as well as plastic boxes, which can have a maximum weight of one ton. A total of 375 tons of steel were used in the 81-metre-long, 23-metre-wide and 24-metre-high warehouse. Three storage and retrieval machines with telescopic forks operate the three aisles at a travel speed of up to 200 m/min and a lifting speed of 90 m/min. This enables the storage and retrieval machines to achieve a high storage and retrieval performance. In the dispatch zone, the goods are prepared for delivery via six loading lanes, which can be extended on a modular basis. "Westfalia implemented the automated logistics center as general contractor together with selected partners. Right from the start, the collaboration was characterized by a high level of trust, both with our customer and with our partners," says Thomas Schoch, Westfalia's sales manager, describing the successful collaboration. Jan Bünnemeyer also confirms this and adds: "All the responsible employees and the project manager were characterized by a high level of competence and accessibility."

Efficient material flow thanks to automatic loading and unloading

In order for the goods to reach the new logistics center, it was essential to implement a cross-plant goods transport system. Westfalia implemented a conveyor system for more flexible and secure disposal of production, which can use up to 60 buffer spaces overnight. After the finished packaging material has passed through a scanner and a film winder, it is transported via roller and chain conveyors to the automatic loading of the shuttle truck, which can load up to 32 pallets. Two integrated sequencing stations ensure that the different pallets are correctly paired in advance to secure the load. "Automation at the loading ramp is the best possible way to connect both production plants with the new warehouse and save an enormous amount of time at the same time. With our in-house loading technology, this process takes less than five minutes," says Thomas Schoch, explaining the use of the automated loading and unloading system. The shuttle truck brings the goods from the production sites to the high-bay warehouse, where the pallets are automatically picked up.

Challenges mastered

Labeling the goods posed a particular challenge in the project. In the logistics center, the pallets are automatically unloaded and weighed by a calibrated scale. A sensor system checks whether the goods can be automatically provided with a shipping label based on their contour. "Due to the nature of the different packaging materials, we have installed a labeler that measures the load unit in advance and can then apply the label at different heights and depths," explains Mathias Spötter. If the load unit still cannot be labeled automatically, this is detected by the system and the goods are transported to a manual workstation. Ultimately, the implementation of this successful logistics concept was achieved primarily thanks to the determined team effort of all trades and the close coordination with the customer, says the Westfalia employee.