WFL: INCREASING EFFICIENCY AND GAINING SPACE

Constrained space often reduces the room for manoeuvre when it comes to warehouse modernisation. SSI Schäfer solved these structural challenges, which are particularly common among smaller companies and SMEs, at WFL MILLTURN Technologies by installing SSI LOGIMAT® warehouse lifts. By increasing the storage capacity for small parts in a vertical direction, a considerable 110 m² of floor space could be freed up in the existing hall. The devices are controlled directly from SAP, eliminating the need for subsystems and interfaces. At the same time, the successful machine manufacturer has recorded an increase of up to 50 % in picking performance in this area.

WFL MILLTURN Technologies GmbH & Co. KG from Linz in Upper Austria concentrates exclusively on the production of multifunctional turning, drilling and milling centres. Each and every one of these complete machining centres offered under the “MILLTURN” brand is a special purpose machine. Consequently, the current stock of around 30,000 active items, including spare parts, will continue to increase in the future – also due to new machine types such as the M20 MILLTURN.

Focus on process changes

Alexander Hofmann joined WFL in 2019 as Head of Logistics Operation. His task is to meet the increasing logistical challenges and develop new optimisation approaches. For example, classic drawer cabinets were mainly used for the storage of small parts. Although a warehouse management software, SAP WM, was or is in use in accordance with WFL’s SAP strategy, the question of available free storage spaces could not be answered more and more often. Problems were also caused by the different sizes of the plug-in compartments in the drawer cabinets, which had to be repeatedly adapted to the stored goods. Process times lengthened and the space situation in the warehouse became increasingly tense.

Modernisation of small parts storage through partial automation

In order to get this problem under control, SSI Schäfer’s SSI LOGIMAT® storage lifts were the focus for WFL from the very beginning and with them a partial automation of the small parts storage and picking: “We were looking for a solution that was individually tailored to our requirements. This solution has been so successful because it is now an established system in the market, which can store a lot of different materials in a small area and, in addition, is intuitive to operate, in addition to stable and secure operation,” emphasises the logistics department manager. The software competence of SSI Schäfer in combination with the SAP expertise of the system partner Status C, which is unique in this form on the market, was also decisive for the awarding of the contract. “We did not want any additional software that would be associated with further interfaces including maintenance and updating effort, but rather to work directly in SAP. Status C provided an appropriate solution here, tailored to our individual needs,” Hofmann continues.

Installation while retaining structural substances

The contract for the delivery of six SSI LOGIMAT® warehouse lifts including integration into the existing SAP environment was awarded at the beginning of November 2019. The warehouse lifts were brought into the existing building as early as January 2020. “However, quite a few structural challenges had to be overcome in the process,” knows Alfred Spicker, Head of Dynamic Systems, Business Unit Products & Equipment, at SSI Schäfer. “The existing platform had to be practically cut out in order to be able to install the storage and picking machines. At the same time, WFL took the opportunity to redesign the stage from an optimisation point of view.” SSI Schäfer also provided support in finding a concept and selecting suitable storage containers, as well as in the relocation process of initially about 12,000 of the total of about 15,000 articles in the small parts area.

Vertical storage density increased to 70 m² floor space

The ramp-up took place from April 2020. Prior to this, the old drawer cabinets were relocated to alternative areas and the new storage lifts were also filled during ongoing operations without any significant restrictions. In a first step, the SSI LOGIMAT® inventory is composed of two rows of three units each with the dimensions 3.8 x 3.1 x 7.3 m (LxWxH). They are each equipped with 58 trays (3,225 x 815 mm) and allow loads of up to 550 kg. Per lift, 64 tray changes per hour are possible. Around 15,000 LMB totes are used. LMB containers are special containers from SSI Schäfer that have been specially designed for use in warehouse lifts and optimised for the tray depth of 800 mm. The choice fell on four different container types of the LMB series, which can be varied within a tray and subdivided with stable partitions. This enables quick and easy allocation of the articles and prevents products from slipping through and being mixed up. The trays offer a direct overview of the parts to be removed and manual access is easily and ergonomically done from above – tedious bending and stretching in everyday work is no longer necessary. The additionally initiated batch picking enables WFL to process several orders in parallel, so that the picking performance has again increased noticeably.

Warehouse lift control in SAP without a third-party system

By means of PLC EasyConnect, the SSI LOGIMAT® warehouse lifts were also integrated directly into WFL’s existing SAP environment. This SAP add-on from partner Status C enables direct connection without additional subsystems. “All functions of the warehouse lift are mapped in it,” explains Alfred Spicker. “Transport orders generated in SAP are thus visualised in real time at the lifts and converted into tray movements.” Thanks to direct lift control, the handling of the worklist is faster, further supported by user-friendly touch-screen interfaces that can be operated intuitively. SPS EasyConnect also ensures maximum inventory security. There is no duplicate inventory management and future software updates from SAP are immediately taken into account.

Prestige project as a basis for further optimisations

“We are very satisfied with the result achieved,” Alexander Hofmann sums up. “SSI Schäfer and Status C have delivered a solution that exactly meets our requirements. The cooperation and implementation also went very well, despite some challenges.” Another highlight was the implementation of the tight schedule. This, he says, was thanks to the best possible preparation and well-timed planning during ongoing operations. “In addition, we were able to increase the picking performance by up to 50 % on average and at the same time, by using the lift system, we saved 110 m² of 180 m² of storage space, which can now be used for other purposes.” At the same time, the machine builder is now much more independent of staff availability, as all six warehouse lifts can be conveniently operated in parallel by a single person. Following this project, WFL has already carried out further process optimisations, including auxiliary stations at the lifts and label printing with a central printing station. In total, among other things, it was achieved that today, instead of working in 2-shift operation, only 1-shift operation is necessary to achieve the required performance. Improvements to the goods receiving processes and spare parts dispatch are on the agenda for 2023. If the small parts storage spectrum continues to grow disproportionately, the number of SSI LOGIMAT® warehouse lifts can be expanded accordingly. There would be enough space available.

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