source: Electronics Sourcing news
TTI is getting its European headquarters in Maisach-Gernlinden ready for the future with a new office building and a massive extension of its existing distribution centre.
With the new buildings TTI now has more than 30.000sqm of warehouse space and 8.000sqm of office space available to them. However the challenge of the project wasn’t only the extension of the available space but of the used warehouse volume. With the planning of a new concept and the integration of the already existing facility TTI was able to realize an extension of the useable room volume by factor 3.
To be fully prepared for the future the new buildings have been generously planned, so that at the beginning only 60% of the available space will be used and the remaining space will readily be available for use at a later stage.
About 23 Million Euros are being invested in latest warehouse technology and the implementation of integrated Supply Chain 4.0. Already now the distributor communicates with nearly all its suppliers via different EDI standards and more than 700 customers are also already connected with TTI through sophisticated logistics solutions.
Now the Supply Chain will also be optimized in intra logistics with an intelligent combination of efficient automatic areas and highly flexible manual elements.
The existing pallet racking will be extended into a concept with narrow forklift trucks and a height of 15 metres. In the first phase this will offer 21.000 pallet bays and with a possible further extension even 32.000 bays.
In addition to conventional racking technology the extension will also include an autostore-system with 110.000 containers, which can also be doubled in a further extension.
The autostore-system in the first phase consists of 50 robots, powered by silent electric motors, which provide the goods automatically at the 24 picking stations.
The commissioning is done voucherless like already today and will be supported at the picking stations by a put-to-light system guaranteeing a high quality of commissioning.
The consolidation of orders in the two-stage commissioning from now on will be done automatically via a shuttle system with a total of 8.000 container positions which can be extended to 12.000 positions in the future. Compared to classical AKL-solutions the shuttle system offers a higher performance and an optimal use of space with lower service and maintenance costs.
The concept of OLS (One Level Shuttle) offers maximum system uptime with very high handling efficiency. The system recognizes the volume of the outgoing consignment and outfeeds the goods at the respective areas. To optimize the shipping process there is a subdivision in an area for parcel shipments and an area for pallet shipments, as well as Special Services.
To increase efficiency and for optimal use of the transport vehicles in the shipping process there is an automatic volume optimization and labeling of parcels. This saves shipping costs and is environmentally friendly. The modular software including material flow control, a standardized control system, and a visualization system guarantee maximum availability and transparency of the whole facility.
By planning the extension in two stages as well as the combination of different storage systems and a mix of manual operations as well as automization, TTI expects an increase in efficiency and a very high flexibility when reacting to future developments in the market.
An important part of the project also is an integrated risk management consisting of FMEA-analysis and backup solutions to secure delivery capability at all times.
