Logistics concept with modular production islands
Perfectly driven for sophisticated logistics at SEW-Eurodrive
SEW-Eurodrive, the market leader in drive technology, decided to build a new plant at its Bruchsal site in order to be able to meet the constantly growing demand for electronic components in the future. In addition to state-of-the-art production technology, the aim was to implement a sophisticated logistics concept with modular production islands that are supplied flexibly via driverless transport systems. Together with the Gebhardt Intralogistics Group from Sinsheim, the project was tackled and the most modern electronics plant in Europe was realized.
As one of the global market leaders in drive technology, SEW-Eurodrive moves countless processes, systems and machines in many sectors of the production and process industry. The company has been increasing the productivity of its customers for 90 years. From fast, dynamic and high-precision, as in piece goods production, large and powerful, as in the raw materials industry or in container terminals, to continuous and logistical processes, SEW-Eurodrive solutions are at home all over the world. More than 19,000 employees worldwide work in 17 production plants and 87 Drive Technology Centers in 52 countries on innovative drive technologies and thus on the continued success of the company.
The task with which SEW approached Gebhardt sounded like a challenge: they were looking for a partner who could implement modern, modular, flexible and powerful storage technology with SEW components that would also fit perfectly into the existing IT structure and take into account the latest Industry 4.0 strategies. At the same time, the solution needed to showcase the latest SEW technology in conveyor and storage technology and therefore also be able to be used as a showroom.
"We were happy to meet SEW's requirements. In addition to the technical challenges, the implementation of the specified performance and storage capacity on the available space was certainly a special feature," explains Jürgen Avdic, project manager at Gebhardt. "For us at SEW, it was the economic criteria, the convincing overall concept and the innovative products that tipped the scales in favor of Gebhardt as a project partner," says Kai-Uwe Schroff, Head of Logistics Bruchsal Electronics at SEW-Eurodrive, explaining the decision in favor of Gebhardt.
Fully automated for more performance
Gebhardt implemented an automated small parts warehouse (AKL) and a pallet warehouse for production supply on site. The mini-load warehouse is designed as a multi-level shuttle (MLS) warehouse and has a direct connection to the incoming goods, picking and dispatch areas. It is 62 meters long, 22 meters wide and 25 meters high. In the final expansion stage, five aisles with a total of 60 levels enable double-deep storage and retrieval of containers (400 x 600) weighing up to 40 kilograms. A total of 40 Gebhardt StoreBiter MLS high with belt telescope serve 107,760 storage compartments and realize a storage and retrieval capacity of 2,300 bins per hour.
The pallet warehouse is also designed as a shuttle warehouse and relies on Gebhardt's Omnipallet technology: the warehouse is directly connected to the incoming goods department and the automated guided vehicle system (AGV) for supplying the production islands. With dimensions of 62 x 24 x 25 meters and 16 levels, it offers space for 9,764 Euro pallets, steel full-wall containers, steel flat pallets and Euro mesh boxes weighing up to 1,000 kilograms. 31 robots handle storage and retrieval and achieve an output of 160 pallets per hour. The system can be expanded to 48 robots. It has four automatic volume measuring stations and offers 24 transfer stations to the driverless transport vehicles from SEW-Eurodrive, the Mobile Logistics Agents (MLA).
Pioneering and high throughput
Around 1,100 cartons and 500 pallets reach the electronics plant in Bruchsal every day. After unloading, the conveyor system transports the incoming goods directly to six incoming goods workstations. At this point, the employees receive the goods and pack the items into empty containers, which are automatically delivered from the miniload. At the same time, in addition to the initial sample inspection, i.e. checking the goods for compliance with defined characteristics, the weight and contour of the goods are also checked. The adjacent conveyor system transports the finished containers to the MLS warehouse. Containers that do not pass the check are ejected by the system to an out-of-order (OO) location. A waste conveyor transports any waste directly away. Smaller palletized goods are also repacked into the containers and transferred to the small parts warehouse for storage.
Via the loop, the containers reach the miniload lifters, from where they are distributed to the individual aisles. The goods are picked at one of ten ergonomic workstations. The goods arrive at the workstation from the miniload. Once a container has been picked, the conveyor system transports it to the dispatch area. A sequencer delivers the containers for an order in the correct order to one of six dispatch work stations. Empty containers are returned to the miniload. Contaminated containers pass through the washing line, where they are turned, cleaned and dried before being transported to the miniload or directly to the goods receiving area. Pallets are collected at a loading station and subjected to a weight and contour check. A chain conveyor and pallet lift, including telescopic forks, transport the pallets to one of the 16 levels. The Omnipallet Shuttle is used for storage and retrieval. After retrieval via one of four delivery lifters, the pallet is transported directly to a transfer station. A mobile assistance system can accept the pallet at this point and transport it for order picking. Empty pallets are transported by MLA directly to the goods receiving area.
The customer has received a highly dynamic, modular and largely redundant logistics system that fully meets the requirements in terms of availability, capacity, dynamics and flexibility. At the same time, the new plant shows the latest SEW technology in action and is therefore the perfect place to present the perfect interaction of the in-house components in logistics.
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