Logistics service provider Hammer from Bedburg near Cologne relies on a shuttle warehouse for small parts. Bito supplied 60,000 XLmotion plastic containers for this purpose. These are specially designed for automated warehouses and have a large internal volume.
Retail companies must always have sufficient stock available. „If a customer is looking for a specific screw in a DIY store and it's not there, they certainly won't come back the next day,“ says Lutz Harde, Managing Director of Hammer GmbH und Co KG's new logistics centre in Bedburg, from his own experience. In order to further optimise fast, smooth and reliable logistics for its partners, the medium-sized logistics service provider based in Aachen built its new multi-user logistics centre on a former open-cast mine site. The approximately 103,000 m2 are equivalent to more than 14 football pitches. „We have a total of ten halls here, each with a height of ten metres and an area of 10,000 m2“, explains the expert.
As a modern contract logistics provider, Hammer works closely with its customers. In order to Flow of goods continue to improve, the new logistics centre was also a logical consequence. „From our location in Pulheim, around 15 kilometres away, we had been working successfully for a well-known DIY chain for years,“ says Managing Director Harde. However, the retailer was expanding and also wanted to reorganise its logistics structures. The logistics centre in Pulheim was too small for this. Hammer saw the new building as an opportunity to continue growing as a service provider.
High demands on container technology
Because a wide variety of goods are stored in the halls, they are equipped accordingly: for hazardous goods, with pallet racking or for block storage. In Pulheim, the DIY chain's product range contained hardly any small parts such as screws, nails or sandpaper. This raised the question of which technology could be used to store the increased number of Small components picked efficiently should be.
Together with an external consultant, the service provider decided to install an automated small parts warehouse from Knapp AG in Graz, Austria, in one of the halls. The containers required for this were supplied by Bito-Lagertechnik from Meisenheim. It was not only the Very good price-performance ratio of the Bitobox XLmotion, but also the high net volume and the special design, which enables extremely quiet operation. „In the tough competition between several manufacturers, we won the race with ours,“ says a delighted Hans-Peter Ketterer, Bito sales manager for container systems.
Enormous capacity and yet very quiet
The full-service provider for storage technology supplied 60,000 boxes equipped with Barcode carriers on each long side, injection-moulded customer logo and Made from recycled material. „With these containers designed for automated warehouses, we were able to optimally fulfil the requirements of the shelving manufacturer in terms of flatness, roughness and friction coefficient,“ emphasises Hans-Peter Ketterer, Bito Sales Manager for container systems. This is ensured by the new type of circulation shelf: „In order to withstand high loads in storage operations, the developers have equipped it with a smooth frame construction that is connected to the container with diagonal support ribs. This sandwich construction prevents the floor from bending under high loads. As a result, the container runs extremely quietly on the conveyor system. “This makes for a much more pleasant working atmosphere in the warehouse," explains Ketterer. The low noise level not only leads to less stress at the workstations, but also to fewer errors and greater job satisfaction.
Convinced by the Bitobox also with its volume of 53 litres. Measuring 600 x 400 x 320 mm, it can hold up to 50 kg. If the containers are stacked when full, the bottom one can hold 250 kg. For Hammer, the size is a huge advantage. „The more a container can hold, the more goods we can store and the fewer replenishments are required,“ explains Lutz Harde. „And because fewer containers are moved, the entire system works much more efficiently.“
The base of the container is around 25 mm wider than conventional Euro stacking containers. This allows rack builders at AKL to make the support brackets significantly narrower and save material and costs. To prevent the goods stored in the containers from getting wet in the event of a fire when the sprinkler system is triggered and the boxes become significantly heavier due to the accumulated water, there are water drainage holes on the base and side walls. There are grip holes on the front to allow ergonomic handling.
Always in the flow
Depending on the season, around 35 to 40 sea containers and 20 to 40 lorries arrive each day. At goods inwards, the employees record the products and palletise them. The goods are transported to the high-bay warehouse using forklift trucks. If the reorder level of the small parts warehouse is not reached, this is recognised by the system and replenishment is generated from the high-bay warehouse: On arrival at the small parts warehouse, the goods are removed from the cartons and placed in the boxes. The system records the barcodes of the containers. The conveyor system then transports them to the small parts warehouse and stores them.
„The automated small parts warehouse works according to the Shuttle double lift concept“, explains Lutz Harde. „We have five lanes here, each with 20 levels. Each level is served by a shuttle.“ Two lifts are available for each shuttle for their vertical movements. The shuttles store the boxes on each side of the aisle in a three-deep chaotic arrangement. The system currently has space for around 67,000 containers.
To compile the articles for the orders, the conveyor system moves the XLmotion boxes from the miniload to the picking stations. Here, each employee is always assigned two different items. These are sorted into the corresponding boxes. The boxes almost always remain in the cycle of this racking system. „There is only one exception,“ says Lutz Harde. „For example, if goods arrive in stackable containers, employees pack them straight into the Bito containers at goods issue.“
To compile the customer orders, the staff then pick the boxes onto pallets and prepare them for dispatch. Up to 160 vehicles leave the logistics centre every day. The goods go to around 600 stores across Europe for the DIY chain.
