VELOCITY VIDEO CASE HISTORY
Harnessing automotive supply
TODAY’S AUTOMOTIVE ASSEMBLY PLANTS RUN ONextremely tight production schedules. Materials and partsarrive at facilities just as they are needed on the vehicle assembly line. To add to this complexity, the many options availableon today’s automobiles mean that in many cases, the components are not the same for every car on the line. Suppliers mustsequence the correct parts to match up with each individual vehiclebeing assembled.
At its 350,000-square-foot facility in Vance, Ala., BLG Logisticssupplies wiring harnesses for the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant next door. The company receives the harnesses from manufacturers in Mexico, stores them for two or threedays, and then sequences them to meet theexact specifications of cars on the line. It’s aprocess that requires speed and precision—and one that must be performed within avery tight time frame.
“Once that order has been received,we have about 45 minutes to have theharnesses come down the line to be sequenced, picked, verified,and shipped to the plant,” explains Jamaal Roberts, manager ofoperations at BLG.
Work at this facility would be nearly impossible without automation and software systems to drive accurate processing. At theheart of its operations, BLG relies on an automated storage andretrieval system (AS/RS) supplied by Stoecklin Logistics. The three-aisle system is based on a mini-load system that was modified toaccommodate the large wooden boxes that hold the harnesses. Theboxes measure 73 by 32 by18 inches, requiring larger carriages andright-sized racking locations to hold them.
To assure uptime, the interior racking within the AS/RS only con-
tains one wiring harness between the two crane aisles. This is so that
the middle crane in Aisle 2 can retrieve products from the interior
racks of Aisles 1 and 3. The system has capacity for 3,400 harness
sets in a footprint of only 50,000 square feet. At any given time, there
are between 2,000 and 3,000 sets in storage. The additional capacity
allows for growth and a continuous reshuffling of inventory, so that
harnesses needed soon are re-deposited closer to output stations to
reduce retrieval time.
SMART & FAST
Any delays in processing at BLG could stop the line at Mercedes-
Benz. That’s why it’s critical that accuracy and speed are assured.
Each car rolling down the line at
Mercedes-Benz actually requires three dif-
ferent harness assemblies to meet the
electrical connections in the engine, control
console, and cabin interior. BLG uses the
storage boxes to combine the harnesses
needed for each car model based on the
build plan. The harnesses then remain
together in storage until needed for assem-
bly next door. At that time, information is
sent to the warehouse management sys-
tem, which then coordinates with the Stoecklin warehouse control
system to direct the cranes to retrieve the needed harnesses. The
system handles 70 boxes in and 70 boxes out per hour.
The cranes deliver boxes of harnesses onto conveyors for transportto processing stations. Workers use scanners to verify that the correctharnesses have been delivered. They then use a put-to-light systemto load the harness sets into metal racks for transport to the automotive plant, where they will arrive just before they’re needed forassembly. The facility processes about 1,100 harness sets each day,depending on the plant’s requirements, and 1,400 sets at peak production. The automation assures that BLG can meet the fast-paceddemands of the plant continuously.
“The Stoecklin AS/RS is very dependable. We can run all day,” says
Roberts. “We chose this machine because it allows us to be compet-
itive, smart, and fast.”
SPONSORED CONTENT
To see a video of BLG’s distribution center in Vance, Ala., go to dcvtv.com and click on
Channel 2. For more information on Stoecklin Logistics, go to www.stoecklin.us.
A DC VELOCITY SPEED CHALLENGE
BLG Logistics relies on a Stoecklin automated storage and retrieval system
to sequence wiring harnesses for just-in-time delivery to Mercedes-Benz.
