Logistics 4.0 - Automated warehousing at Sikla GmbH

Sikla invests in the future of warehousing!

In response to the stringent requirements for delivery timeliness and product availability in the market, Sikla has introduced an automated honeycomb bearing system as a new component in its goods provisioning process. After a construction period of 15 months, the extension of the warehouse, along with the honeycomb storage, was launched at the German site in Schwenningen in 2021.

The entire process (preparing goods for processing - retrieving the desired quantity - storing the remaining quantity of a batch) used to take approximately 15 minutes of processing time. Today, it has been reduced to a maximum of 5 minutes.

How does the honeycomb bearing system works?

Individual bundles are automatically issued by the system according to the order items. At the dispensing station, the desired quantities can then be retrieved. Inspection of the withdrawn quantity can be conducted based on pieces, meters, and weight.

This type of modern warehouse management benefits both customers and employees:

Benefits of customers:

• Precision: Customers receive the desired goods in the exact quantity
• Efficiency: Faster provisioning leads to shorter wait times for customers, resulting in an overall improved service.

Benefits of employees:

• Work Facilitation: The automated honeycomb bearing system allows employees to focus on more specific tasks such as packaging and shipping.
• Parallelization: The ability to automatically provision and restock goods enables employees to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, thereby increasing overall work efficiency.

Impressions:

Facts, figures and data:

To give you a brief outline of the scope of the project, our facility management team has compiled some interesting information:

• Precast concrete parts
  
  A total of 267 m³ of precast concrete elements, corresponding to almost 666 tonnes, were used. This is distributed across the various purlins, walls, columns and prestressed concrete trusses that form the framework of the new part of the building.

• Excavation and bored piles

  In order to erect the building, it was necessary to carry out earthworks and excavate a pit for the foundations, for which 1,500 cubic metres of earth were moved.
  A total of 1.3 kilometres of concrete piles were anchored in the ground as a base for the foundation to ensure a secure footing in the boggy ground.

• Expansion area approx. 1000 m²
• 3 hall sections: Goods delivery, automatic honeycomb bearing system, goods dispatch
• 705 cassettes with a total loading capacity of 1,058 tonnes
• Capacity for more than 1,000 large bundles
• 2 automated crane systems
• One storage station, two retrieval stations
• 30-35 double cycles per hour
• Complete integration in the company's own system
• Process reliability thanks to weighing devices and intuitive dialogues
• Total investment volume 4 million euros