This keeps production flowing

Raw materials and production materials are received, buffered, picked, assembled and delivered just-in-time or just-in-sequence to the production site or assembly workstation. Finished products often have to be sequenced and brought to goods issue and prepared for transportation. In addition, all products must be traceable throughout the entire supply chain," says Ronald Brade, Vice President Sector Industry at SSI Schaefer, summarizing the specific challenges of the manufacturing industry.

Plan, manage, control and communicate with IT solutions

The Schäfer Miniload Crane is the ideal storage and retrieval machine for fully automated small parts logistics.

SSI Schaefer's solutions have been supporting the intelligent networking of people, machines, systems and products, which is at the heart of Industry 4.0, for many years. IT plays a central role in this. The software specialists develop the right solution based on the company's own logistics software Wamas or SAP. They offer the complete spectrum, from material flow control to warehouse management, as well as consulting and implementation. The Wamas Lighthouse logistics cockpit combines classic visualization tasks with the display of key logistics figures. This allows customers to read and evaluate the heartbeat of their system in order to make reliable decisions on this basis.

Lean solutions for a high level of productivity

Producing high-quality products as cost-effectively as possible - this requires minimizing waste of time and resources. The answer is lean management, also in intralogistics. The solutions in SSI Schaefer's Industry market sector ensure the intelligent deployment of employees and machines, short distances and time savings.

"In addition, all products must be traceable along the entire supply chain."

Ronald Brade Vice President Sector Industry, SSI Schaefer

Intelligent solutions for the internal supply chain

The share of logistics processes in value creation in the automotive industry has been increasing for years and represents a major challenge. One solution is automated small parts warehouses, in which a wide variety of items can be stored in containers, boxes or on trays to save space. The warehouse is connected to production via conveyor technology or automated guided vehicles.

SSI Schaefer implemented a dynamic logistics center with an innovative tugger train solution for the Brose Group.

SSI Schaefer is one of the few specialists to offer not only storage systems for production and spare parts, process-optimized solutions for wheel and tire storage, parts storage concepts based on the Locator system, shelving constructions and storage machines, but also the appropriate load carriers from a single source. This enables the experts to implement solutions that are precisely tailored to customer requirements. One example is the Schäfer Miniload Crane storage and retrieval machine for storing and picking bins, cartons and trays. It enables high throughputs and makes optimum use of space, even in smaller warehouses. Thanks to the variety of load handling attachments, there are virtually no restrictions in terms of the shape, size and surface of the parts to be stored or buffered.

Brose: Innovative tugger train solution

SSI Schaefer developed an innovative material flow concept for a highly dynamic and sequenced production supply supported by a customized SAP EWM system for the logistics center at the Czech site in Ostrava of the world's fifth largest family-owned automotive supplier, the Brose Group. In the 7-aisle automated small parts warehouse, 23,520 containers can be dynamically stored single or double-deep. Four tugger train stations are located at the front, where the containers for the production supply are loaded in sequence. At the time of loading, a tugger train with four trailers arrives at the respective station. Once a tugger train has reached the loading position, the corresponding containers are released and automatically roll onto the trailer bays. "Minimal manual handling, direct, optimized material provision, reduced personnel costs and improved ergonomics. With the system automation, the material flow conversion and the integrated SAP solution, we have simplified and streamlined the workflows, made the processes more transparent and increased throughput, says Claudia Vogel-Daniel, Project Coordinator Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co KG.

"SSI Schaefer implemented an intelligent solution for a fully automated production supply, with which we are very satisfied."

Claudia Vogel-Daniel Project Coordinator Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co KG

Efficient and modular: Highly dynamic shuttle bearings

Especially in mechanical engineering, the increasing demand for mini or special series poses major challenges for logistics. Shuttle systems offer an answer here and ensure efficient processes wherever optimized warehousing with fast material transport and short access times are required. SSI Schaefer offers suitable shuttle systems for all storage requirements and a wide variety of load carriers: from pallets and trays to containers, cartons and trays, they cover all requirements. The portfolio comprises a total of three systems for small parts: The Cuby as a highly standardized single-level shuttle enables the storage of containers and cartons weighing up to 35 kg. The new SSI Flexi Shuttle is a single-level shuttle that enables flexible storage of a wide variety of transport units and dimensions with a payload of up to 50 kg and dynamically adjustable storage space sizes. The Navette multi-level shuttle is used for the efficient storage and sequenced picking of trays, containers or cartons. With two load handling devices arranged one above the other, it can move two storage levels in parallel and a total of four transport units with one load cycle. In conjunction with the 3D-Matrix Solution, a highly dynamic system solution for storing and picking totes, cartons, trays, entire layer trays and even pallets, previously unimagined throughput rates are possible.

Klingspor: Creativity over three floors

Automated guided vehicles are now an integral part of the solution portfolio for flexible intralogistics systems.

With a creative automated storage solution, SSI Schaefer has succeeded in designing the logistics processes in the warehouse of the grinding tool manufacturer Klingspor in a future-oriented way - despite the limited space available. Now a Navette shuttle warehouse based on the 3D Matrix Solution concept and a 26 m high fully automated pallet high-bay warehouse ensure efficient processes and short delivery times. Warehouse management is carried out using SAP EWM and was also implemented by the intralogistics experts.

Flexible and efficient: material flow with AGVs

How do you ensure an intelligent material flow from the warehouse to production or assembly and from there to goods issue? A question that is particularly important when space is at a premium or to ensure maximum flexibility. The solution: Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for large and small load carriers. They supply production and assembly economically and reliably around the clock. As the world's leading expert in warehouse automation, SSI Schaefer offers a wide range of AGVs for a wide variety of applications. While the AGV Weasel is predestined for small load carriers such as containers, cartons or hanging goods up to 35 kg, larger AGV vehicles with fork lift or conveyor elements for pallets and roll containers make tasks in the area of transport, storage and order picking for large load carriers more flexible.

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 around 10,000 people at its international headquarters in Neunkirchen (Germany) as well as in around 70 operating companies worldwide and at more than ten 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.

The company plans, designs and produces systems for setting up warehouses, factories, workshops and offices, manual and automatic storage, conveying, picking and sorting systems as well as solutions for waste technology and recycling. SSI Schaefer has developed into one of the largest providers of release-ready software for internal material flow. More than 1,100 IT experts develop high-performance applications and advise customers on solutions for intelligently linking software and hardware components. The comprehensive software portfolio with Wamas and SAP covers all processes from warehouse to material flow management.

At the same time, SSI Schaefer optimizes the productivity and work performance of its customers with its own solutions and creates the opportunity to actively manage the warehouse by measuring and evaluating with the help of KPIs. As a globally active general contractor, SSI Schaefer implements complex logistics systems, from system planning and consulting to turnkey systems and service and maintenance offers.

Flexible combination of production and shipping

Bachmann Forming AG, a specialist in the development of customized plastic packaging, relies on Weasel AGVs for the automation of internal transport. In the production area, the vehicles take over the internal transportation between the production workstations and the existing conveyor technology to the dispatch area.

www.ssi-schaefer.com