Store, transfer, retrieve: Stoecklin's intelligent automation and order management solution puts up to 3,600 oversized containers in an automotive small parts warehouse in pole position at the right time for retrieval for assembly.
Planning, project planning and implementation of an automated small parts warehouse in the Supplier Logistic Center for Mercedes-Benz
Automated small parts warehouse with three 72 m long aisles on an area of 4,600 square meters, three storage and retrieval machines of the BOXer series system solution, warehouse and order management system Stoecklin logOS WMS
Adapted storage locations and flexible storage and retrieval machines for special container sizes, and accelerated retrieval through intelligent, automatically controlled relocation
Capacity for up to 3,500 oversized bins (185 cm x 81 cm x 46 cm, L x W x H), storage of up to 1,200 bins/day
Founded in 1877, BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co KG (BLG) is a seaport and logistics service provider with a strong international network. BLG today organizes logistics with and for customers in various industries. BLG operates a Supplier Logistics Center in Vance, AL (USA), from where it supplies the Mercedes-Benz plant in neighboring Tuscaloosa, AL (USA), with wire harnesses for every model produced there.
Just-in-time delivery to automotive plants requires a great deal of fine-tuning, speed, and precision from the logistics partner: the required parts must be provided quickly, in the correct sequence, and in-line with the vehicle and the given step in the assembly process. Stoecklin brought experience and provided a precise solution.
Stoecklin set up an automated small parts warehouse on an area of 4,600 square meters for just-in-time storage of wire harness sets at BLG. On average, 2,000 to 3,000 wire harness sets are available here, which can be delivered just-in-time to production, which only takes two to three days to assemble.
Keeping track of hundreds of thousands of specific cable harnesses a year is no easy task, which is why BLG installed the automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) from Stoecklin Logistics.
In the AS/RS, each type of wire harness is managed as a separate item. The incoming cable harnesses, some of which weigh up to 30 kilograms including the motor, are stored in oversized wooden boxes (185 x 81 x 46 cm) until they are used in the assembly plant. The harnesses are managed in the AS/RS as a set of three for one vehicle at a time.
The AS/RS controls the BOXer storage and retrieval machines (SRMs) for just-in-time rotations. This massively reduces the time required for staging which is essential to beat the 45 minutes deadline to meet after the receipt of an order.
The total capacity of 3,600 wire harness sets enables continuous storage optimization as well as growth potential. The Stoecklin logOS WMS software and the reliability of Stoecklin SRMs ensures that the Mercedes-Benz plant is supplied with wire harnesses with maximum speed and accuracy. Within 45 minutes of an order being placed, the wire harness sets are ready for further use in the correct sequence via the output stations.
