THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SCHAEFFLER AND SSI SCHAEFER

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

The new European Distribution Center (EDZ MItte) of the automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler rises over Kitzingen’s technology park on a 148,000-m2 site. In the future, it will serve as the heart of the new European supply network for industrial customers.

State of the art: In Kitzingen an unparalleled intralogistics concept has been created. SSI SCHAEFER installed a 7-aisle high-bay warehouse, comprehensive pallet and bin conveying system, as well as an electric rail-guided vehicle system. Seven high-performance, energy-efficient, Exyz type two-mast storage and retrieval machines will serve the 28,000 Euro pallet storage locations and 56,000 Düsseldorf pallet storage locations in the high-bay warehouse. They are each equipped with two load handling devices and simultaneously accommodate two Euro pallets or four Düsseldorf pallets. The small parts storage takes place in a 6-aisle miniload system, where 12 Schäfer Miniload Crane storage and retrieval machines operate on two levels one above the other, thus ensuring high throughput rates. Around 100,000 LTB containers, also part of the SSI SCHAEFER scope of delivery, will be circulated through the entire system in the future. Fully automated robotics applications for depalletizing and palletizing containers as well as ergonomic work stations complete the delivery and service package.

With the “Maintenance 4.0 for Intralogistics” concept, SSI SCHAEFER, as system integrator, and Schaeffler, as system supplier, together realize an integrated solution package for condition monitoring of operation-relevant drive systems and semi-automated maintenance for warehouse logistics. Practically applied, 58 Schaeffler SmartChecks in the EDZ Mitte perform condition monitoring of the storage and retrieval machines for the engines and transmissions of the travel and lifting drives. The alarm status of the SmartCheck devices as well as other warehouse systems is visualized in the WAMAS® Lighthouse logistics cockpit. In addition, centrally controlled Concept8 lubrication systems with specially developed lubricating pinions on chain conveyors and roller conveyors ensure continuous and precise relubrication during operation.

Case Study Schaeffler

Experience the project interactively in the animation below. (Switch to english on lower left side.)

The Schaeffler Success Story

“When designing our European distribution center in Kitzingen, our goal was to get away from preventive maintenance with static maintenance intervals to condition-based maintenance and semi-automated maintenance.”
Egon Grief, Head of Maintenance Management EDZ Mitte Kitzingen

IMPRESSIONS OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHAEFFLER

“Given the challenges of a project such as this and the short implementation phase, we were pleased to have a partner as competent as SSI SCHAEFER by our side.”
Dr. Jörg Zellerhoff, Technical Project Manager Logistics at Schaeffler Group

The dimensions of the new EDZ are truly impressive: it covers a built area of 94,000 m² – of which the logistics spreads over 25,000 m² with two levels – on a nearly 15-hectares site. The fully automated processes of the highly dynamic system emboss the internal material flows from goods-in registration to dispatch staging, and help Schaeffler to meet its targets. Besides the needed bin and pallet conveying system, SSI SCHAEFER also installed a fully automated 7-aisle high-bay warehouse with 28,000 pallet storage locations and a two-tier automated miniload system with approximately 95,000 bin storage locations, as well as ergonomic workstations. A 900 m long electric pallet conveyor with 50 vehicles also provides for the efficient transport of goods. Fully automated robotic applications for depalletizing and palletizing of bins complete the scope of supply and services. The conveying system is also connected to respectively one sequencing tower with 20 buffer storage locations to ensure the efficient and sequenced supply of the packing locations in the outgoing goods area. The WAMAS® logistics software from SSI SCHAEFER acts as the server system. The SSI SCHAEFER IT specialists connected the software to Schaeffler's SAP EWM.

Aside from the automation of the internal material flows, SSI SCHAEFER and Schaeffler also worked together to develop the "Maintenance 4.0 for Intralogistics" solution package. It comprises intelligent, condition-based maintenance of operational drive systems and a semi-automated maintenance system.

THE BASIS OF THE SUCCESS STORY

SSI SCHAEFER was commissioned as general contractor to implement one of the most modern distribution centers for the Schaeffler Group. Powerful logistics systems paired with intelligent software ensure maximum goods availability.