WEIDMÜLLER PROVIDES FOR CONNECTION, BEING A LEADING SUPPLIER OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS WORLDWIDE.

The company successfully develops, produces and distributes its products in the fields of electrical connecting technology as well as functional and communication electronics.

The Weidmüller Group has a strong international orientation and disposes of its own manufacturing plants, sales and distribution companies and representatives in more than 70 countries. Highest demands on quality and service make Weidmüller a competent and flexible partner for their customers all over the world.

In order to increase their service quality even more, they set high targets for themselves, in particular with regard to logistics.

OBJECTIVES

• ability to supply goods: according to the needs of all customers and group companies, from small volume supplies to complete site supplies
• defined order throughput times: what has been ordered today will leave the logistics centre on this very day and will be transported to any place where it is needed as fast as possible
• highest product availability: perfect overview and fastest access to all stocks
  
  

SPECIFIC SOLUTION

The main goal was to install an integrated logistics system from where all end customers, international distribution companies and group members of Weidmüller can be supplied with goods in the shortest possible time.

Different storage areas and logistics functions have been combined in the modernised logistics centre. Consequently it is guaranteed that each order item of a picking order can be shipped on time, independently of whether it is shipped by a parcel service piece per piece or as complete loading. It does not matter if small partial quantities shall be picked or group companies which dispose of big distribution warehouses shall be supplied with consignments containing products of the entire assortment.

The different areas were extended in several construction stages in order to guarantee an even higher efficiency. The logistics centre was adapted to the constantly increasing requirements, making future expansion possible, too.

The order consolidation zone at Weidmüller consists of two areas. Depending on the order size and shipping mode the order items are consolidated in small volumes for parcel service dispatch or in large volumes for dispatch by forwarding companies. Packaging and dispatch finishing are also effected in this area.

AUTOMATIC TOTE WAREHOUSE

• capacity for 123,000 tote bins 600 x 400 x 229 mm (expandable to additional capacities)
• performance: up to 1100 storages and retrievals per hour
• 8 stacker cranes, 3 are TGW Mustang and 5 TGW Stratus
• central goods receiving area with constant load carrier check
• conveyor system loop for connecting order picking to warehouse aisles
• 6 order picking workplaces for highest performance with pick-to-light
• connection of fast-moving items picking for the twelve top articles
• connection of an existing horizontal carrousel warehouse
• each picking source is supplied with empty totes fully automatically
  
  

AUTOMATIC PALLET WAREHOUSE

• capacity for 4,000 Euro pallets
• performance: up to 100 storages and retrievals per hour
• 3 stacker cranes
• 4 work places for withdrawal of partial quantities, equipped with lift tables for optimum ergonomic working conditions
• all pallets are conveyed on system pallets to ensure highest availability
• supply and return of system pallets is realised fully automatically
• connection of picking workplaces by means of tote conveyor system and empty tote supply
  
  

ORDER CONSOLIDATION AND DISPATCH – SMALL VOLUMES

• 4 Commissioner machines collect order items for small volumes
• performance: up to 800 storages and retrievals per hour
• 8 packing work stations with packet conveyors and empty tote supply
• packet sorting with 5 destinations according to service providers
  
  

ORDER CONSOLIDATION AND DISPATCH – LARGE VOLUMES

• 17 target lines for outfeed according to packing targets
• performance: up to 600 order items are packed per hour
• constant empty tote return into empty tote buffer
  
  

INTEGRATION OF MATERIAL FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM AND WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT

The efficient CI_LOG material flow control system was integrated online into the existing WMS on a AS400 platform. The entire machine coordination, production activity control as well as activation of the control components based on SIMATIC S7 are realised by the CI_LOG material flow control system.