Task and Resource Management application to control the
automated functions. Ostermann reports that the integration of the two SAP systems was seamless, with no additional IT changes needed. The SAP software now manages
the entire automated process, including the placement of
pallets into storage positions.
CUTTING EDGE
Today, about 75 percent of the facility’s products pass
through the high-bay AS/RS. The process starts at the
building’s docks, where pallets of inbound materials are
offloaded from trucks. After the pallets are labeled, they’re
placed onto conveyors by lift trucks. The conveyors automatically carry the pallets to the AS/RS.
Throughout the day, the AS/RS replenishes static racks
that hold products for picking. The management software
directs the cranes to retrieve pallets and deposit them onto
conveyors. Lift trucks gather the pallets from the conveyors
and transport them to the static racks. The racking is five to
nine levels high, depending on whether the section is pallet
racking or rack shelving. There are a total of 12,000 storage
positions in the static area.
Associates use paper lists to pick products from the
racks using order picker trucks. From five to 10 orders are
batch picked at a time onto a pallet and then separated
into individual orders later. The SAP software determines
the optimal pick path to minimize travel and labor for the
order pickers.
Because many customers don’t want to buy a full roll
of edging, Ostermann will cut pieces to size for specific
orders. If this service is needed, the rolls are picked and
taken by lift truck to cutting stations, where the amount
required for an order is measured from the roll, cut, and
placed onto shipping pallets using a robotic palletizer and
an automatic stretch-wrapping machine. Most orders ship
by parcel carrier.
Another section of the building is outfitted with powered
cantilever racks. Longer strips of products measuring up
to six meters (about 20 feet) are placed onto the racks for
storage and direct picking. Motors and wheels on the rack
sections allow them to glide tightly together to provide
dense storage or roll apart to create an access aisle.
SOLD ON AUTOMATION
As for how the new system is working out, since moving to
the SSI Schaefer automated system, Ostermann has been
able to handle increased volumes in a smaller footprint.
It has also optimized its processes, which has led to better
labor utilization and improved real-time inventory tracking.
“If we had not added the high-bay automated system, we
also would have had to hire more personnel. Plus we gained
accuracy,” notes Wauters. “It was our first automated system, and now we are looking at installing a goods-to-person
system for picking.”
