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Electronics / Devices /
Pepperl+Fuchs automates with WITRON
Pepperl+Fuchs automates with WITRON
Due to a constant company growth, the development of new market segments, as well as the consistent implementation of individual customer demands, the existing logistics capacities of Pepperl+Fuchs at their headquarters in Mannheim, reached their limits. A new central warehouse had to be built. With the construction of the new European Distribution Center (EDC) in Mannheim, the automation specialist in warehousing and order picking now opts for a state-of-the-art automated logistics solution from WITRON, which significantly increases efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all workflows and processes and also generates space for additional growth in the future.
Customer: Pepperl+Fuchs
Since the beginning of 2012, Pepperl+Fuchs has been supplying all of its European customers as well as both distribution centers in the USA and Singapore directly with finished parts from the EDC. In addition, all production facilities across the globe are supplied from Mannheim with the raw materials and manufactured assemblies purchased here.
Location
Mannheim
Industry sector
Electronics / Devices
Products
56,000 different items
Solutions
OPS
Volume
4,800 orderlines per day
Special features of the project
Thanks to Pepperl+Fuchs’ extensive product range for sensor technology, all encoders, light barriers, scanners, surface scanners, and inductive proximity switches required as part of the material flow could be supplied by Pepper+Fuchs itself. The own EDC, for example, was equipped with more than 1,000 sensors. A special highlight is the 2D laser scanner R2000: an interactive high-performance scanner with 360-degree panoramic view..
Challenge
The EDC with a size of 4,200 square meters includes a 5-aisle tray AS/RS with 32,000 storage locations as well as a conventional area with 1,000 pallet storage locations. All items that can be placed in trays are stored in the AS/RS, except slow movers. The pallet warehouse also handles the replenishment for the AS/RS. In order to store the large amount of more than 56,000 different items efficiently and with minimal space, the trays used for storage are divided up to eight times. The content of the trays is automatically scanned in the receiving area. OPS allows storage and order picking in one system. The modular solution is an integration of automated small parts warehouse (AS/RS) and upstream picking workstations, which are largely separated from the stacker cranes through the use of sequence buffers - or as is the case at Pepperl+Fuchs - through a transfer car solution. This allows maximum individuality for all work processes. The products at the pick and pack workstations in the OPS are provided according to the goods-to-person principle and on demand. Due to the flexibility of the system it is possible to use totes, cartons, or small load carriers with different sizes, heights, and compartments on the trays. The picking workstations are flexibly staffed depending on the workload. The picking of up to 4,800 orderlines per day is done according to the pick and pack principle at five pick workstations and nine packing workstations directly into the shipping carton or into the order carton for production supply. This corresponds to a pick performance of 500 picks per hour. Every picking workstation is able to process up to eight customer orders at the same time. A multi-check system consisting of pick-by-light system, place-to-light, and surface scanning guarantees maximum picking accuracy. Customer orders with products from the AS/RS and the pallet or long-goods warehouse are consolidated to one delivery unit at a separate workstation. The operators in the pallet warehouse / long-goods warehouse are supported by a radio-frequency system from WITRON.
Customer opinion
The decision in favor of WITRON was made, because the OPS solution in combination with the transfer car concept convinced us more than all other solutions we received. It is an innovative technology that provides high system performance with efficient picking at very low error rates. The concept is space-saving, highly available, and suits perfectly to our building infrastructure.” Moreover, all workstations from receiving to shipping are supplied and cleared through transfer cars, which also saves a large amount of conveyor system distance, as huge loop or sorting lane are not required.