An automation success story for privately family-owned company Brose.

Innovation is in our DNA

The fourth largest family-owned automotive supplier in the world, Brose Group, has distinguished itself in its long history through innovative products and manufacturing technologies. By always keeping an eye on the technological trends of tomorrow, Brose has continued a pattern of success through innovation. In cooperation with SSI SCHAEFER, as general contractor for material and information flow at the Czech production site in Ostrava, also culminated in an innovation that goes far beyond the industry standard. In this case, a fully automated loading tugger train controlled by SAP.

THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SUNING AND SSI SCHAEFER

What specific services has SSI SCHAEFER provided for the goals of Brose?

Every second a new car is fitted with mechatronic systems for doors, seats, or electric motors from Brose. And, more than 80 manufacturers and 40 suppliers rely on the performance of the international company. This high-end performance requires absolute reliability of all processes – especially due to the constant increase in the number of new developments and articles. All are good reasons for restructuring logistics and production supply at the second-largest production site – and for concentrating warehouse capacities. The big objective for Brose – a forklift free factory.

Since a reliable production operation is a key to Brose, the solution needed to be precise. The introduction of tugger trains to take product supply to the production facility enabled a reliable automation process. The intralogistics processes, including tugger train loading, are all fully automated for the world-renowned automotive supplier. The innovation of the material flow concept is apparent in the functional scope of SAP EWM, a concept unrivaled in the industry. It includes sequenced retrieval and provision is based on the needs and the fully automatic loading of bins for tugger trains. It has been integrated into the existing SAP infrastructure, which is precisely tailored to the needs of Brose.

To achieve the specific tugger train logistics requirements, an extensive planning tool has been designed in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich. As a certified SAP partner, SSI SCHAEFER implemented this directly within SAP EWM. The result is a reliable, preplanned timing of tugger trains based on multiple variables, including shifts, breaks, or routes within a given timetable.

The downstream process and plant control is carried out via SAP. In addition, a 5-aisle high-bay warehouse and a 7-aisle miniload system automatic storage and retrieval machines house the various automotive parts for storage until needed for manufacturing. Numerous conveyor system components, as well as the use of robotic applications for automated depalletizing, ensure high process efficiency in the material flow.

An intelligent solution for a fully automated production supply

“The new solution allows for minimal manual handling, direct, optimized material provision, reduced effort by staff, and improved economics. SSI SCHAEFER simplified and streamlined workflows, made processes more transparent, and increased throughput with system automation, material flow conversion, and a consistent SAP solution. We are extremely satisfied with this intelligent solution for a fully automated production supply.”
Claudia Vogel-Daniel, Project Coordinator, Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Coburg