Since January 2020, iFD GmbH has been able to count a new customer from Rheinland-Pfalz to its references. The goal is to modernize the intralogistics at the Herxheim site near Landau.
The new customer plans and builds a new logistics center in the business park.The introduction of an agile and highly available warehouse management system including connecting material flow control was essential for this major project.
The warehouse was designed with an AutoStore system as the heart of the logistics center, a narrow aisle pallet warehouse and shuttle warehouse, including connecting conveyor technology.
Features and highlights of the AutoStore add-on:
A permanent optimization of the container position is carried out by the permanent observation of the call quantities per article. Therefore, the AutoStore solution provides optimal conditions for both medium and slow movers, but especially for fast movers.
The exchange between the iFD system and AutoStore technology takes place via a task interface, a tried and tested, stable, fast and uninterrupted communication variant. An integrated online interface to scales integrated in AutoStore enables weight recording and quantity control during the picking process. The exchange is particularly suitable when picking small parts, because the counting process is rationalized. High-runers can be picked or a multi-order picking process can be integrated via pick-by-light elements, which are installed at the ports and can be controlled using the iFD add-on.
Waiting times resulting from the provision process of the BINs are saved. With the help of article graphics, which are stored in the iFD system, the picking process becomes faster and more efficient.
The cockpit of the AutoStore add-on is responsible for the calculation and visual representation of the forecast, the system utilization and availability as well as for the key performance indicators. Information such as the port performance (containers per port and hours), the system efficiency (average waiting time at the ports) or the average order preparation time (when the order starts on the picking port after the order has been placed) is displayed visually on the dashboard and via app on mobile devices. The current status for each robot can also be called up by the employee at the port or in the control center.
With the help of the information provided by the higher-level system, the AutoStore add-on also carries out pre-work planning. This ensures the on-time picking and retrieval process. IFD's experience shows that the AutoStore add-on and AutoStore technology can also be used to implement high-performance systems with outputs of several thousand storage and retrieval operations per hour.
The WMS system is fully implemented in Java, object-oriented and uses a relational database that all system components access. It is structured according to the client-server architecture, scalable in all parts and adaptable to extensions. The system implementation optimizes and simplifies existing processes and increases transparency within intralogistics.
Commissioning of the system is planned for early 2021.
The WMS including material flow control will manage the following customer areas in the future:
- Incoming goods
- AutoStore
- High-bay warehouse
- Shuttle warehouse
- Packing stations
- Connecting conveyor technology
Ms. Förster will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the warehouse management system, Tel. +49 371 53 880 226.
Source: Photo from AutoStore
