GENTLE HANDLING OF DELICATE MEDICAL GOODS
Products and services used in surgical procedures are the core competence of global supplier of medical equipment Aesculap, a division of B.BRAUN Melsungen AG. The product range of the company includes surgical instruments for open or minimal invasive surgery, implants for orthopedics, neurosurgery or spinal surgery, sterile containers, devices and navigation systems as well as products for the cardiology sector.
In 2006 Aesculap was faced with the challenge of improving their existing intra-logistics operations to handle their growing volumes and meet the high service levels that the surgical practice demands. TGW Systems Integration worked closely with Aesculap to deliver a cost-efficient logistics solution that not only meets the current requirements of the business, but which also allows for future expansion and increase in capacities.
REQUIREMENTS & PREREQUISITES
- Further utilisation of existing premises as well as construction of a new building on the company site
- Modular extension for future expansion of capacities
- Handling of 2,500 consignments per day, from smallest orders to equipment for entire hospital units
- Picking system designed to perform 13,000 picks during a ten-hour day operation
- Strict batch tracing for all medical products
- High level of care in handling of delicate products with sterile packaging
SOLUTION
Each goods-in workstation carries a stock of three different tote heights all of which are handled in the mini-load automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). These totes may be sub-divided with up to eight sections. If one of the sections becomes empty at a picking station, this tote is directly diverted to the goods-in area and filled with corresponding goods. After replenishment, the tote is sent back into the warehouse or transported to the picking workstation if there is a pick demand for any of the contents.
The ASRS allows for a performance of 1,365 double cycles per hour and accommodates over 51,240 totes. Three storage aisles, with a total of 38,630 double-deep storage positions, are served by high-performance TGW Mustang stacker cranes. The three aisles provide direct access to all C classification items and are used as replenishment buffer for A and B categorised items.
TGW Booster: High Performance Order Picking Supply
Another six aisles of the automatic mini-load ASRS are equipped with TGW Booster stacker cranes. This type of storage and retrieval machine is 5m high, extremely lightweight, dynamic and cost-effective, making it the perfect device for very fast order picking transactions. These aisles are arranged in two blocks of three, installed one on top of the other and located between the three Mustang aisles. The two storage blocks accommodate all A and B classified items on 12,600 single depth storage locations offering 100% direct access of the stock for order picking.
The order picking area is divided into three sub-areas. The approximately 200 fast-moving ‘classification A’ items are picked at three workplaces that are automatically provided with order totes by the Warehouse Management System (WMS). Mobile data acquisition devices direct the operators to the corresponding shelving rack locations. Depending on the number of operators who are logged in, the WMS also controls the size of the picking area to be covered by each of the operators, optimising the entire picking process.
Workplaces For High Picking Performance
The 20,500 A, B and C classified items are picked at eight highly ergonomic workstations. Each picking workstation consists of two in-feed conveyor lines for totes coming from the mini-load ASRS, one out-feed conveyor line for totes going back into the ASRS, one inclined out-feed conveyor line for order totes, two buffer lines at face level for the provision of empty order totes and eight pick-to-light positions.
The remaining 10% of the picking performance is represented by about 700 items picked from the high bay warehouse using narrow-aisle forklift trucks in a two-stage procedure. Firstly, multiple orders are collated onto pallets as a batch pick; and afterwards the goods are distributed to their respective order totes.
A special feature of the intra-logistics solution is the order consolidation area, where all orders that are distributed over several totes, due to their size, or include goods from different picking areas, are automatically collated into one dedicated mini-load aisle, serviced by a TGW Booster stacker crane. Once all the totes for an order are available in this high-performance buffer, they are automatically retrieved and presented to the operators on a conveyor spur. The operators withdraw the totes from the spur and prepare the goods for despatch.
Small orders are directly transported from picking to a small order despatch area. This area consists of 12 workstations in which the goods are packed for shipping.
Interface Between SAP and CI_LOG
Inventory management, storage and retrieval functions, merchandise management, stocktaking and material flow control are all mapped in the supply chain software CI_LOG developed by TGW Systems Integration. The software interfaces with the ERP system SAP and all transactions are communicated between the two systems.
SAP manages the overall warehouse stock in the Warehouse Management (WM) module, making no differentiation between the distinctive storage areas of the installation and mapping them as ‘Blackbox’. CI_LOG manages all stock control tasks such as inventory and load carrier management in all storage areas, master data and stock management of all loading units as well as all workstation-related functions.
BENEFITS FOR AESCULAP
- Increase in picking performance
- Error minimisation by means of ‘put-to-light’ technology at workstations as well as time and route optimised ‘goods-to-man’ picking solution
- Substantial cost savings due to tailor-made solution for A, B and C classified items
- Minimised throughput times
- Reduced space requirements
