Process speeds in the small parts warehouse doubled with modern weighing technology
Schaltbau Bode has modernised its automated small parts warehouse with weighing technology from DEW-Waagen. The weighing technology is directly connected to the SAP software. The process speeds from receipt of an order to delivery have been more than doubled.
12 March 2019
DEW's automated small parts warehouse is largely automated. (Image: DEW)
A new automated small parts warehouse has been put into operation at Schaltbau Bode in Kassel. Thanks to the combination of DEW weighing systems, which are connected to the SAP company software, the process speeds from receipt of an order to delivery have been more than doubled.
Schaltbau Bode produces components for door systems for railways, buses and motor vehicles at its headquarters in Kassel. The new Automatic small parts warehouse was put into operation in April 2018. Robots whizz back and forth on rails between the walls of shelves as if controlled by a ghostly hand, reach for the stored items with their arms, fill them into boxes and place them on conveyor belts. The goods then roll along tracks and loops to the Order picking. The huge organism with 20,400 parking spaces is controlled by SAP software.
At the picking stations, the employees also receive a visual release signal on the screen when the weight of the picked box is correct. (Image: DEW)
Daniel Grunert is sub-project manager of the automated small parts warehouse. „Once an order has been received by SAP, the software forwards the order to the automated small parts warehouse. Robots We look for the boxes with the required items in the warehouse and transfer the order to the conveyor belts,“ he says, describing the process. SAP is also in control of the subsequent process. The software determines which of the four Picking stations the order is processed. The crates travel on the loops until the assigned picking location is free.
Inspection trolleys ensure correct order picking
Whether an order has been picked correctly is determined with the help of DEW checkweighers determined. Employees place the crates on a weighing bridge. The Scale display D125 then checks the quantity of the order and compares the current weighing value, which corresponds to the actual value, with the value entered in the Process software stored target value. The software logs the weighing data and displays an overview of the item data together with a control text on the monitor. A visual control signal is also output.
Display
Daniel Grunert is responsible for the automated small parts warehouse at Schaltbau Bode. (Image: DEW)
„The DEW scales are the centrepiece of our warehouse. We are very satisfied.“ Daniel Grunert, sub-project manager of the automated small parts warehouse
If the order does not pass the check because the quantity is incorrect, the employee adds the missing parts. If everything is OK, he confirms this by pressing a button on the PC. The article is now booked and can be transported to the appropriate cost centre.
In addition to the four picking stations, DEW scales are also used at two storage stations at Schaltbau Bode. Here too, the scales act as a control instance. They each consist of a D125 scale display, which is connected to a Weighing platform is connected.
The parts to be stored are weighed at the storage location before they are placed on the shelves. On the right: the D125 scale display (Image: DEW)
The task of the scales is to avoid overloading the shelves. „To prevent the shelves from being overloaded, no box weighing more than 50 kilograms is allowed to enter the warehouse,“ explains Daniel Grunert. The weight distribution in the small parts warehouse is precisely balanced: „The containers are staggered on the shelves in the form of a pyramid. This ensures stability.“
Quantity is automatically weighed and checked
The decision to invest in a new automated small parts warehouse was made at Schaltbau Bode two years ago. „The predecessor had been in use since 1993. We decided in favour of the new investment in order to remain competitive and to cover the order load,“ recalls Daniel Grunert. Thanks to the new acquisition and the high speed of the system, the Material flow significantly accelerated.
Perfectly organised: The storage locations in the automated small parts warehouse are allocated using SAP software. 20,400 storage locations are loaded and unloaded by robots. (Image: DEW)
Schaltbau Bode opted for DEW scales for several reasons: „The scales are easy to control, have logical menu navigation and our requirements for the weighing systems were implemented very quickly in line with our needs,“ says Grunert. The biggest difference to the weighing technology of the old small parts warehouse is that the new scales are connected to the SAP software. This includes all Article data deposited, also the Unit weight. This means that the scales can adjust and check the quantity autonomously. It is no longer necessary for an operator to enter the piece weight manually.
Work is carried out in the Two-shift operation. Picking can be carried out at four workstations simultaneously. „We manage up to 1,000 picks per day. Before, we managed 300 to 400.“ There is now a time span of two minutes to half an hour between the receipt of an order and its delivery. „We had to test and readjust a lot during installation. Now I'm happy when I see the boxes travelling along the conveyor belts,“ says Grunert with satisfaction.
