Otto Bock Healthcare GmbH is a company with a long tradition of service and success. The production works in Königsee that is a technical leader in orthopaedic systems, dates back to 1919. Wheelchair production has taken place in Königsee since German Reunification. Today Otto Bock is a worldwide successful company with increasing production.
The result for the firm itself is a need for more efficient processes in order to achieve greater production throughput and faster order fulfillment, while cutting fault rates and maintaining quality. Otto Bock decided to implement a new logistics concept from TGW Mechanics GmbH to achieve these goals.
REQUIREMENTS & PREREQUISITES
- Production of up to 150 wheelchairs a day
- Increasing order volumes began to strain limited warehouse capacities
- Faster order fulfillment, while cutting fault rates and maintaining quality Improvement of supply of the assembly positions
- Network new storage areas and the existing building without disruption of existing production lines
SOLUTION
Otto Bock's improved storage system provides space for 5000 pallet storing positions and 40,000 tote storing positions. The warehouse consists of two automatic pallet aisles and two automatic tote aisles – both in a double-depth warehouse structure.
The fastest stacker cranes available anywhere on earth provide for the completely automatic storage and retrieval of both pallets and totes. The system can handle up to 300 storage and retrieval processes an hour.
Compact Material Handling Between Warehouse and Picking Stations
An intelligent and compact solution has been provided for material flow between the warehouse and the picking area. In the picking area, production totes for the assembly islands and the external spare parts orders are picked. The article totes are conveyed out of the tote warehouse directly onto a closed conveyor system circuit and are transferred automatically to picking stations. The article pallets are moved in from the pallet warehouse in parallel behind the people working in this area.
Article pallets are moved by an automatic transfer car that takes pallets from the warehouse approach zone from the stacker cranes and places them in the pre-selected picking stations.
Parellel and Coherent Picking Processes
The picking workstations are both ergonomic and appealing in design. Intelligent warehouse and control software takes care of parallel and coherent processes and precise picking processes. After acknowledgement of the picking process, open article totes and article pallets return automatically for re-storage in the appropriate warehouse area via the conveyor system and transfer car.
The supply processes are also organised on a fully automated basis for the assembly islands by means of pick-to-light workstation racks for small parts storage-capable totes.
Strap Lift: Interface between Basement and First Floor
Both the ready picked customer orders (spare parts orders), and the assembled wheelchairs on the assembly island, are now moved onto pallets via the transport system and lift in the direction of the ground floor and dispatch. The lift can put down a ready pallet from the first floor and immediately pick up an incoming supply pallet to take back up to the first floor via a strap lift from TGW.
The strap lift is a vertical conveyor device suited for the most demanding requirements because of its high performance and low noise operation. Strap lifts can be combined with various load carriers (chain conveyor, roller conveyor, etc.) and can be equipped to use two load carriers simultaneously. Frequency controlled drives mean controlled acceleration, braking, and exact positioning are possible without reducing maximum performance.
TGW TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYED
The fastest stacker cranes available anywhere on earth provide for the completely automatic storage and retrieval of both pallets and totes and guarantee maximum efficiency in warehouse movements. The proven single mast crane Mustang reaches a height of 14 meters (45.9 ft) and a maximum travel speed of 6 m/s (19.7 ft/s) and a maximum working load of 100 kg (220.5 lb). The maximum travel acceleration is 4 m/s² (13.1 ft/s²), the lift speed 3 m/s (9.8 ft/s) and the max. lift accerlation 3 m/s² (9.8 ft/s²). Thanks to its robust mast profile it can even be built up to 18 meters (59.1 ft) reducing speed and acceleration slightly. The optional anti-oscillation drive enables rapid positioning at highest speeds and accelerations.
The pallet stacker crane Magnus can handle a working load of up to 1250 kg (2756 lb) and towers to a maximum height of 18 meters (59.1 ft). The max. travel speed is 4 m/s (13.1 ft/s), the max. travel acceleration 2 m/s² (6.6 ft/s²), the max. lift speed 2 m/s (6.6 ft/s) and the max. lift acceleration is 2 m/s² (6.6 ft/s²). The Magnus is equipped with the load handling device pallet-telescope DC. It serves for automatic storage and retrieval of Euro-pallets with a max. working load of 900 kg (1,984.13 lb). This special telescope allows for a double-depth storage using a low-cost steel construction.
For more information about the company please visit the Otto Bock website at www.otto-bock.com.
