In October 2020, Coop, one of the leading food retailers in Sweden, and SSI Schaefer, the world’s leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, announced the starting point of their long-term collaboration. 

Once again SSI Schaefer met up with Mats Tornard, Project Manager of Strategic Supply Chain at Coop, to discuss and sum up the current success of the ongoing Automated Logistics Centre project. At the end of 2021, we published an article on both companies’ smooth collaboration, shared values in terms of quality and sustainability and the status of the solution installation which by that time had just started. Now it is time to update you with the latest results we have achieved together so far. Despite all the challenges and alterations, 2022 has been an eventful year for the largest automation project in Europe. The global crisis, supply chain difficulties and lack of steel failed to hold back Coop’s solution realization. If we take a look at the initial plan, all major activities follow the schedule with no disruption or delays.

“We have had a very positive experience with all our partners so far. Despite the challenging year 2022, both the building by the third party and the solution by SSI Schaefer are getting ready according to the realization plan”, shares Mats Tornard.

Constant change is the new stability

The past few years have been tricky in terms of planning for the future as behavioral habits shifted significantly. During the project realization Coop updated input data, analyzed it and concluded that the handover date volumes will reach 2027’s planned volumes. This means both the industry’s and the company’s growth have been outplaying the boldest expectations. While volume increase is undoubtedly great news, it comes with the consequences of solution revising and design changes. 

“During the solution’s realization stage we reviewed the data and found out that to handle the increased volumes in the future Coop will need more focus on palletizing and depalletizing. We are happy with the solution by SSI Schaefer as it allows extension at any point even in the middle of construction. In the dynamic world of today this is exactly what we need”, continues Mats.

What has been done so far: installation of the system

When we talk about shared values, sustainability and ergonomic work environments come to mind first. These were the core points for Coop at the solution design stage: to reach high efficiency without compromising on the important aspects.

Goods will arrive by railroad straight to the warehouse to minimize CO2 footprint and maintain an eco-friendly approach. The goods receiving zone is equipped with the conveying system for pallets, which has already been completed and is now on a test run. High-Bay warehouses in both, chilled and ambient zones have been assembled and launched together with the pallet cranes that serve for storage and retrieval of goods for buffering.

When the items are needed for restocking the main storage area, they arrive at the depalletizing station. Depalletizing, as well as mixed palletizing stations, are in progress due to additional solution extension during realization, i.e. more robots. When the goods are split into individual cases, they are transported by a bin conveyor to a storage area. SSI Schaefer has just completed one of two parts of the bin conveying system.

The 3D-MATRIX Solution^® by SSI Schaefer is intended to serve as a buffer for cases. The storage locations are operated by SSI Flexi shuttles, which are responsible for storage, loading and retrieval. The buffer storage has also been extended and is currently a work in progress. The one part that is fully completed here is the installation of the lifts. After the cases are needed for the order, the SSI Flexi shuttles will transport them to the palletizing station where robotized equipment will take care of putting the orders together for shipping. 

Assembled pallets are delivered to the buffer storage and are consolidated by the final customer or route. One of the shipping buffers is at the final stage and is ready to be launched, the rest of them are in progress.

The largest automation project in Europe is hard to miss

2022 is a significant year for Coop and its partners. Coop was awarded the shared first place of the Logistics Establishment of the Year 2022! Coop's new goods terminal in Kjula, Eskilstuna impressed the jury with its major investment in train-bound grocery logistics and that the terminal will be highly automated.

Coop's new warehouse is equipped with SSI Schaefer’s automated solutions and helps the retailer reach 95% of all the picking processes completed with automation. The main focus for the new internal logistics design was ergonomic working environment and sustainability. Coop, SSI Schaefer and other partners involved in the project visited the award ceremony to receive diplomas and flowers. 

"All the nominees presented fantastic projects. We were very happy to be among great and fair competition and were honored to receive the award," said Mats Tornard immediately after the award ceremony. 

The project was also noticed for Coop’s sustainable initiatives towards both, day-to-day work and the new warehouse. To add up to CO2 footprint minimization, Coop will also have solar cells on the roof. The panels are estimated to produce approximately one third of the energy that the plant will need annually. Taking into account these and other company’s green activities, the jury made a decision in favor of Coop. Coop was named Sweden's most sustainable brand in Europe's largest brand survey on sustainability - “Sustainable Brand Index 2021”. Coop received a sustainability certificate for the new site with the silver level. This means that the new warehouse was recognized for its eco-friendly building construction and also healthy and ergonomic work environment for the employees.

Coop and SSI Schaefer are creating more jobs

Every day thousands of packages are handled, formed and sent to the end customer. Such an impressive building with a fully automated solution needs qualified people to monitor and control. To ensure the optimum operation of the system, SSI Schaefer is looking for new members for their team who are interested in career development and learning about automation and robotics.

“Almost two years in the process, we are happy to share that the new logistics center is looking for employees and is ready to train and grow new specialists in the profession of the future. In total, we are looking for 79 technicians and professionals to support smooth and non-stop operations”, shares Mats.

SSI Schaefer and Coop are in need of qualified employees and there is a huge competition to get them. Instead of compromising on quality, it was decided that it is time to be a part of the changing environment. That is why the companies initiated and joined the educational program together with Yrkeshögskolan SKY, one of the largest providers of Advanced Vocational Educations in Sweden. To teach, mentor and form a set of new specialists.

One of the biggest advantages of the educational program is that all the teachers have field experience. They work within the industry on the daily basis and are able to share the most recent news, trends and techniques with the students. With the necessary drive, ambition and success during the learning process, it is possible to land employment opportunities even before graduation.

The graduates can work as Automation Technicians in both Inventory Management and installation and service industrial robots, PLC Technicians, Robotics engineers, and Maintenance technicians.

To apply for the program, a student needs a diploma from an Upper Secondary School in Sweden, a higher level of Mathematics and proficiency in Swedish. Applications can be sent via SKY’s website, www.yhsky.se. The deadline for education starting next year is on the 15th of May 2023.

On the 1st of October 2022 the SSI SCHAEFER Group has appointed Michael Hillstrom as Managing Director of the SSI SCHAEFER Nordics (Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland).

Michael Hillstrom has been working for SSI SCHAEFER for almost 10 years and has held several senior positions. From 2013 he has been Sales Director for Scandinavian countries, and since October 2019 took over the position of General Manager of Sweden and Finland. He also successfully leads the Product and Equipment business unit in the Northern Region.

Senior Vice President, Regional Head Northern Europe of SSI SCHAEFER, Jaap Vos said: "We are pleased to welcome Michael Hillstrom as Managing Director of SSI SCHAEFER Nordics. Michael has a long experience within the management team of the Nordics and can combine this with his long sales and leadership experience and personal leadership qualities and competences.”

The senior level executives of SSI SCHAEFER Group are convinced that the company's branches in Scandinavia has now again found a permanent leader with the new Managing Director.  

"I look forward to starting at my new role and convey my experience to support the business development in the Nordic countries. We are now around 200 employees in Scandinavia specializing in the supply chain within warehousing and intralogistics. For the upcoming years we will focus on further optimization, innovative approach, and future proof thinking to help us realize successful projects together with our сustomers”, says Michael Hillstrom, Managing Director SSI SCHAEFER Nordics.

Lauri Impiö, Head of Sales at SSI SCHÄFER Oy, will participate in intralogistics part of the LOGY Conference – “Update Your Business – How to succeed in the New Normal”. The conference will take place on the 9^th and 10^th of June, 2022.

Lauri will discuss the latest trends and the impact of Covid on warehouse automation and e-commerce fulfilment:

• What happened with delivery time standards and how long it should take from shopping to shipping?

• When it is wise to choose person-to-goods order picking instead of growing popularity goods-to-person?

• Why do supply chain issues affect the EU more and how does it reshape the warehousing industry?

• What has to be considered when planning efficient returns handling? Why it is a must rather than a choice?

When: 9^th and 10^th of June, 2022

Where: Aalto University

Target audience: Operations Managers, COO, CEO, Logistics Managers and Directors, Business Development Directors, Business Owners

To register for visiting LOGY Conference, please CLICK HERE.

• Official Partner of the Consortium of the German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

• Vertical Farming Solution showcase in the Future City Lab

Neunkirchen/Siegerland / Dubai December 08, 2021 - The SSI SCHAEFER Group, a German family-owned company with a history spanning more than 80 years and a leading international provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, will be demonstrating what the sustainable supply of food to an urbanized society can look like at Expo 2020 in Dubai, which started on October 1. As an official partner of the German Pavilion Consortium, SSI SCHAEFER will present an innovative vertical farming solution developed in cooperation with Infarm, the world’s fastest growing vertical farming company, in the City of the Future section of CAMPUS GERMANY. With its data-driven modular farming units, in which herbs and vegetables are grown under perfect conditions with 95% less water and land compared to conventional farming and without chemical pesticides, Infarm is building a global network of farms to grow and distribute fresh produce close to urban centers. Infarm’s vertical farming network already consists of more than 1400 farms in more than 50 cities worldwide.

Steffen Bersch, CEO of SSI SCHAEFER Group: "According to the United Nations forecast, around 80% of the world's population will live in cities by 2030. Together with the expected population growth and the increasing demand for food, it will be crucial to design the supply of the cities of the future in an integrative, safe and above all efficient and resource-saving way. Infarm’s Vertical Farming solution that we are presenting in the Future City Lab at the Expo, can be up to 400 times more efficient than conventional farming, measured in terms of the cultivated area. With this, the SSI SCHAEFER Group is consistently implementing its value proposition to drive its customers' sustainability globally with future-proof solutions."

Expo 2020 Dubai, the start of which has been postponed by one year due to the Corona pandemic, takes place from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, under the motto "Connecting minds, shaping the future." The World Expo site is located only about 15 minutes by car from the SSI SCHAEFER office in the Dubai Logistics City area, a hub for intralogistics solutions in the Middle East and Africa. Within the German Pavilion, SSI SCHAEFER is the only member of the intralogistics industry.

The German Pavilion, whose client is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, will be showcasing sustainability at the fair. The exhibits will be grouped into the thematic areas of energy, city of the future and biodiversity. The aim of CAMPUS GERMANY is to provide visitors with solutions for a more sustainable future in a vivid way with many interactive elements.

"How do we want to live in cities in the future? The Future City Lab in the German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai answers this elementary question. In this Lab, our CAMPUS GERMANY takes visitors into the city of the future and shows, among other things, how food can be produced and made available sustainably in urban spaces," says Sebastian Rosito, Deputy Commissioner General and Director of the German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Growing urbanization and the rapidly increasing importance of e-commerce lead to ever more complex requirements for SSI SCHAEFER's customers. This is caused by increasing expectations from consumers for the individualization of products, same-day delivery and the highest service quality. This poses ever greater challenges for the warehousing and logistics of large retail chains and online platforms. Against this backdrop, SSI SCHAEFER sees itself in the role of "enabler", contributing to meeting the needs of customers more efficiently and sustainably with intelligent intralogistics solutions in the field of digitalization and automation.

SSI SCHAEFER presents future-proof intralogistics for dynamic requirements

• Future-proof logistics systems are flexible, scalable and sustainable

• Logistics software as the key to process optimization along the supply chain

• SSI SCHAEFER as a reliable partner for materials handling solutions that grow with the customer

In the age of e-commerce with maximum customer orientation and many services, order structures and throughput times in intralogistics have changed drastically. In order to transfer these multi-layered requirements into efficient logistics structures, companies need flexible logistics systems that work together in a perfect network, and these need to be controlled in transparent processes by powerful logistics software. SSI SCHAEFER covers this complex range and at LogiMAT 2022, it will present how its customers achieve a competitive advantage with future-proof intralogistics. Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI SCHAEFER Group: "As a leading solution provider in the market, we aim to create value for our customers with innovative products, outstanding project work and in a trusting partnership that leads them safely into the intralogistics future."

At the booth in Hall 1, SSI SCHAEFER will show how small and medium-sized companies can partially automate processes in a simple way in terms of "plug & play", all at attractive costs. The result is that storage, transport and picking processes are accelerated, the available space is used more effectively, and ergonomic workflows are guaranteed. Building blocks of these solutions include automated guided vehicles, mobile racking systems, channel storage applications with the SSI ORBITER® and the SSI LOGIMAT® Vertical Lift Module, which will be exhibited at the trade fair.

Another focus is on intelligent automation solutions such as robotics applications, shuttles, and overhead conveyor technology that handle multi-layered orders within an efficient omnichannel logistics system. Among other things, solutions for the retail, fashion, healthcare & cosmetics, and production logistics sectors will be presented at the booth.

The key element of the dynamic systems is the WAMAS® logistics software, which uses real-time analyses, smart data processing and optimization algorithms to optimally control the complex processes in the warehouse and ensure seamless transparency. The modular SSI SCHAEFER software, whose quality has been officially confirmed several times, seamlessly integrates into the companies' process and system infrastructure and connects upstream and downstream systems to form an overall system. SAP solutions are also part of the software competence of SSI SCHAEFER - since the majority shareholding in SWAN in 2021, they jointly rank among the top 5 providers for SAP logistics.

A special highlight at the booth is the exhibit on the Vertical Farming solution that SSI SCHAEFER, as official partner of the German Pavilion consortium, just presented at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The innovative as well as sustainable solution was developed in cooperation with Infarm, the fast-growing urban farming company with global presence, and is now presented in Europe.

SSI SCHAEFER at the LogiMAT trade fair in Stuttgart / May 31 - June 02, 2022 / Hall 1 D21

SSI SCHAEFER is proud to have partnered with Coca-Cola Amatil to deliver their automated state-of-the-art facility featured in a series of recent corporate videos, released by Coca-Cola Amatil, one of the largest bottlers and distributors of beverages in the Asia Pacific region.

Video: „Innovation and Automation.“ A world-class brand and world-class automation.

Following an open request for tenders by Coca-Cola Amatil, SSI SCHAEFER‘s recommended solution was selected for the state-of-the-art 30,000m² distribution center in Brisbane, Australia.  Working closely with Coca-Cola Amatil and backed by SSI SCHAEFER’s extensive experience in mixed case robotic palletizing, a concept was created which matched Coca-Cola Amatil‘s priorities for the site of having a flexible, agile and accurate system that supported the delivery profile of their business as well as the storage capacity and necessary throughput.  Providing a system that met the proud safety culture of Coca-Cola Amatil was also a priority.  The concept integrated both case picking with bulk storage and delivers a very flexible system, with both high utilization and availability, picking more than 2.5 million cases annually. 

Anthony Lee Project Manager Major Works for Coca-Cola Amatil

“I think SSI SCHAEFER were very collaborative as we moved through the design.  They brought a lot of their expertise that they gained from around the world in helping us develop this facility. “

Storage density with high throughput

The SSI SCHAEFER design features their unique SSI Lift&Run technology which provides high storage density at the same time as high throughput.  The SSI Lift&Run High Bay Warehouse (HBW) receives full pallets via an airbridge directly from the adjacent bottling plant. The system provides for the automatic storage and retrieval of more than 30,000 pallets over 7 levels and includes 12 SSI Lift&Run cranes in 4 aisles and an extensive pallet conveyor system with multiple pallet lifts.

Agile and accurate system

Adjacent to the SSI Lift&Run High Bay Warehouse, SSI SCHAEFER installed an Automatic Case Picking (ACP) system.  The proximity and direct link to the HBW enables automatic pallet replenishment direct from the HBW.   Full pallets are conveyed to the ACP from the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) where they are automatically delayered by a depalletizing robot, case wheeler and Intralox case singulation.  The individual cases are then stored directly in a 3-aisle SSI Cuby trayless shuttle case buffer system.   

Increased safety

Required cases are sequenced out of the SSI Cuby case buffer to one of three robots for automatic palletizing.  The robot palletizes the fastest moving top 30 SKUs for Coca-Cola Amatil’s route trade, picking over 2.5 million cases annually. 

Tom Scheibling, Supply Chain for Coca-Cola Amatil

“50% of our manual handling tasks have been automated in this site which ultimately means less manual handling injuries and less risk to manual handling, driven by the automation.“ 

Emily Smeed, Inventory Manager for Coca-Cola Amatil

“It removes the need for a lot of forklift interaction; it removes the need for any manual handling.  The more we are putting into the automation the less we are having to expose to our employees on the floor.“

Flexible system supporting their business model

All components are controlled by SSI SCHAEFER’s WAMAS® Warehouse Control System which interfaces directly to Coca-Cola Amatil’s SAP host EWM system.  This includes SSI SCHAEFER’s world leading SCHAEFER Pack Pattern Generator (SPPG) module, which is responsible for building stable and dense pallets. 

Ensuring best system performance

A key aspect to ensuring the best performance of the system is the SSI Resident Maintenance® team who not only maintain the equipment in direct consultation with their Coca-Cola Amatil partners, but also continue to optimize and improve reliability and throughput.  Through SSI SCHAEFER’s Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), all actions by the maintenance team are captured and logged using handheld terminals, building up a database of root causes for all stoppages which feeds into collaborative continuous improvement actions for the maintenance and operations teams. 

The design provided Coca-Cola Amatil with a compact yet resilient automated storage solution which allowed it to meet its goal of implementing a new warehouse on the production site, with an airbridge conveyor link directly from production.  The solution met all of Coca-Cola Amatil’s requirements in terms of storage, throughput, expandability and redundancy.

Anthony Lee, Project Manager Major Works for Coca-Cola Amatil said

“SSI SCHAEFER were really committed to making sure the facility worked, and ultimately we have produced a facility that has some of the highest utilization and availability that I have seen anywhere.“

Back in 2017 NorgesGruppen ASA, one of the leading retail groups in Scandinavia, commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to build a new logistics center for its subsidiary company ASKO OSLOFJORD AS (ASKO). 

Knut-Andreas Kran, CEO of ASKO OSLOFJORD AS, comments on the challenges the company experienced at the time: “ASKO anticipated a future capacity problem with only two possible solutions: either to extend the existing building or to relocate. We simply would not be able to keep up with the expected growth in the current location. We also did not want to just build a larger manual warehouse as we see that automation is an investment in the future.”

The new logistics center is designed to handle the highly dynamic storage and picking of groceries from the dry and frozen food’s segments. To achieve this, SSI SCHAEFER is building two high-bay warehouses, and two highly dynamic shuttle warehouses based on the 3D-MATRIX Solution®. Robot technology is also deployed to support automated material flow.

Both, ASKO and SSI SCHAEFER realize the responsibility tied to every large project not only in terms of well-build operations and product quality but also sustainability. Sustainability is building into an absolute must-have for all companies, across all industries. 62% of top management across different sectors believe that one needs a solid sustainability-oriented strategy to survive the competition. Briefly, a sustainable business approach means minding ecological, social, and economic environments and influence on them while organising your company’s operational activities. (Source: IMD, 2016)

Just like with overall strategy there is no correct answer to sustainability. The best solution depends on the ambitions and stakes of each company. 

Scandinavian way of business: Best practice of ASKO

ASKO has been on the market for more than 150 years promoting and supporting their core values and delivering high-quality and functional products to its customers. The retail company believes that quality should always walk hand in hand with a focus on sustainability. 

Knut-Andreas Kran shares their 3 main sustainability goals: “First of all, we want to be climate neutral and sustainable as a company. We also aim at using 100% renewable energy and fuels for our trucks within 2026. The last but not the least, we want to reduce our energy use by 20%, mainly in the warehouses.”

ASKO is known to be the leading company in the green revolution with a wide range of sustainable initiatives they follow and apply. The ambitious goals come with patience and a plan of actions. ASKO heavily invests in solar panels and land-based windmills, testing multiple options and learning from the experience. Realizing the opportunities and responsibility they have as a large organization, a few years back ASKO launched an environmental engagement initiative for the employee’s private life. They arranged a Climate fund, where an employee can apply for financial support for sustainable activities in their homes or support for travelling to and from work in a climate positive way. The employees can apply for partly sponsoring of an electrical bike, electric car, installing isolation at home or solar panels in their homes. In the last years, this has been an initiative that a lot of the Employees apply for and has led to great results of the engagement.

On the right track: SSI SCHAEFER

The SSI SCHAEFER Group is the world’s leading material handling company. Operating across six continents, SSI SCHAEFER designs, develops and manufactures innovative solutions tailor-made for customers’ needs and challenges. As intralogistics serves as a foundation for companies operating in various sectors, for those companies being green starts right there.

Intralogistics works with a wide spectrum of areas and therefore can introduce sustainability in many different ways. Therefore, SSI SCHAEFER is offering and providing an extensive range of economical and resource-friendly solutions, based on innovative technology. For example, containers made from recyclable materials, energy-saving equipment like SSI Exyz storage-retrieval machine and even software build to control and monitor operations with optimal energy use. The storage-retrieval machines are extremely compact in design. In combination with an optimized control system, this significantly reduces the space required: compared to conventional high-bay warehouses, an installation space saving of up to 5% can be achieved. That is many cubic meters that do not need to be built, heated, or air-conditioned. In addition to the space savings, the control pendants are also characterized by high energy efficiency, as the counterweights integrated into the mast significantly reduce the energy requirement in the hoist compared to any energy recovery gains. SSI SCHAEFER realizes how crucial it is to consider every possible option to save, preserve and optimize – in terms of automation, costs, and sustainability.

“We want to be responsible in the way we interact with the environment. Our goal for the future is not to consume more natural resources than supplied in the natural cycle.” – comments Johannes Zimmermann, Director Construction Management at SSI SCHAEFER.

Being responsible also means to never lose focus and keep working for better and greener solutions. To do more, in 2020 SSI SCHAEFER was the first material handling company to join 50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders initiative. The initiative is targeted to form the international businesses willing and aiming at fighting against climate change and to meeting the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

It is a match! How did the partnership start?

“It is important for us that a supplier complies with all the regulations. We need to know that they follow the same sustainability goals as we do. First, we ask whether they have a sustainability-oriented programme. If the answer is yes, then we can have a further discussion,” comments Knut-Andreas Kran.

This position is not unusual for the Nordic region and is getting more attention across different sectors opening various possibilities for companies to contribute to long-term, future-proof, and sustainable values. It was SSI SCHAEFER’s determination for conducting greener business to strongly play in favour of choosing them as a general contractor. For ASKO with their ambitious sustainability goals and a heavy focus on climate neutrality, SSI SCHAEFER was a match.

A foundation for any business model: A new regional logistics distribution center for ASKO

As a general contractor, SSI SCHAEFER is responsible for developing the logistics concept, the design planning, and the construction of the turn-key installation for the retail company ASKO. The overall project includes a comprehensive infrastructure with material flow management, visualization, and a warehouse management system.

The highly automated distribution center is located at Sande, approximately 60 km south of Oslo, Norway, and is split into two different temperature zones: ambient and frozen with 28,700 overall pallet storage locations, highly efficient cross-dock and consolidation areas.

The frozen area incorporates a two-aisle high-bay warehouse (HBW) with SSI Exyz type storage-retrieval machines. The HBW in the frozen area is dedicated for double-deep storage at -28 °C at 3,696 storage locations. With the focus on sustainability, new technology development and client’s increased requirements SSI SCHAEFER decided to change initially picked SSI Miniload Cranes with 84 SSI Flexi shuttles in the frozen area as they were a better fit for the role. After manual depalletizing SSI Flexi shuttles are responsible for storage and retrieval of containers from shelves.

The ambient area incorporates a high-bay warehouse with eight SSI Exyz type storage-retrieval machines as well as a 90,000 locations SSI Navette system with 64 multi-level shuttles for small load carriers and 80 lifts ensures processes are as efficient as possible. The depalletizing required to store the goods in the highly dynamic shuttle warehouse will be fully automated and carried out by two robots. The design of both shuttle warehouses - in the frozen as well as in the ambient area - are based on the 3D-MATRIX Solution®, that enables storage, buffering, and sequencing in one system. This allows cases that were previously put into temporary storage to be handed over to the palletizing robots in an exact sequence.

With the number of different functional areas on the premises, a wide range of pallet and bin conveying systems link them to each other and to the 6-level shipping buffer. The material flow between the areas as well and stock and order management is coordinated by WAMAS®, logistics software from SSI SCHAEFER. Thanks to WAMAS capacity utilization can be tracked and optimized at any time.

Every successful cooperation requires active listening, compromises, and flexibility, especially with the uncertainty businesses faced in 2020. When a company has solid values, like ASKO with its ambitious sustainability goals, a partner should always strive to deliver the most efficient solution. A great example here is the change from SSI Miniload cranes to SSI Flexi shuttles. During the ongoing project, new technology was introduced to the market – SSI Flexi shuttle. The innovative energy supply for the shuttle uses supercapacitors to ensure the highest energy efficiency. It was anticipated to serve better for ASKO’s needs and provide a highly sustainable solution for the frozen products zone. Therefore, in no time it was offered to the client and accepted in the project scope. 

The project is expected to be fully completed in 2021.

Recent events taught business community that agility is one of the most demanded skills of any survival kit. Being flexible in your offering, terms and conditions, and almost every single aspect of your operations is simply a new normal and not an extra effort anymore. Realizing this, SSI SCHAEFER strives to keep a high level of flexibility in their work. Therefore, future system extensions are already included in the initial layout so that the system can adapt to market requirements immediately and easily. It served well for the current project with ASKO.

Sustainability is the hottest topic in any boardroom. It is not the question of whether to join or stall but the way that will work for the company better in terms of ROI and future-proof products and solutions. It is about forming long-term partnerships without compromises where it matters the most. Like ASKO choosing SSI SCHAEFER as a general contractor for their focus on recyclable materials, green technology, and ergonomic approach in layout design. 
 

Tanskalainen Schou on Skandinavian suurin non-food-sektorin tukkuliike. Sen tuotekategorioita ovat kodin ja puutarhan tuotteet sekä vapaa-ajan tarvikkeet ja työkalut, ja asiakaskuntaan kuuluu muun muassa valtaosa pohjoismaisista vähittäismyyntiketjuista sekä ulkomaisia vähittäiskauppoja.

Schou valitsi SSI SCHÄFERin pääurakoitsijaksi uudelle automatisoidulle logistiikkakeskukselleen Tanskan Koldingissa. Valinta kohdistui SSI SCHÄFERiin erityisesti joustavan valikoiman ja ratkaisukeskeisen lähestymistavan ansiosta. SSI SCHÄFER ehdotti muutamaa ratkaisevaa muutosta uuden varastotilan pohjaratkaisuun, jotta lopputuloksesta saadaan mahdollisimman tehokas ja kulut optimoitua.

Tähän asti Schou on hoitanut logistiikkansa manuaalisesta varastosta käsin. Yrityksessä tunnistettiin tarve prosessien automatisoinnille, sillä liiketoiminta on kasvussa ja suunnitelmissa on myös liiketoiminnan laajentaminen. Automaatio auttaa säästämään kuluissa ja hyödyntämään nykyisiä tiloja mahdollisimman tehokkaasti. Manuaalisten hyllyjen maksimikorkeus asettuu 12 metriin, kun taas automatisoiduissa varastoissa se on käytännössä rajaton. Heti kun uudet tilat valmistuvat, Schou siirtää sinne koko toimintansa ja varastonsa useasta pienemmästä manuaalisesta logistiikkakeskuksesta.

Uusi rakennus jakautuu seitsemään alueeseen, joissa hoidetaan tuotteiden koko käsittely vastaanotosta asiakastoimituksiin. SSI SCHÄFER toimittaa Schoulle alueista viisi ja siten korkeavarastoon rakentuu kaikkiaan 39 792 varastopaikkaa.

Vastaanottoalueelle asennetaan käärintäkone, jolla kuormalavat kääritään muoviin, ja varmistetaan siten tuotteiden turvallinen siirtely ja säilytys. Kuljetinjärjestelmä vie lavat automatisoituun, 42 metrin korkuiseen korkeavarastoon. Lavoja käsitellään kuudella Exyz-hyllystöhissillä ja varastoidaan tuplasyviin varastopaikkoihin.

Schou halusi SSI SCHÄFERiltä kaksi erillistä lähettämöaluetta – automatisoidun lähetysalueen sekä erillisen alueen kampanjatuotteiden keräilyyn. Kampanjatuotteiden aluetta käytetään jatkossa suurten myyntivolyymien ja erikoiskampanjoiden yhteydessä, ja se on suunniteltu manuaaliseen trukkipoimintaan. Alueella on 60 varastopaikkaa keräilyä varten. Paikat täytetään kuitenkin automaattisesti, jotta vältetään tuotteiden loppuminen keräilyalueelta. Automatisoitu lähetysalue sijaitsee kuljetusautojen noutoportteja vastapäätä ja sisältää seitsemän kuljetinta lähtevien tuotteiden puskurointiin.

SSI SCHÄFERin toimittama uusi varasto palvelee koko toimitusketjun kattavana logistiikkakeskuksena, joka tukee tehokkaasti Schoun liiketoimintaa. Projekti valmistuu ja varasto luovutetaan asiakkaalle kesällä 2023.

Tarjoilemme asiakkaillemme vain tuoreimpia marjoja, ja niitä riittää kaikille!

SSI Schäfer toteutti Marja Bothnia Berriesille joustavan ja kompaktin pakkasvarastointiratkaisun  yrityksen uusiin varastotiloihin Mustasaareen.

Marja Bothnia Berries on tunnettu tukkuliike, joka myy pakastemarjoja, muun muassa puolukkaa, mustikkaa ja karpaloa. Yritys hoitaa koko toimitusketjun tuoreena metsästä poimituista marjoista tarjoilupöytään asti: poiminnan, puhdistuksen, pakastuksen ja asiakastoimitukset.

Liiketoiminta kattaa niin kotimaan markkinat kuin vienninkin. Marja Bothnia Berriesin uusi varasto palvelee suurten volyymien käsittelyssä, ja se auttaa varmistamaan sujuvan liiketoiminnan myös kasvavassa kysynnässä ja yrityksen laajentumissuunnitelmia ajatellen.

SSI Schäfer valittiin varastointijärjestelmän toteuttajaksi kahdesta syystä. Ensinnäkin SSI Schäfer tunnetaan markkinoilla luotettavana kylmäketjujen ja pakastettujen elintarvikkeiden varastointi- ja käsittelyratkaisujen toimittajana. Toisekseen sillä on yhteistä arvopohjaa Marja Bothnia Berriesin kanssa – kumpikin painottaa liiketoiminnassaan kestävää kehitystä.

Marja Bothnia Berriesin uusissa tiloissa on nyt aiempaa enemmän pakastintilaa valmiiden, lähetystä odottavien tuotteiden varastointiin, mikä helpottaa tuntuvasti tuotteiden puskurointia. Marja Bothnia Berriesin päätavoitteina pakkasvarastolleen olivat tehokas tilankäyttö sekä nopea pääsy jokaiselle kuormalavalle. SSI Schäfer täytti nämä vaatimukset toimittamalla asiakkaalle 32 käytävän laajuisen siirtohyllystön, joka on jaettu kolmeen erilliseen pakastinjärjestelmään. Laitteistoa täydentää Logisoft-varastonhallintajärjestelmä. Marja Bothnia Berriesin pakasteosastolla on nyt tilaa kaikkiaan 5 704 lavalle.

Projekti viimeisteltiin ja otettiin käyttöön lokakuussa 2021.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) has successfully validated SSI SCHAEFER software in the validation of Warehouse Management System (WMS) solutions. With the help of the manufacturer-independent "WMS Online Selection", Fraunhofer IML supports companies in selecting the optimal suitable WMS and provider. The validation signet once again confirms the quality of SSI SCHAEFER software solutions.

The platform warehouse-logistics.com, operated by Fraunhofer IML, has been one of the best-known portals for Warehouse Management Systems worldwide for more than 20 years. Since 2020, the original "WMS Database" has become a cross-system "Logistics IT Database" by adding further logistics IT systems. The functional comparison of more than 90 logistics IT systems, free market studies and publications as well as the full range of consulting services in the field of logistics IT make warehouse-logistics.com a holistic information platform about software for logistics.

WAMAS® WMS in the top field

In the run-up to the validation, the experts of "Warehouse Logistics" checked more than 3,700 requirement criteria. The success certifies that the standardized logistics software WAMAS, developed in-house by SSI SCHAEFER, has the highest breadth and depth of functionality as well as proven stability and performance as the cornerstone for seamlessly interlocking processes and highest throughputs in modern, efficiently organized warehouses. The results of the qualification round published in August 2021 can be found online at https://www.warehouse-logistics.com/57/3/11917/news.html.

"The provision of the validation signet and the presence in the logistics IT database of the portal is the confirmation of a renowned and globally recognized authority that our WMS solutions for modern warehouse management demonstrably meet the highest requirements," says Notker Steigerwald, Head of Business Unit Logistics Solutions at SSI SCHAEFER.

SSI SCHAEFER believes, after being recognized in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems[1] by Gartner, Inc., in July 2021, the validation of WAMAS by the experts of "Warehouse Logistics" is once again an official seal of approval for SSI SCHAEFER's high-performance logistics software.

With more than 1,100 employees in the Software Solutions division, the SSI SCHAEFER Group with a total of 10,500 employees is a market partner that knows the requirements of modern material handling from hardware to software and translates them into sustainable solutions for its cross-industry customers.

[1] Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, Simon Tunstall, Dwight Klappich, 30 June 2021.

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GARTNER and MAGIC QUADRANT are registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Ponsse, yksi maailman johtavista metsäkonevalmistajista, onnistui kasvattamaan kokoonpanolaitoksensa tuotannon tehokkuutta 50 prosenttia. Yhtenä kasvun mahdollistajana toimii SSI Schäferin toteuttama tuotannon sisälogistiikan älykäs automaatiojärjestelmä.

”Aikaisempi varastoratkaisumme ei pystynyt enää varmistamaan sellaista kapasiteettia ja suorituskykyä, jota tarvitsemme vastataksemme kasvaneeseen kysyntään", Ponsse-konsernin logistiikkapäällikkö Tapio Honkanen kertoo. Sen vuoksi vuodesta 1995 asti pörssilistattu konepajayhtiö päätti automatisoida ja digitalisoida kokoonpanolinjan materiaalien sisälogistiikan ja rakentaa uuden logistiikkakeskuksen Pohjois-Savon Vieremässä sijaitsevalle tehtaalleen. Automatisoidun sisälogistiikan suunnittelu ja toteutus annettiin SSI Schäferin tehtäväksi. ”Nykyaikaiseen teknologiaan perustuva vakuuttava peruskonsepti, jolla voidaan toteuttaa tilaa säästävä varastointi, sekä tehokkaat, automatisoinnilla optimoidut keräilyprosessit", Honkanen listaa urakoitsijan valintaan johtaneita keskeisisiä seikkoja. ”SSI Schäfer ymmärsi vaatimuksemme, analysoi ongelmat, perehtyi lukuihin ja läpimenotarpeisiin – ja esitti sitten tulevaisuuteen katsovan konseptin, joka oli suunniteltu vastaamaan tarpeitamme. SSI Schäferin toteuttama ratkaisu auttoi meitä kasvattamaan tuotannon tehokkuutta 50 prosenttia. Sen lisäksi ratkaisu kasvatti merkittävästi varastotoimintojemme tuottavuutta ja laatua.”

Vuonna 1970 perustettu Ponsse on maailman johtavia metsäkonevalmistajia. Yhtiön tuotevalikoimaan sisältyy eri kokoluokkien metsäkoneita kaikkiin eri puolilla maailmaa vallitseviin ilmasto- ja maaperäolosuhteisiin. Ponsse suunnittelee ja valmistaa kaikki keskeiset komponentit yhtiön tehtaalla Vieremän kunnassa. Tehdasta on laajennettu viime vuosina alkuperäisestä 300 m² pinta-alasta 4 ha pinta-alaan. Tuotanto saa tarvittavat komponentit ja materiaalit viivytyksettä tehtaaseen liitetystä uudesta keskitetystä logistiikkakeskuksesta. Siellä varastoidaan 8000 erilaista tuotetta alkaen 4000 kg painoisista koneakseleista pieniin elektroniikan komponentteihin asti. Kaksivuoroperiaatteella toimiva logistiikkakeskus toimittaa tehtaan tuotantolinjoilla sijaitseviin 100 eri noutopisteeseen valmiiksi koostettuja komponentteja ja kokoonpanosarjoja. Komponenttien varastointia ja sarjojen nopeaa, virheetöntä keräilyä sekä tuotantolinjojen kysyntävetoista palvelua varten SSI Schäfer toteutti automaatiokonseptin, joka käsittää kuormalavapohjaisen korkeahyllyvaraston, sukkulajärjestelmän pienosien varastointiin, kompaktin kuljetinjärjestelmän ja ergonomiset keräilyasemat.

Siirtyminen automaatioon ja digitaalisuuteen

Toimittajilta saapuu logistiikkakeskukseen joka päivä keskimäärin 12 rekallista metsäkoneiden komponentteja. Ponsse on integroinut logistiikkakeskukseen saapuvan tavaran vastaanottorampit, jotta tämä hyvin moninainen nimikevalikoima saadaan purettua tehokkaasti. ”Lastit pystytään purkamaan kätevästi sivusta haarukkatrukeilla”, SSI Schäferin Huoltopäällikkö Jani Eronen kertoo. Saapuva tavara siirretään vastaanoton ja tarkastuksen jälkeen logistiikkakeskukseen uudelleenpakkaukseen ja varastopaikkoihin. Molemmissa automatisoiduissa varastojärjestelmissä sisään- ja ulossyöttö tapahtuu varastojärjestelmien etuvyöhykkeelle asennetulla 200 metriä pitkällä lava- ja laatikkokuljetusjärjestelmällä.

Ponsselle saapuvat kuormalavat syötetään kuljetinjärjestelmään haarukkatrukeilla, mistä ne lähtevät korkeahyllyvarastoon. Lavakuljetusjärjestelmä siirtää lavat hyllystöhisseille. Kolmen käytävän automatisoidussa korkeahyllyvarastossa on 3700 varastopaikkaa ja SSI Schäferin SSI Exyz -hyllystöhissit varmistavat varastointi- ja noutoprosessien tehokkuuden yhdellätoista hyllytasolla. Jokainen hyllystöhissi yltää 40 kaksoissyklin tuntikapasiteettiin. Kun kokoonpanoasemilta tulee tilaus, lavat noudetaan neljään rinnakkaiseen keräilyasemaan korkeahyllyvaraston etuvyöhykkeellä. Siellä tarvittavat suuret komponentit keräillään manuaalisesti kuormalavoilta vaunuihin ja kuljetuslavoille. Tämä tapahtuu näytön opastamana ergonomisten nosturien avulla. Kuljetinjärjestelmä kuljettaa alkuperäiset kuormalavat takaisin Exyz-hyllystöhissin siirtoasemille varastoitaviksi. Tällä tavoin keräillään 1600 tilausriviä päivässä suuria ja raskaita komponentteja. Haarukkatrukit poimivat tuotantolinjoja varten lastatut kuljetuslavat ja – vaatimuksista riippuen – ne yhdistetään sukkulavarastosta keräiltyihin pienosiin.

Pienempien koneenosien täysin automatisoitua varastointia varten SSI Schäfer rakensi huippumodernin ja joustavan SSI Cuby -sukkulajärjestelmän. Standardoitu varastointijärjestelmä koostuu hyllystöistä, nostolaitteista, yhdestä Cuby-sukkulasta per varastotaso, sukkuloiden noston, kunnossapidon ja mahdolliset tasosiirrot mahdollistavasta sukkulanosturista sekä ohjausohjelmistosta. ”Modulaarisen suunnittelun ansiosta komponentit skaalautuvat hyvin, minkä vuoksi ratkaisu soveltuu ihanteellisesti pienosavaraston ensimmäiseksi automaatio- ja digitalisaatioratkaisuksi”, SSI Schäferin Eronen toteaa. ”Cuby-sukkulajärjestelmän kokonaiskonsepti tarjoaa siten älykkään ratkaisun tilankäytön optimointiin pienosavaraston sisälogistiikassa.” Esimerkiksi varastointialueen etuosaan integroitu, innovatiivinen ja skaalautuva, laatikot hyllytasoille syöttävä nostojärjestelmä varmistaa kompaktin tilankäytön ja maksimaalisen varastointikapasiteetin. Sukkulat hyödyntävät koko hyllystön syvyyttä varastoinnissa. Lastauslaitteen ohjaamiseen käytetty patentoitu hyllysyvyystuki on järjestelmäteknologialtaan ainutlaatuinen. SSI Schäfer Cuby-sukkulateknologia mahdollistaa siten jopa 35 kg muovi- ja pahvilaatikoiden varastoinnin ja varmistaa samalla erinomaisen käyttövarmuuden ja korkeat läpimenovolyymit.

Kierrossa 15 000 laatikkoa

Näin on myös Ponssen varastossa. Yksikäytäväisen, 65 m pitkän Cuby-järjestelmän 34 sukkulaa palvelevat noin 15 000 varastopaikkaa. Laatikot varastoidaan sinne yksittäiskeräilyä varten. Laatikot siirtyvät varastosta kuljetinjärjestelmään ja sukkulajärjestelmän esivyöhykkeen kahdelle keräilyasemalle kahden hissin avulla. Tehokas kaksoishissiratkaisu lastauslaitteen kaksikerrostoiminnolla varmistaa maksimaaliset läpimenovolyymit. Yli 50 prosenttia toimittajien toimittamista pienosista on pakattu valmiiksi varastoyksiköihin, jotka on tarkoin suunniteltu kokoonpanoasemien tarpeisiin. Tavaroiden vastaanoton jälkeen ne viedään uudelleenpakkausasemiin, missä ne yksinkertaisesti otetaan lavoilta tai laitetaan laatikoihin ja siirretään kuljettimella sukkulavarastoon. "Varastointi ja nouto sekä porrastus keräilyasemilla tapahtuvat sitten automaattisesti”, Ponssen logistiikkapäällikkö Honkanen kertoo. Pienosien keräily kokoonpanolinjojen tarpeisiin tapahtuu kahdessa laatikkokeräilytyyppisessä goods-to-person-työpisteessä. Ponssen varastossa kiertää noin 15 000 SSI Schäferin LTF6220-laatikkoa, ja niissä osat sekä varastoidaan varastopaikoilla että kuljetetaan tuotantolinjalle.

Nostinten ja sukkuloiden yhteispeliä koordinoidaan varaston etuvyöhykkeellä kuljettimen ja kahden goods-to-person-työpisteen kanssa, minkä ansiosta Cubyn esivyöhykkeellä Ponssen työntekijät pystyvät jopa 6000 poiminnan päivävauhtiin. Kuljettimet ja nostimet palauttavat vapautuvat laatikot Cuby-järjestelmään. Tilausrakenteesta riippuen Cuby-järjestelmästä tulevien komponenttien toimituslaatikot siirretään joko suoraan kokoonpanolinjoille tai yhdistelypisteille, missä ne yhdistetään korkeahyllyvarastosta lavoilla tuleviin komponentteihin. Lopuksi komponentit toimitetaan käyttöpisteelle haarukkatrukilla tai hinausvaunulla. Toimituslaatikot palautetaan tyhjennyksen jälkeen Cuby-järjestelmän toimituspuskuriin uutta täyttöä varten.

”Harmoninen projektitoimitus ja ensiluokkaiset teknologiaratkaisut materiaalivirtojen automatisointiin”, Ponssen logistiikkapäällikkö Honkanen summaa. ”Automatisoitu varastointijärjestelmä maksimoi käytettävissä olevan tilan kapasiteetin. Käyttövarmuus ja kapasiteetti ovat moninkertaistuneet. Automatisoidut ja optimoidut sisälogistiikkaprosessit ovat nopeuttaneet tuotantolinjojen ja kokoonpanoasemien komponenttisyöttöä ja kasvattaneet näin tehtaan tuotannon tehokkuutta yli 50 prosenttia. Voidaankin sanoa, että SSI Schäferin toteuttama konsepti on meille tulevaisuuteen katsova ratkaisu.”

Tallink on tehnyt kesäkuussa 2021 SSI SCHÄFERin kanssa sopimuksen seitsemän uuden SSI LOGIMAT® -varastoautomaatin toimituksesta.

Tallink on matkustajaliikenteen ja lyhyiden risteilyjen johtava tarjoaja Itämeren alueella. Yhtiön pääkonttori sijaitsee Viron Tallinnassa. Vuonna 2020 Tallink valittiin luotetuimmaksi Suomessa palvelujaan tarjoavaksi risteilylauttaliikennöijäksi. (Lähde: statista.com)

Pandemia toi Tallinkille merkittäviä haasteita, sillä kriisin murjomat merikuljetus ja risteilyt ovat yhtiön ydinliiketoimintaa. Vuonna 2020 Tallinkin matkustajamäärä laski edellisvuodesta 62 % ja rahtikuljetusten volyymi 5 %; vuonna 2019 matkustajia oli vielä 9,8 miljoonaa ja rahtiyksikköjä kuljetettiin yhteensä 380 000 kappaletta. Laivanvarustamo käynnisti useita erilaisia sopeutumishankkeita kesällä 2020. Näihin kuuluivat mm. kotimaan lyhyet risteilyt sekä satamassa pysyen toteutetut tapahtumat. Pandemia-ajan edestakaisin sahaavat rajoitukset aiheuttivat kuitenkin jatkuvaa epävarmuutta.

”Koronavirus on muuttanut asiakkaiden ostoskäyttäytymistä. Verkkokaupan kasvu on ollut vahvaa. Tiesimme, että meidän on uudelleenarvioitava Tallinkin logistiikkakeskuksen prosessit, jotta ne saadaan tukemaan sekä konsernin sisäisten B2B-asiakkaiden että kasvavan B2C-verkkokaupan tarpeita”, kertoo Tallink Duty Freen logistiikkajohtaja Marko Jurkatamm.

Verkkokauppatilaukset ovat yleisesti ottaen pienempiä, joten varustamo tunnisti tulevaisuuden keskeisiksi tarpeiksi varastokapasiteetin lisäämisen ja tarkemman keräilyn.

”Tallink on käyttänyt SSI LOGIMAT -automaattia jo yli viisi vuotta. Olemme olleet erittäin tyytyväisiä SSI SCHÄFERin palveluun ja yhteistyöhön. Oli siis helppo päätös jatkaa heidän kanssaan uudella sopimuksella. SSI Schäfer Finland hoiti analyysin ja suunnittelun mallikkaasti. Hyvä ratkaisu löytyi nopeasti yhteistyössä. Projektissa oli muutamia tarkennusta vaativia yksityiskohtia, mutta kokonaispalautteena työ tuli todella hyvin hoidettua”, Marko Jurkatamm kommentoi.

Seitsemän SSI LOGIMAT -lisämoduulin ansiosta Tallinkin ei tarvitse laajentaa olemassa olevaa fyysistä varastotilaa. Laitteisto auttaa myös parantamaan keräilyn tarkkuutta, mikä on tärkeää B2C-segmentissä. Tallink päätti ottaa kaiken hyödyn irti uudesta ratkaisusta kahden SSI LOGIMATin lisävarusteen avulla. LOGIDUAL nopeuttaa keräilyä siirtämällä keräilyalustoja kahdessa tasossa kullakin käyttöaukolla. LOGIPOINTER puolestaan osoittaa tarvittavien nimikkeiden tarkan sijainnin lasersäteen avulla. Yhdessä nämä lisävarusteet auttavat Tallinkia järjestelmällisempään, optimaalisempaan ja aiempaa virheettömämpään keräilyyn.

Tallinkin tähtäimessä on miljoonan tilausrivin keräily vuositasolla verkkokaupan puolella. Tällä hetkellä varustamo on tuon tavoitteen puolimatkassa.

Projekti luovutetaan tilaajalle helmikuussa 2022.

The renowned US research and advisory company Gartner, Inc., lists SSI SCHAEFER with its software WAMAS® in the "Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems".

Neunkirchen (Germany) / Friesach (Austria) - July 15, 2021. SSI SCHAEFER, the world’s leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, announces that its standardized logistics software WAMAS was included in the Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems [1] by the renowned US research and advisory company Gartner, Inc.

Gartner is the world's leading research and advisory company with 16,000 associates in 100 countries and with revenue of $4.1 billion (2020). Companies in both the public and private sectors rely on Gartner expertise, including 76% of the "Global 500" companies [2]. "A Gartner Magic Quadrant is a culmination of research in a specific market, giving a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors. By applying a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria, a Magic Quadrant helps technology buyers to quickly ascertain how well technology providers are executing their stated visions and how well they are performing against Gartner’s market view". Technology buyers can use a Gartner Magic Quadrant as a first step to understanding the technology providers they might consider for a specific investment opportunity [3].

Gartner recognized SSI SCHAEFER and its WMS WAMAS as a challenger within the Magic Quadrant. For SSI SCHAEFER, once again this distinction underlines the quality and central role of the software within the company's broad material handling product and solutions portfolio.

Steffen Bersch, CEO of SSI SCHAEFER Group, comments: "Software is a key driver of material handling. This recognition supports that our long-term corporate strategy and focus on technology leadership is the correct approach, especially in the area of software. Our actions are consistently led by our goal to optimally supply our customers with high-performance software and efficient and sustainable logistics and material handling solutions."

With more than 1,100 people working in software solutions among a total of 10,500 employees, the SSI SCHAEFER Group is a business partner that is very familiar with the requirements of state-of-the-art material handling from hardware to software. SSI SCHAEFER is also a partner who knows how to translate these requirements into sustainable solutions for its customers. According to the SSI SCHAEFER software experts, a future-proof warehouse management system should be highly standardized, and at the same time be modular and have an open architecture. This allows the software to be seamlessly integrated within various IT landscapes and technologies. WAMAS was developed based on these requirements. It provides a wide range of WMS processes and configurable process variants, with an extended range of functions as well as modularity and standardization. It can be used in manual as well as highly complex, fully automated logistics systems, for customers with either one or more sites. Furthermore, the WAMAS service range includes labor management, flexible presentation of essential KPIs in dashboards and real-time visualization of all material flows and possible errors. This information forms the basis for decisions to achieve the full potential of all material handling systems.

"We are delighted to be recognized in the Magic Quadrant. It shows that we are on the right track with our software strategy and that we can help our customers manage their processes even more efficiently. I would like to sincerely thank my team for making it possible for us to take this step," explains Notker Steigerwald, SVP, Head of Business Unit Logistics Solutions at SSI SCHAEFER,

¹ Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, Simon Tunstall, Dwight Klappich, 30 June 2021

² The annual report on the strongest and most valuable brands / brandirectory.com

³ Gartner, Magic Quadrant Research Methodology, https://www.gartner.com/en/research/methodologies/magic-quadrants-research

Gartner disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Dr.Max Group, the biggest pharmaceutical chain in Eastern and Central Europe, commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to equip the new distribution center in Bucharest, Romania. The semi-automatic intralogistics solution to be implemented will supply B2B and B2C customers from only one warehouse and will reflect the strong growth as well as the future development plans of the company.

The Dr.Max Group has a network of over 2,000 pharmacies in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia and Romania. In Romania, A&D Pharma, part of Dr.Max Group, operates with two business lines: Mediplus and Sensiblu. The new distribution center in Bucharest will supply pharmacies and hospitals and will also replenish regional warehouses. In parallel, Dr.Max creates new logistics structures to significantly extend the e-commerce business and supply e-commerce customers from the same warehouse. “The aim is that all products in the warehouse are available for both business sectors and that high productivity is guaranteed by using all existing synergies,” explains Miguel Martins da Silva, Group Supply Chain Officer at Dr.Max.

In order to meet these requirements, SSI SCHAEFER implements a sustainable logistics solution to efficiently process the large number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) with varying order structures for several channels – ensuring shortest cycle times for same day or next day delivery.

“SSI SCHAEFER has already implemented a similar system for Dr.Max in Prague and has convinced with an overall solution from a single source,” states Miguel Martins da Silva.“For this reason, we will continue the cooperation in Bucharest.” The scope of supply and services of the intralogistics expert includes the automation solution with state-of-the-art technology as well as the in-house logistics software WAMAS^® to coordinate material flow movements.

The new distribution center has been designed for possible future extensions. Installation will start in the 4^th quarter of 2021. The system will be commissioned by the end of 2022.

“Thanks to the new omnichannel warehouse, we are able to optimally meet the high quality requirements of both pharmaceutical wholesalers and e-commerce, in addition to fast order processing. Having SSI SCHAEFER as a partner we are prepared for a step-by-step automation and modernization of our distribution network throughout Europe,” states Miguel Martins da Silva.

SSI SCHÄFER becomes majority shareholder of SWAN: Partnership to strengthen SAP competencies while maintaining an independent presence in the market.

With a focus on customer benefits, SWAN, the SAP logistics specialist, and SSI SCHÄFER, the world’s leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, are combining their competencies in the digitalization of logistics and the close technical integration of automated warehouse technology. SWAN GmbH will completely take over all employees of the SSI SCHÄFER Group’s SAP business and integrate them into the company with all existing offices. The intralogistics specialist SSI SCHÄFER will become majority shareholder of SWAN GmbH, which will continue to operate independently in the market. Within the partnership, SWAN will take over the project handling of SSI SCHÄFER's SAP business.

This strategic merger will create a leading provider in the field of SAP logistics with over 120 SAP experts and outstanding automation know-how, not just for SSI SCHÄFER technology. Through the merger, SWAN positions itself within the top 5 providers for SAP logistics and opens itself up for further internationalization of its business areas. The company gains 55 experienced logistics consultants and combines competencies in the areas of SAP consulting & development, material flow control, and project management. The Customer Lifecycle Service team will also double its personnel in the future.

"Our business partners and customers will benefit from the newly strengthened SWAN GmbH. In the future, we will offer an even broader solution portfolio and outstanding expertise in SAP logistics through their usual contact persons," promises Alexander Bernhard, Managing Director of SWAN GmbH.

The SSI SCHÄFER Group underlines the central role that high-performance software plays in modern material handling solutions. The investment in SWAN GmbH will open up future growth areas in the competitive SAP logistics market and lay the foundation for close technology integration in the direction of integrated and intelligent supply chain solutions. With more than 1,100 employees in the field of software solutions, the SSI SCHÄFER Group, with a total of 10,500 employees, is a market partner that knows the requirements of modern material handling from hardware to software, and transforms them into sustainable solutions for its customers across all industries.

In addition to the self-developed, standardized logistics software WAMAS®, SSI SCHÄFER strengthens its project expertise in implementing logistics solutions with SAP EWM, working within the framework of the partnership in order to serve its customers holistically. Of course, logistics systems will continue to be offered entirely as a general contractor.

"In the partnership with SWAN, we strengthen the SAP solution portfolio for our customers and raise our consulting and implementation strength to a new level internationally. We are thus consistently implementing our strategy and, as a technology leader, enabling our customers to meet the increasing expectations and needs of their customers better, more efficiently and more sustainably with solution-oriented material handling," says Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI SCHÄFER Group, explaining the strategic commitment.

The software specialist SWAN, founded in 2011, has already successfully implemented over 100 projects as an SAP project house with well-known companies from various industries in 26 countries. In particular, SWAN and SSI SCHÄFER’s global customers in Healthcare & Cosmetics, Fashion, Food & Beverage, Industry and Retail will benefit in the future from strengthened SAP services in the area of consulting and realization.

Automaattiset SSI Cuby -sukkulavarastointijärjestelmät vakuuttavat kompaktilla rakenteellaan ja tehokkuudellaan ja tarjoavat samalla optimaalisen hinta-suorituskyky-suhteen

SSI Schäfer on halunnut vastata nykyaikaisen varastonpidon kasvaviin vaatimuksiin ja on sen vuoksi uudistanut ja optimoinut koetellun SSI Cuby-sukkulajärjestelmän sekä teknologian että muotoilun osalta. Nopeammin liikkuva paranneltu SSI Cuby mahdollistaa entistäkin ripeämmän varastoinnin ja noudon kompaktissa varastointijärjestelmässä. Standardimallinen yhden tason sukkulajärjestelmä on ihanteellinen ratkaisu pienten (maks. 35 kg) kuormankantajien tehokkaaseen täysautomaattiseen varastointiin. Järjestelmän korkean varastointitiheyden, käyttövarmuuden ja luotettavuuden ansiosta SSI Cuby tarjoa ainutlaatuisen hinta-suorituskyky-suhteen kokonaisinvestointia tarkastellen.

Nykyaikaisten varastojen tyypillisiä haasteita

Yksittäisten tuotteiden eräkoot, erittäin laaja tuotevalikoima, lyhyet tilauskäsittelyajat ja omnichannel-jakelu... nämä ovat haasteita, joihin monien teollisuuden ja kaupan alan yritysten on vastattava. Siksi yritykset etsivät ihanteellista logistiikkaratkaisua näiden eri parametrien hallintaan. Yrityksillä itselläänkin on kovia vaatimuksia sopivalle logistiikkajärjestelmälle: Matalat varastopaikkakulut, tuotteiden hyvä saatavuus sekä valitun logistiikkajärjestelmän vaivaton asennus ovat keskeisiä seikkoja. Kaikki nämä näkökohdat otettiin huomioon SSI Cubyn jatkokehityksessä.

SSI Cuby – SSI Schäferin sukkulaperheen standardimallinen yksitasosukkula

SSI Schäfer tarjoaa laajaa valikoimaa yksitaso- ja monitasosukkuloita suurille ja pienille kuormankantajille, ja olemme ylpeitä poikkeuksellisesta osaamisestamme räätälöityjen sukkularatkaisujen saralla. SSI Schäferin sukkulavaihtoehdoista löytyy sopiva ratkaisu kaikenlaisiin vaatimuksiin, ja meillä on kokemusta lukuisien järjestelmien onnistuneesta asennuksesta. SSI Cuby -yksitasosukkulan avulla voidaan varastoida pieniä, enimmillään 35 kg kuormia täysin automaattisesti ja erittäin tiiviisti. Tuote on paitsi tehokas, myös luotettava, ja sen hinta-suorituskyky-suhde on loistava. Vuoden 2021 uuden julkistuksen myötä SSI Cuby tulee markkinoille uudistettuna ja entistä nopeammin liikkuvana. Järjestelmä koostuu hyllystä, vähintään yhdestä hissilaitteesta, yhdestä Cuby-sukkulasta per varastotaso, sukkulanosturista, huoltotasosta ja tarvittavasta ohjausjärjestelmästä. Sukkuloiden tehokkuuden maksimointi ja houkuttelevan omistuksen kokonaiskustannuksen (TCO) varmistaminen olivat kehitystyön ykköstavoitteita.

SSI Cubyn etuja – matala kokonaiskustannus

Edullisten hankinta- ja käyttökustannusten ansiosta SSI Cuby on markkinoiden taloudellisimpia sukkularatkaisuja. Se on suunniteltu käsittelemään kuormia, joiden mitat ovat välillä 600x400 mm – 640x440 mm. Lisäksi järjestelmää voidaan laajentaa tarvittaessa jälkikäteen. Sukkulavaunun kapea kulkureittivaatimus ja tasojen matala korkeus varmistavat, että järjestelmästä tulee kompakti ja tilaa säästävä. Kun hyllyssä on kaksi varastointisyvyyttä ja sukkulakäytävä vaatii vain yhden syvyyden, tilankäyttö on taloudellista ja varastointiheys äärimmäisen tiivis. Tämän ansiosta myös varastopaikkaa kohden laskettu kustannus on pieni

Käyttövarmuutta ja tehokkuutta

Toinen SSI Cubyn etu on järjestelmän erinomainen käyttövarmuus ja suorituskyky. Hissi yhdistää varaston vakioituihin esivyöhykkeisiin sukkulavaraston etupuolella. Varasto voidaan liittää esimerkiksi kuljetusjärjestelmällä goods-to-person-työpisteisiin. Luotettavat ja koetellut komponentit varmistavat järjestelmän käyttövarmuuden. Lisäksi SSI Cuby -sukkulavarasto tarjoaa helpon pääsyn ylläpito- ja huoltotöitä varten. Kokonaisjärjestelmän teknisen suorituskapasiteetin arvioinnissa hissin suorituskyky on erityisen keskeistä. Tämän vuoksi SSI Schäfer hyödyntää hississä kaksitasoista lastauslaitetta, joka pystyy noutamaan ja varastoimaan kuormankantajia samanaikaisesti. Käytävän pituudesta riippuen järjestelmään suunnitellaan 600–800 kaksoissykliä per käytävä. Tuotteen uudelleensuunnittelussa ja kehitystyössä sukkulan kulkunopeutta on kasvatettu 60 %, jotta varastointi- ja noutoprosessit saataisiin vieläkin nopeammiksi. Suorituskykyä voidaan nostaa entisestään, jos kuhunkin hyllykäytävään asennetaan kaksi hissiä. SSI Cuby -varastointijärjestelmän prosessinohjauksen hoitaa läpinäkyvästi WAMAS®-logistiikkaohjelmisto. 

Nopea asennus standardikomponenttien ansiosta

SSI Cuby -sukkulajärjestelmän modulaarisuus perustuu pitkälle standardoituihin komponentteihin ja tietotekniikkaan. Siksi sisälogistiikkaprojektien toteutus on ripeää ja riskitaso matala. Asiakkaat saavat skaalautuvan, huipputehokkaan automaattivaraston edulliseen hintaan.

Kuluttajapakattujen salaattien Suomen markkinajohtaja Fresh Servant on antanut SSI Schäferille tehtäväksi uuden logistiikkakeskuksen rakentamisen yhtiön Edsevön laitokselle. Uuden logistiikkakeskuksen lisäksi SSI Schäfer modernisoi yhden Fresh Servantin olemassa olevista logistiikkaratkaisuista.

”Elintarvikealan vallankumouksen liikuttavana voimana ovat äärimmäinen tuoreus, laatu, helppous ja monipuolinen tuotevalikoima. Tästä syystä olemme päättäneet investoida erääseen Suomen ja Pohjoismaiden moderneimpaan elintarvikealan logistiikkakeskukseen, joka varmistaa tuotevirran tehtaalta myymälään ja sieltä kuluttajan lautaselle luotettavasti, nopeasti ja kustannustehokkaasti. Lisäksi tehokas ja vastuullinen logistiikka vähentää elintarvikejätteen määrää ja pienentää hiilijalanjälkeä”, Fresh Servant Oy:n toimitusjohtaja Sami Haapasalmi kertoo.

Uusi ratkaisu tarjoaa 10 440 laatikkopaikkaa, kasvattaa keräilynopeutta, parantaa ergonomiaa sekä varmistaa tiiviit, saumattomat materiaalivirrat laitoksella. Automaattisessa SSI Cuby ‑järjestelmässä on 2 käytävää, joilla 58 sukkulaa toimivat ihanteellisessa lämpötilassa, minkä ansiosta asiakkaan pöytään päätyy ainoastaan raikkaita, maukkaita ja moitteettomassa kunnossa olevia salaattiannoksia.

Hanke käynnistyy täydessä mitassaan elokuussa 2022. 

Pääurakoitsijan valinnassa ratkaisevaa oli tuote- ja ratkaisukehityksen joustavuus. Toimittaja oli halukas mukautumaan asiakkaan liiketoiminnan tarpeisiin, ja kaikkiin järjestelmiin integroitu skaalautuvuus auttoi löytämään oikean lähestymistavan Fresh Servantin tavoitteiden täyttämiseksi.

Liiketoiminta on kasvanut ripeästi viimeisten 10 vuoden aikana. Pandemian seurauksena olemassa olevien tuotanto- ja varastolaitosten laajentaminen ja modernisointi tuli ajankohtaiseksi, jotta kasvavaan kysyntään pystytään vastaamaan ja tulevat laajentumissuunnitelmat toteuttamaan. Tilaaja tiivisti vaatimukset siten, että ne keskittyivät eniten parannusta vaativiin alueisiin, jotka olivat kapasiteetti, automatisoinnin taso ja keräilyn tehokkuus.

Aina tulevaisuuteen katsovia ja innovatiivisia lähestymistapoja etsivä Fresh Servant päätti investoida automatisointiin. Nykyiset tuotantovälineet piti ensiksi yhdistää uuteen sisälogistiikkakeskukseen. Päivitetty prosessiarkkitehtuuri sisältää laajan kuljetusjärjestelmän, joka liittää toisiinsa jo toiminnassa olevan logistiikkaratkaisun ja uuden ratkaisun tuomat lisäalueet. Valmiit tuotteet siirtyvät tuotantolinjalta SSI Cuby -sukkulajärjestelmän automatisoituun puskurivarastoon, missä ne säilytetään ihannelämpötilassa. Sieltä tuotteet siirtyvät kuljettimella läpivirtaushyllystön asemalle pakattavaksi asiakkaalle lähteviin annosrasioihin. Kerätyt tilausrasiat lähetetään takaisin SSI Cuby -puskurijärjestelmään, joka toimii myös lähetyspuskurina tilausten yhdistelyä varten. Yhdistelyn jälkeen laatikot vapautetaan pohjakerrokseen kuormalavojen lastaukseen ja lähetykseen. SSI Schäfer lisäsi ratkaisuun myös tyhjien rasioiden puskurin, jotta virtaus on mahdollisimman tehokasta ilman pullonkauloja.

Mathem kasvaa rivakasti yhdessä pohjoismaisen elintarvikkeiden verkkokaupan kasvun myötä. Tukholman eteläpuolelle Larsbodaan perustettava uusi logistiikkakeskus on tärkeä osa jatkuvan laajentumisen prosessia. Yhtä tärkeässä roolissa on SSI Schäferin toimittama räätälöity automaatioratkaisu.

Elintarvikkeiden verkkokauppa Mathem perustettiin vuonna 2007, ja se on laajentunut hurjaa vauhtia vakioasiakaskunnan kasvaessa. Toiminta pyörii tällä hetkellä Tukholmassa, Göteborgissa, Malmössä ja noiden kaupunkien lähialueilla.

Jatkuvasti kehittyvän ja muuttuvan tuotevalikoiman vuoksi äärimmäinen joustavuus on yhtiölle välttämätöntä. Ratkaisun on lisäksi täytettävä asiakkaiden vaatimukset, jotka liittyvät parempaan ja nopeampaan saatavuuteen, ja tämä on ollut hankkeen eteenpäin työntäviä voimia. SSI Schäfer valittiin toimittajaksi, koska ratkaisu kykenee joustamaan ja mukautumaan Mathemin liiketoiminnan tarpeisiin ja tuottavuustavoitteisiin.

”Elintarvikkeiden verkkokauppa on jännittävä toimiala, jossa kasvuvauhti on ollut vinhaa kaikkialla maailmassa varsinkin viime vuoden aikana. Mathemin hanke on SSI Schäferille erittäin tärkeä. Se osoittaa selvästi, että olemme tehokkuuden eturintamassa markkinasegmentillä, jonka näemme kasvavan. On innostavaa päästä tukemaan Mathemia ja auttamaan yhtiötä saavuttamaan tavoitteensa”, SSI Schäferin Hans Ekström (Solution Design Manager Automation) sanoo.

Mathemin hankkeen myötä SSI Schäfer asemoituu entistä vahvemmin ruoan verkkokaupan alalle. Tuo ala asettaa tavallista verkkokauppaa kovempia vaatimuksia automaatioratkaisuille suurempien tilauskokojen ja suuremman kapasiteetin vuoksi. SSI Schäferillä on jo entuudestaan laajaa kokemusta elintarvikkeiden vähittäiskaupan alalta, sillä yhtiö on toteuttanut alalle useita suuria hankkeita eri Pohjoismaissa. Esimerkkejä näistä ovat Coopille toteutettu Euroopan suurin automaatioratkaisu sekä ASKOn automatisointihanke, jonka keskiössä oli kestävä kehitys.

”Olen iloinen, että sopimus saatiin lopulta valmiiksi. Tiiviissä yhteistyössä SSI Schäferin kanssa löysimme varsin nopeasti ratkaisun, joka mahdollistaa jatkamisen fantastisella kasvupolullamme ja auttaa saavuttamaan asettamamme kannattavuustavoitteet. Joka päivä meidän on keräiltävä kymmeniä tuhansia nimikkeitä täysin mielivaltaisina yhdistelminä ja toimitettava ne asiakkaillemme niin nopeasti kuin mahdollista. Ratkaisu tarjoaa samalla Ruotsissa työskentelevälle logistiikkahenkilöstölle parhaan mahdollisen työympäristön! Pitkä matka on kuljettu ja monia tärkeitä päätöksiä on tehty. Nyt pääsemme käärimään hihat ja tavoitteiden saavuttaminen alkaa toden teolla”, Mathemin operatiivinen johtaja Henrik Peitz toteaa.
 
Asennustyöt käynnistyvät syksyllä, ja tavoitteena on ottaa uusi keskus käyttöön vuoden 2022 jälkipuoliskolla.

Pohjois-Euroopan johtava turvajalkinevalmistaja Sievi investoi SSI Schäferin automaatioratkaisuun saadakseen kaiken hyödyn toimialan kasvusta

Sievi on antanut SSI Schäferille tehtäväksi Sievin kunnassa sijaitsevan varastonsa laajennukseen vuonna 2021. Jalkinevalmistaja toimittaa tuotteitaan paitsi paikallisille markkinoille, myös yli 40 muuhun maahan eri puolilla maailmaa.

Aina tulevaisuuteen katsovia ratkaisuja ja innovaatioita etsivä ja toimialan kasvun kannustama Sievi katsoi varastoautomaation olevan tarpeellinen investointi. Sievin tärkein tavoite on mahdollista 200 eri nimikkeensä nopea ja saumaton toimitus asiakkaille ja mahdollistaa tulevaisuuden kehityssuunnitelmien toteuttaminen laajemman tuotanto- ja varastointikapasiteetin avulla. Näiden tarpeiden täyttämiseksi SSI Schäfer toteuttaa olemassa olevan järjestelmän laajennuksen kestävällä tavalla, niin että laitoksen tuntisuorituskyky kaksinkertaistuu ja varastopaikkojen lukumäärä kasvaa yli 60 prosentilla.

SSI Schäfer toteutti Sievin alkuperäisen järjestelmän vuonna 2009. Tämä aikaisempi yhteistyö, olemassa olevan järjestelmän skaalautuvuus ja SSI Schäferin WAMAS^®-ohjelmiston joustavuus tarjosivat erinomaisen perustan kumppanuuden jatkamiselle.

”Sievi on alansa markkinajohtaja ja Suomen tunnetuimpia brändejä, joten meistä tuntuu upealta jatkaa yhteistyötä vahvojen arvojen ja sitoutumisen perheyhtiön kanssa, jollainen mekin olemme. Odotamme innolla, että pääsemme toteuttamaan Sievin tulevaa laajennusta”, SSI Schäferin Suomen ja Ruotsin toimitusjohtaja Michael Hillström sanoo.

Maksimaalisen suorituskyvyn ja varastointikapasiteetin kestävä laajennus

Suorituskykyvaatimusten täyttämiseksi SSI Schäfer toteuttaa tehokkaammat sekvensointiprosessit automaattisen pientuotejärjestelmän ja pakkausasemien välille. Kuusi nykyistä pakkauslinjaa puretaan ja uudet kuusi linjaa toteutetaan eri paikkaan. Lisäksi asennetaan yhteensä kuusi sekvensointitornia pakkausasemien eteen. Ne tarjoavat erilaisia hissein liitettyjä puskurivarastopaikkoja. Automaattisesta pientuotejärjestelmästä noudetut laatikot ja pahvivakkaukset voidaan näin puskuroida tehokkaasti ja kuljettaa pakkausasemiin vaaditussa sekvenssissä.

Varastovajeiden välttämiseksi toteutetaan uusi, neljällä SSI Exyz -hyllystöhissillä varustettu korkeahyllyvarasto. SSI Exyz -laitteet käsittelevät sekä raaka-aineiden että puolivalmiiden tuotteiden kuormalavoja. Lisäksi automaattista kenkälaatikoiden varastoinnin pientuotejärjestelmää laajennetaan kolmella käytävällä. Skaalautuva ja kestävä ratkaisu sallii Sievin varastoida raaka-aineet ja valmiit tuotteet yhdessä ja samassa varastossa ja tuotantolaitoksessa.

Vastaanoton jälkeen raaka-aineet ja puolivalmiit tuotteet varastoidaan uudessa korkeahyllyvarastossa ja kuljetetaan sieltä tuotantoon sitä mukaa, kun niitä tarvitaan. Tämän jälkeen valmiit tuotteet varastoidaan automaattiseen pientuotejärjestelmään. Kenkälaatikot kuljetetaan sekvenssitorneihin, missä ne puskuroidaan ja siirretään sieltä pakkausasemiin oikeassa sekvenssissä hissien ja kuljetusjärjestelmän avulla. Pakkausasemilla kenkälaatikot pakataan asiakastilausten mukaisesti. Merkintöjen tekemisen jälkeen ne siirretään lähtevän tavaran alueelle ja toimitetaan jälleenmyyjille 1–2000 laatikon tilauserissä.

Järjestelmää pyörittävät SSI Schäferin joustava ja tehokas WAMAS^®-logistiikkaohjelmisto ja kuljetusjärjestelmä. SSI Schäfer tarjoaa modulaarisia, skaalautuvia ratkaisuja ja palveluita muoti- ja vaatetusalan erityistarpeisiin – kaikki samalta toimittajalta.

Uuden järjestelmän odotetaan valmistuvan käyttöön joulukuussa 2022.

In order to break logistics paradigms and modify their current supply chain, La Costeña, one of the biggest manufacturers of canned food in Mexico, worked together with SSI SCHAEFER to develop a major logistics solution that aims at increasing storage capacity, picking efficiency and dispatch production.

With about 80% of the company's production currently being carried out in Ecatepec de Morelos, an efficient material flow was called for. In order to achieve this goal, SSI SCHAEFER and La Costeña collaborated to build a unique 6,820 m² logistics center with state-of-the-art technology that Mexico has never seen before. The special feature of the project is the integration of the existing warehouses into the new logistics center, which was perfectly tailored to the customer's needs. An integrated, central picking system will also play an important role in future processes. With the new distribution center, La Costeña will have the desired flexibility and scalability in terms of performance and storage space.

To meet the customer's demands, SSI SCHAEFER creates a 6-aisle channel storage system with a total of 28,332 pallet storage locations. The storage system is made up of two modules which are connected by a pallet conveying system. In each of the modules, three storage-retrieval machines (SRM) type SSI Exyz are used, each of them equipped with a load handling device (LHD) type SSI Orbiter LHD. The SSI Orbiter LHD moves the pallets on the lower levels of the rack system into the multiple-deep channels. In the upper area of the rack aisles, six SSI Lift&Run systems per module, also equipped with SSI Orbiters LHD, are applied. Order pallets ready for dispatch are buffered there.

For optimal material flows, SSI SCHAEFER installs a pallet conveying system with a total length of 1.4 km, 13 vertical lifts to supply two picking levels as well as numerous handling systems, such as automated label applicators, film wrappers and displays indicating loading status. To ensure stable and safe operation, SSI SCHAEFER carried out a very detailed soil analysis, in which the size of the warehouse, the number of employees, the weight of the loads and the fact that the plant is located in a seismic zone were taken into consideration. The results of the analysis were incorporated into the planning of the rack system and thus made a decisive contribution to the plant optimization. The completion of the logistics center is scheduled for 2021.

SSI SCHAEFER has always understood the development and subsequent needs of La Costeña and, for this reason, has offered them the best solution, with the latest technology and a thoroughly innovative project.

As general contractor, SSI SCHAEFER builds a new logistics center for the Mexican food canning manufacturer La Costeña in Ecatepec de Morelos.

From left to right: José Luis Hernández (logistics manager at La Costena), Alfredo del Bosque (logistics director at La Costena), Liliana García (head of automated warehouses at La Costena) and Alberto Romo (project manager at La Costena) in November 2019 in Ecatepec de Morelos/Mexico.

The leading wholesaler and service provider Galexis AG ensures timely and consistent drug supply of all partners in the Swiss health sector. High-quality, modern intralogistics guarantees high customer satisfaction and successful market presence. In order to be prepared for future requirements, the distribution center in Lausanne-Ecublens is comprehensively expanded. The distribution center in Niederbipp has already been expanded.

Galexis, a company of the Galenica group, is market leader in Switzerland and renders health logistics services throughout the country. The leading wholesaler and service provider in the Swiss health market ensures timely and nationwide drug supply. Galexis operates high-performance distribution centers in Niederbipp and Lausanne-Ecublens to efficiently supply pharmacies, medical practices, drugstores, homes and hospitals.

Successful partnership with SSI SCHAEFER

Back in 2007, SSI SCHAEFER laid the foundation for one of the most modern distribution centers in the Swiss health sector for Galexis in Niederbipp. Instead of costly renovating the warehouses in Bern-Schönbühl and Zürich-Schlieren, Galexis decided to implement a new, state-of-the-art solution together with the intralogistics expert SSI SCHAEFER. In 2016, the storage system was extended by a 3-aisle miniload with 81,500 bin storage locations as well as 65,000 bins to increase the system performance to up to 4,000 bins per hour.

Expanding shipping area in Niederbipp

Recently, the latest expansion at Niederbipp was successfully completed. The existing sprinter shipping area was expanded to a total of four shipping areas. Thanks to this expansion, a capacity of 4,000 bins/hour can be processed in the sprinter shipping area alone. For this purpose, a conveying section was removed and replaced by a high-speed roller switch diverter (RSW). The entire allocation and distribution is controlled automatically and intelligently by the warehouse management software WAMAS®.

New building and capacity expansion in Lausanne

The existing distribution center in Lausanne is currently comprehensively expanded and modernized. The project consists of two phases to be completed between the middle of 2020 and 2022. The distribution center has 4,000 m² of storage surface and enables the processing of 37,000 lines per day.

In the basement, eight picking work stations with new flow, pallet and overstock racks will be installed in addition to the existing system parts. The system will be extended by a second shipping section including a shipping preparation line with Document Drop, Lidding and Inserting and a strapping machine. The increased redundant system design means higher reliability and performance.

To raise storage capacity, three zones with four SSI Carousels each will be implemented on the ground floor. This SSI SCHAEFER technology has also been applied in the distribution center in Niederbipp, where it increases the capacity by 18,000 bins and sustainably supports the supply of Western Switzerland. The SSI Carousels are supplied by ten Goods-in Stations and are connected by several hundred meters of bin conveying system. Also, the basement is supplied from these Goods-in Stations. The used cartons are taken away from the work stations using the integrated used carton belt. Orders are picked at three ergonomic two-level Get and Pick Stations that achieve a picking performance of up to 2,250 lines/hour.

Pallet and cantilever racks round off the modern concept and serve as overstock buffer and pallet picking area for large containers. The new roller container conveying system with lift will transport cross-docking deliveries automatically to the shipping area. For items with increased requirements for storage temperature, a refrigerated area with racks and picking station will be installed. In the overall project, a new version of the warehouse management software WAMAS connected to the SAP EWM of Galexis, is applied.

With the help of the planned expansion, Galexis AG meets the market requirements and commits to the long-term and successful partnership with the intralogistics expert SSI SCHAEFER.

Trend-setting system design for Galexis: In the new distribution center in Lausanne about 37,000 lines per day are processed.

To increase storage capacity, three zones with four SSI Carousels each will be implemented on the ground floor.

Dahl, the leading wholesaler and trading company in plumbing, pipes, groundwork, cooling, property and tools has selected SSI Schäfer as a supplier for its new central warehouse to cover the Swedish market.

The new distribution center will connect approx. 2,000 suppliers and 38,000 craftsmen with HVAC equipment both through direct delivery to construction sites as well as through Dahls 80 stores from Kiruna in the north to Ystad in the south of Sweden.

“The technology at our new site is really pushing the boundaries, we will build an advanced warehouse and we look forward to a highly automated operation that will be located not too far from our current warehouse. This gives us the possibility to retain internal competence” says Jonathan Mankowitz, Logistics Director at Dahl.

The solution from SSI Schäfer consists of a pallet handling area with a pallet conveying system to transport goods to and from workstations and a High-bay warehouse (HBW) for storing pallets. Small goods are handled in a  24 meter high SSI Flexi shuttle system that will store both totes to supply the piece picking area as well as cartons for palletizing. Picking will take place at goods to person stations combined with palletizing robots to complete orders prior to shipping. The new distribution center will be located in Bålsta and will replace the current warehouse in Kalhäll as well as some satellite warehouses.

“The greatest challenge was to find the right solution for Dahl due to the wide and special product range and the high demands on ergonomics when handling these products. We have worked together with Dahl as one team from day one and the result is a one-of-a-kind warehouse with a high level of automation and some new and innovative solutions,” says Hans Ekström, Solution Design Manager at SSI Schäfer who is responsible for the project.

The distribution center is planned to go live during 2023.

Apotea is Sweden's first full-scale and one of the fast-growing online pharmacy shipping around 700,000 packages a month. The company is well known for adopting the innovations presented on the market. In recent years, Apotea has built an environmentally friendly logistics center and installed an automated system from SSI Schaefer to keep up with rapid growth. This year Apotea decided to expand currently existing warehouse solution to cover the increased demand.

Last year SSI Schaefer developed and implemented anautomatic picking solution with an A-frame for Apotea. The system was fully installed last fall but due to Apoteas rapid growth it is already time for expansion of the system to almost the double performance.

Online pharmacist Apotea has been rewarded with an award for being Sweden’s most favorite online store and is highly valued by customers for fast deliveries, fair prices, and a great customer experience. To ensure the same customer experience in the future Apotea continue to work together with SSI Schaefer to continue to develop and optimize their supply chain. 

“We´re very satisfied with the A-frame and the way it efficiently has expanded our capacity. That's why we continue to implement new automation together with SSI Schäfer and I am really looking forward to seeing our new, even faster A-frame in action says Pär Svärdson.” says Pär Svärdson, CEO at Apotea

The existing A-frame system at Apotea can store up to 1500 products and provides the picking capacity of up tp 1400 orders per hour and soon will be supported by another A-frame, which will process 1000 more orders per hour.

The system will be up and running during 2021.

Pohjoismaiden johtava hiusten- ja kauneudenhoidon asiantuntija, Ruotsissa pääkonttoriaan pitävä Lyko luottaa jälleen SSI Schäferin asiantuntemukseen, kun aiemmin toteutettua automatisoitua varastoratkaisua laajennetaan. 

Alkuperäinen ratkaisu otettiin käyttöön helmikuussa 2020. Tarkoituksena oli lisätä operatiivista tehokkuutta, optimoida varastotilan käyttö ja varmistaa saumattomat varastonhallinnan ja materiaalivirtahallinnan prosessit. Tuossa hankkeessa Lykon uusi automatisoitu logistiikkakeskus varustettiin SSI Cuby -sukkulajärjestelmällä, ergonomisilla työasemilla, laatikoiden ja pakkausten kuljetusjärjestelmällä sekä WAMAS^®-logistiikkaohjelmistolla.

Lykon toimitusjohtajan Rickard Lykon mukaan ratkaisu toteutettiin juuri oikeaan aikaan tukemaan nopeasti kasvanutta kysyntää:

”Olemme erittäin tyytyväisiä SSI Schäferin ratkaisuun, joka saatiin käyttöön ennätysajassa helmikuussa. Automatisoinnin ykkösvaihe on saanut aikaan tavoitellut tehokkuushyödyt, ja pystyimme sen ansiosta käsittelemään erittäin rajun verkkomyynnin kasvun – 99 prosenttia – jonka saavutimme toisella neljänneksellä.”

Lyko suunnittelee myynnin aloittamista kolmella uudella Euroopan markkinalla vuoden 2020 lopussa, ja toimitukset tehdään samasta Ruotsin Vansbrossa sijaitsevasta logistiikkakeskuksesta. On ilmeistä, että suunnitelma edellyttää varastotilan maksimointia ja huipputehokkaan kuljetusjärjestelmän laajentamista. SSI Schäfer valittiin pääurakoitsijaksi varmistamaan, että jakelukapasiteetti pysyy kunnianhimoisten laajentumissuunnitelmien mukana.

SSI Schäfer toimittaa yhtiölle yhden nopeimmista automaatioratkaisuista, joka hyödyntää huippumodernia teknologiaa ja mahdollistaa laajennuksen toimintojen kaikilla osa-alueilla – keräilyssä, pakkaamisessa, varastoinnissa ja toimituksissa. Jo käytössä olevaa SSI Cuby -sukkulajärjestelmää laajennetaan kaksinkertaiseksi, eli 45 000 varastopaikkaan ja 150 sukkulavaunuun. Automaatioratkaisun lisäksi SSI Schäfer toimittaa Mezzanine-puolikerrosratkaisun ja kolme SSI LOGIMAT^®-varastoautomaattia pienten ja keskikokoisten tuotteiden varastointiin.

”Meille on ilo toimia Lykon Vansbron keskuksen toimittajana. Huipputehokkaat ratkaisumme antavat Lykolle valmiudet vastata tuleviin vaatimuksiin”, SSI Schäferin Sales Manager Jenny Heinze kertoo.

Laajennettu ratkaisu tukee Lykon sitoutumista korkealaatuiseen asiakaspalveluun ja nopeisiin toimituksiin, sillä koko laajennushanke toteutetaan ilman keskeytyksiä täydellä kapasiteetilla toimivan varaston käynnissä oleviin prosesseihin.

Järjestelmälaajennuksen on tarkoitus olla kokonaan valmis ja käytössä ennen vuoden 2021 Black Fridayta.

Ruotsin eräs johtava elintarvikkeiden vähittäiskauppias Coop on valinnut SSI SCHÄFERin sisälogistiikan pääurakoitsijaksi toteuttamaan huippumodernin, energiatehokkaan ja pitkälle automatisoidun logistiikkaratkaisun uuteen 77000 neliömetrin Eskilstunan jakelukeskukseensa.

Coopin uusi jakelukeskus sijaitsee strategisesti aivan Ruotsin sydämessä ja tulee hoitamaan tuotteiden jakelun Coopin yli 800 myymälään eri puolilla maata. Suurin osan kylmässä ja huoneenlämmössä säilytettävien tuotteiden virrasta kulkee kahden pitkälle automatisoidun robottikeräilyjärjestelmän kautta. Tuloksena syntyy yli 600 000 yksikköä päivässä toimittava kestävän kehityksen mukainen huipputehokas varasto.

SSI SCHÄFER tarttui haasteeseen 3D-Matrix-ratkaisullaan. Kyseessä on ainutlaatuinen järjestelmämalli, jonka avulla Coop kykenee toteuttamaan joustavuus- ja tehokkuustavoitteensa sekä tuottamaan samalla myymälöiden toivomia lavoja. Tämän mahdollistaa SSI SCHÄFERin palkittu sukkulajärjestelmä, joka palvelee kurinalaisella järjestelmällisyydellään sekä laatikkokeräilyrobotteja että kappaletavaran keräilyn työpisteitä. Robottien syvällisen integraation myötä Coop parantaa koko toimitusketjuaan jakelukeskuksesta kuljetukseen, myymälöihin ja lopulta myymälöiden asiakkaiden päivällispöytiin asti.

Ruotsin kestävimmän vähittäiskauppiaan nimityksen voittanut Coop on yksi maan johtavia elintarvikkeiden vähittäiskauppiaita ja käyttää rautatiekuljetuksia keskeisenä osana toimitusketjuaan. Uusi jakelukeskus liitetään suoraan kansalliseen rautatieverkostoon, mikä vähentää maantiekuljetusten tarvetta ja pienentää Coopin hiilijalanjälkeä.  SSI SCHÄFER on yhtenä johtavista materiaalinkäsittelyratkaisujen globaaleista toimittajista ihanteellinen kumppani yrityksille, jotka pyrkivät taloudellisiin, tulevaisuuteen suuntaaviin ja kestäviin tavoitteisiin. SSI SCHÄFERin kestävä lähestymistapa oli eräs tärkeä kriteeri, kun Coop valitsi yhtiön pitkäaikaiseksi kumppanikseen tässä innovatiivisessa projektissa. SSI SCHÄFER on mukana myös kestävän kehityksen 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders -aloitteessa.

SSI SCHÄFER ja toinen kumppaniyritys ovat halunneet varmistaa tämän erään maailman suurimman automaatioratkaisun ylläpidon ja tekevät yhteistyötä Ruotsin koulutusjärjestelmän kanssa luodakseen automaatio- ja robotiikka-asentajan kaksivuotisen tutkinnon. Näin SSI SCHÄFER on yksi niistä yhtiöistä, jotka ovat aktiivisesti kannustamassa opiskelijoita ja edistämässä oppimista.

Terminaalia rakennetaan Eskilstunan logistiikkapuistoon, ja sen odotetaan olevan täydessä toiminnassa vuoden 2024 jälkipuoliskolla.

The leading wholesaler and service provider Galexis AG ensures timely and consistent drug supply of all partners in the Swiss health sector. High-quality, modern intralogistics guarantees high customer satisfaction and successful market presence. In order to be prepared for future requirements, the distribution center in Lausanne-Ecublens is comprehensively expanded. The distribution center in Niederbipp has already been expanded.

Galexis, a company of the Galenica group, is market leader in Switzerland and renders health logistics services throughout the country. The leading wholesaler and service provider in the Swiss health market ensures timely and nationwide drug supply. Galexis operates high-performance distribution centers in Niederbipp and Lausanne-Ecublens to efficiently supply pharmacies, medical practices, drugstores, homes and hospitals.

Successful partnership with SSI SCHÄFER

Back in 2007, SSI SCHÄFER laid the foundation for one of the most modern distribution centers in the Swiss health sector for Galexis in Niederbipp. Instead of costly renovating the warehouses in Bern-Schönbühl and Zürich-Schlieren, Galexis decided to implement a new, state-of-the-art solution together with the intralogistics expert SSI SCHÄFER. In 2016, the storage system was extended by a 3-aisle miniload with 81,500 bin storage locations as well as 65,000 bins to increase the system performance to up to 4,000 bins per hour.

Expanding shipping area in Niederbipp

Recently, the latest expansion at Niederbipp was successfully completed. The existing sprinter shipping area was expanded to a total of four shipping areas. Thanks to this expansion, a capacity of 4,000 bins/hour can be processed in the sprinter shipping area alone. For this purpose, a conveying section was removed and replaced by a high-speed roller switch diverter (RSW). The entire allocation and distribution is controlled automatically and intelligently by the warehouse management software WAMAS®.

New building and capacity expansion in Lausanne

The existing distribution center in Lausanne is currently comprehensively expanded and modernized. The project consists of two phases to be completed between the middle of 2020 and 2022. The distribution center has 4,000 m² of storage surface and enables the processing of 37,000 lines per day.

In the basement, eight picking work stations with new flow, pallet and overstock racks will be installed in addition to the existing system parts. The system will be extended by a second shipping section including a shipping preparation line with Document Drop, Lidding and Inserting and a strapping machine. The increased redundant system design means higher reliability and performance.

To raise storage capacity, three zones with four SSI Carousels each will be implemented on the ground floor. This SSI SCHÄFER technology has also been applied in the distribution center in Niederbipp, where it increases the capacity by 18,000 bins and sustainably supports the supply of Western Switzerland. The SSI Carousels are supplied by ten Goods-in Stations and are connected by several hundred meters of bin conveying system. Also, the basement is supplied from these Goods-in Stations. The used cartons are taken away from the work stations using the integrated used carton belt. Orders are picked at three ergonomic two-level Get and Pick Stations that achieve a picking performance of up to 2,250 lines/hour.

Pallet and cantilever racks round off the modern concept and serve as overstock buffer and pallet picking area for large containers. The new roller container conveying system with lift will transport cross-docking deliveries automatically to the shipping area. For items with increased requirements for storage temperature, a refrigerated area with racks and picking station will be installed. In the overall project, a new version of the warehouse management software WAMAS connected to the SAP EWM of Galexis, is applied.

With the help of the planned expansion, Galexis AG meets the market requirements and commits to the long-term and successful partnership with the intralogistics expert SSI SCHÄFER.

Trend-setting system design for Galexis: In the new distribution center in Lausanne about 37,000 lines per day are processed.

To increase storage capacity, three zones with four SSI Carousels each will be implemented on the ground floor.

SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE, one of Continental Europe’s leading online pharmacies, commissioned SSI SCHÄFER to equip their new logistics center in Sevenum, the Netherlands. The highly automated solution will increase the possible shipping volume to more than 35 million parcels per year and has been designed for zero-error tolerance and 24/7 operations. The investment is in the medium double-digit million range.

SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE currently supplies more than 5 million active customers in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland from its existing warehouse in Venlo. The product range includes more than 100,000 over-the-counter and prescription drugs, nutritional supplements as well as beauty and personal care products. The new logistics center will provide the basis for meeting constantly growing demand. “Our customers will have an even wider product range to choose from and will receive the orders even faster,” says Theresa Holler, head pharmacist and COO of SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE.

Challenges mastered through collaboration

In the course of the intralogistics project engineering, SSI SCHÄFER closely cooperated with the online pharmacy and Miebach Consulting. Miebach Consulting’s experts have been working with SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE since 2018; they were responsible for the initial conception/detailed planning as well as the call for tenders and now monitor the implementation. 

“For SSI SCHÄFER, this project is a further important step to extend our business in the healthcare e-commerce sector,” says Klaus Murko, Vice President Healthcare & Cosmetics at SSI SCHÄFER. “SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE is a top partner to build a successful future together.” 

A maximum of flexibility, sufficient options for future extension and a technical performance matching the demand were the requirements for the new logistics system. “Patient safety comes first, so maximum process security is crucial,” adds Theresa Holler. Ergonomics also played an important role, particularly in the design of the work stations in the incoming goods area where supplied goods are repacked to special bins.

High performance density nailed

The automated small parts warehouse (ASPW) includes the SSI Miniload 1-Mast designed for double-deep storage and the SSI Miniload 2-Mast designed for single-deep storage. Furthermore, an SSI Cuby shuttle system is used as order buffer. Shuttle vehicles supply the storage locations with up to 800 double cycles per aisle per hour. The high-performance shuttle system needs comparatively little space and can be flexibly extended if needed. Modularity combined with efficient use of space and a high picking quantity are the characteristics of the A-Frame. The picking automats enable fast processing of complex orders even at peak times.

In addition, Put to Light work stations and work stations for single order sorting and compiling bulk orders will be installed. The SSI SCHÄFER scope of supply and services also includes a 10 km carton and bin conveying system including a cross belt sorter, a platform extending over 11,000 m², static and pallet racks as well as various handling systems to support shipping preparation. The required bins are also provided by SSI SCHÄFER from a single source. The logistics software WAMAS® coordinates the material flow.

The installation of the intralogistics components was started in spring 2020. The go-live for the entire system is planned for the beginning of 2021.

Rackel completes the C-Suite Management Team for the SSI SCHÄFER Group

The Advisory Board of the SSI SCHÄFER Group has appointed Mr Harald Rackel as COO of the SSI SCHÄFER Group. Mr Rackel will start his position at SSI SCHÄFER on 1 October 2020.

Since 2018, Rackel held the CEO position at Elexis AG and was the spokesperson for the Management Board of EMG Automation GmbH in Wenden, Germany. Elexis AG is a subsidiary of the SMS Group and is an international market leader in the production of automation and quality assurance systems. After initial positions within the SMS Group managing the hot and cold rolling mills along with process and quality management business units, Rackel took over the divisional management of electrical and automation systems in 2007. He became a member of the Executive Board in 2013. Since the beginning of 2018, Rackel was also responsible for the digitization strategy of the SMS Group and its subsidiaries.

The Advisory Board of the SSI SCHÄFER Group is pleased to gain Rackel, a very successful and experienced manager for the company. The C-Suite Management Team of the SSI SCHÄFER Group, consisting of CEO Steffen Bersch, CFO Bruno Krauss, and the future COO Harald Rackel, is an ideal trio equipped to lead the company to a profitable and sustainable future.

The EDEKA Group Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen expands and automates their regional warehouse in Gochsheim, Germany with SSI SCHÄFER.

From the central warehouse in Gochsheim, EDEKA supplies part of their stores in Northern Bavaria. To guarantee the future of the location, EDEKA decided to complement the existing logistics center with another warehouse complex and thereby opted for automation. The order for implementing the warehouse extension was placed with the intralogistics expert SSI SCHÄFER with a location in Giebelstadt, Germany, close to the EDEKA warehouse in Gochsheim, Lower Franconia, Germany. Next to the existing building, a 4-aisle high-bay warehouse in silo design for double-deep storage of pallets is built. Four energy-efficient storage-retrieval machines, type SSI Exyz, are responsible for storage and retrieval. In addition, SSI SCHÄFER installs a roll container conveying system and a pallet conveying system.

The future high-bay warehouse will primarily accommodate dry goods. EDEKA opted for an automatic high-bay warehouse to create additional storage capacities and achieve the desired performance at peak times as well.

The regional warehouse in Gochsheim receives goods from EDEKA suppliers as well as goods directly from the EDEKA central warehouse. After goods-in, the pallets are transported on a pallet conveying system to the high-bay warehouse (HBW) where the goods are temporarily stored. Each aisle in the HBW is equipped with two picking levels each working according to the tunnel picking concept. The pallets stored temporarily in the high-bay warehouse are supplied to ergonomically optimized picking work stations using gravity roller conveyors. There, the cases are picked manually onto the corresponding roll containers or pallets and transported to goods-out on a special roll container conveying system. If a store requests single-item pallets, these pallets are directly retrieved from the high-bay warehouse and automatically transported to goods-out on a pallet conveying system.

The SSI SCHÄFER logistics software WAMAS® is in charge of warehouse management. The software has been in use at the majority of the EDEKA companies throughout Germany since 2003. The order is complemented by a service and maintenance contract for the location.

Completion and commissioning of the new logistics complex is planned for 2021.

Edeka Gochsheim - The EDEKA Group Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to expand and automate their regional warehouse in Gochsheim, Germany.

Koenig & Bauer (AT) GmbH takes a step further towards automation with SSI SCHÄFER and modernizes the Maria Enzersdorf location. The printing press manufacturer commissioned SSI SCHÄFER to supply and install a semi-automated solution with 13 SSI LOGIMAT Vertical Lift Modules for small parts vertical and efficient item picking.

For the last decades, the oldest printing press manufacturer in Austria and part of the Koenig & Bauer group has produced high-quality printing presses for banknotes and securities. Equipped with two small parts warehouses and three Vertical Lift Modules, the previous vertical and picking solution was no longer state-of-the-art. The printing press manufacturer opted for a future-oriented partnership with SSI SCHÄFER to modernize in the long run, even though they had to dismantle the existing system. Together, they developed a new, semi-automated solution. The order includes the supply and installation of 13 new Vertical Lift Modules, type SSI LOGIMAT. With a height of 9.5 m, these lifts provide vertical locations for 27,000 different items. Right from the beginning, the focus was on simplified operation and operator support using the WAMAS® LOGIMAT software and later on also a direct SAP integration with SPS EasyConnect from Status C. Furthermore it was possible to score with understanding of the current processes as well as optimization suggestions and improvement of the current work processes at Koenig & Bauer.

Inefficient work processes that made operators search for items in the old lifts called for a whole new concept. The responsibles at Koenig & Bauer visited an SSI SCHÄFER reference system and were convinced. 

“We gained detailed insight into the technology and the in-house software with corresponding order handling and supporting tools. We were especially impressed by the parallel software-controlled operation of three SSI LOGIMAT machines by one person. The simplified, guided way of picking using the LogiPointer was another aspect in favor of the SSI SCHÄFER solution,” explains Rudolf Vogl, General Manager at Koenig & Bauer.

The 13 new Vertical Lift Modules were erected where the two old small parts warehouses used to be. One of the old warehouses was dismantled in December 2019 to provide space for the installation of the first Vertical Lift Modules. 

“Decisive for the order placement was also the capacity of SSI SCHÄFER to act immediately. Already in the first construction stage, back in 2019, four Vertical Lift Modules were installed. This was particularly important because the process of filling the lifts had to go hand in hand with dismantling the existing system,” explains Ernst Gram, Head of Order Center/Logistics at Koenig & Bauer.

Afterwards, the material stored in the second small parts warehouse will be moved to the new SSI LOGIMAT machines so that the warehouse can be dismantled to make room for the remaining nine Vertical Lift Modules.

“In personal consulting and one-to-one talks as well as with optimization suggestions for the existing vertical solution, we were able offer Koenig & Bauer a customized solution,” resumes Benjamin Mayr, Sales Dynamic Systems at SSI SCHÄFER.

Successful cooperation: (from left to right) Peter Wukitsevits, Area Sales Manager at SSI Schäfer and Ing. Rudolf Vogl, General Manager at Koenig & Bauer.

SSI SCHÄFER launches a virtual stand giving current clients and interested companies a glimpse of software technology and equipment solutions. Since LogiMAT trade fair was canceled, SSI SCHÄFER is highlighting products and solutions slated to demonstrate the latest innovation in products and services. Our team of experts demonstrate key technologies and offer personal dialogue with our specialists. Individual consulting and information are part of the virtual experience – just like the exhibition was intended. Visit us at www.virtual.ssi-schaefer.com/en/start​​​​​​​

Last week, SSI SCHÄFER had to cancel the participation in the LogiMAT trade fair from 10 to 12 March 2020 in Stuttgart/Germany due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Shortly afterwards, the trade fair was canceled officially. In order to maintain the exchange with customers as we normally would during the trade fair, SSI SCHÄFER launched a virtual stand opening today. “We are maintaining customer contact and are confident that the virtual stand on our website with various dialog options is a great alternative for our customers, partners, and interested companies,” says Enrico Gazzano, Vice President Global Marketing at SSI SCHÄFER.

At www.virtual.ssi-schaefer.com/en/start, visitors will find exhibits presented by means of animations, reference videos, interviews and presentations with photos, case studies, and brochures. SSI SCHÄFER experts offer consulting on individual products or complex solutions for medium-sized businesses or major enterprises. Interactive tools such as direct telephone contact with experts and live chats facilitate individual consulting – just like the trade fair. Intensive exchange with customers and interested visitors to the LogiMAT 2020 can still take place via technology.

The virtual stand focuses on products and concepts for sustainable and future-oriented intralogistics. In the picking segment, SSI SCHÄFER presents manual to fully-automated solutions, such as robotics for piece picking, the pouch conveyor SSI Carrier for e-commerce and omni-channel applications, as well as the LOGIMAT^® Vertical Lift Module equipped with LOGISAFEPICK for 100 percent error-free picking.

The SSI SCHÄFER Green Logistics include resource-saving products, concepts, and services. These solutions range from green crane and shuttle technologies to green conveyors, and Customer Service & Support. In addition, SSI SCHÄFER is demonstrating how to switch to reusable container cycles. The wide range of SSI SCHÄFER logistics software from WAMAS^® to SAP is presented as well. The software is available either stand-alone or integrated into a logistics systems.

One of the worldwide leading solution providers of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, SSI SCHAEFER, and the solution provider of automatic picking and digital applications, BD Rowa, will continue to cooperate. The two companies extended the corresponding contract by five more years. The aim of the cooperation is to provide customers in the healthcare sector with an overall solution to prepare them for future processes, such as e-prescriptions or establishing Hub & Spoke models.

“In many countries, we currently experience a change in the healthcare sector. While Germany is preparing for e-prescriptions, the UK focuses on Hub & Spoke,” explains Dirk Bockelmann, Global Commercial Director at BD Rowa. “Here, the customers expect partners who are aware of their requirements and the market, and provide them with a solution. SSI SCHAEFER is a strong partner who offers manufacturers and distributors in the healthcare sector the suitable overall solution they need.”

“Particularly in the field of automation of slow movers and processing returns, our portfolio is perfectly complemented by the efficient solutions of our partner BD Rowa,” explains Klaus Murko, Vice President Sales, Healthcare & Cosmetics at SSI SCHAEFER. “Our customers benefit from a holistic concept from a single source to also cover the strict legal requirements of tracking & tracing of medication in the long run.”

The cornerstone for successful cooperation of SSI SCHAEFER and BD Rowa was laid with the first cooperation agreement in 2015. In the meantime, several projects have been implemented successfully. “Our customers specifically ask for process optimization. This starts with fast, medium and slow movers, but for more and more customers the refrigerated area and the handling of narcotics gain importance as well. In this case, process automation includes for instance pick-up terminals. The topic was less present five years ago,” illustrates Dirk Bockelmann. By signing a cooperation agreement until 2024, the two companies have decided to support customers in the healthcare sector worldwide in optimizing their processes and thus ensure that processes between wholesalers, pharmacies and customers become smoother, faster and more secure.

About SSI SCHAEFER

The SSI SCHAEFER Group is the world’s leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions. With more than 70 operating companies and about 10,500 employees around the globe, the company is an international player and delivers one-stop solutions to all four corners of the earth. Its comprehensive portfolio encompasses design, planning, consulting, and customer-specific aftersales services and maintenance. With a variety of systems installed all over the world, SSI SCHAEFER has comprehensive know-how and innovative technologies for the perfect supply of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic supply chain. These systems range from manual to highly automated storing, conveying and picking systems, and also include a comprehensive software portfolio.

About BD Rowa

BD Rowa stands for innovative and reliable products in the field of pharmaceutical logistics. Being a trailblazer in automation and digitalization, the company develops and manufactures solutions for pharmacies, hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and centers for packing medication in blister packs. 800 committed employees worldwide ensure competent and reliable customer care. Rowa is part of the global medical technology company Becton Dickinson (BD). Our joint vision: to make healthcare secure and ready for the future.

In the light of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus), the SSI SCHAEFER Group cancels the participation in the intralogistics trade fair LogiMAT. The health of employees and customers is more important. SSI SCHAEFER will participate with customers and interested fair visitors by offering a virtual fair stand. This digital presentation will include key technologies as well as the option for a personal consultation with experts.

Neunkirchen/Germany, 3 March 2020. After thorough examination, the SSI SCHAEFER Group has decided not to participate in the intralogistics trade fair LogiMAT 2020 from 10 to 12 March in Stuttgart.

Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI SCHAEFER Group, explains, “Taking into account the rapid spread of the coronavirus, we are obligated to focus on the well-being of our employees and customers. Thereby, we support the effort of health and local government officials to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Considering the current risk assessment, we can no longer take the responsibility for a participation in a trade fair with an international audience.”

SSI SCHAEFER continues to work with current and potential new customers in the wake of LogiMAT 2020, while the company moves the trade fair to the company website. The new digital experience will be available soon on ssi-schaefer.com. This will include a presentation of key technologies and consulting as well as an exchange with experts to facilitate talks with customers and visitors. “We are continuing our customer dialog and are confident that the virtual stand on our website with various presentations is a great alternative for our customers, partners, and interested companies,” says Enrico Gazzano, Vice President Global Marketing at SSI SCHAEFER.

• SSI SCHÄFER saa kansainvälisesti kokeneen johtajan toimitusjohtajakseen 

• Konsernin johtoryhmän avoimet positiot on nyt täytetty.
  

Neunkirchen/Saksa, 13. helmikuuta 2020 – SSI Schäfer Groupin Advisory Board on nimittänyt Steffen BERSCHin SSI SCHÄFER Groupin toimitusjohtajaksi. Bersch aloittaa SSI Schäferillä 1. maaliskuuta 2020. Lyhyen siirtymäajan jälkeen Bersch ottaa 1. huhtikuuta 2020 vastuulleen toimitusjohtajan tehtävät, joita on hoitanut konsernin väliaikainen toimitusjohtaja, tohtori Helmut Limberg.

Steffen Bersch toimi 1. tammikuuta 2016 lähtien GEA Group AG -konsernin johtokunnassa ja tämän vuoden alusta lähtien hän vastasi Liquid & Powder Technologies-, Food & Healthcare Technologies-, Refrigeration Technologies- ja Global Technology -liiketoimintaosastoista.

Steffen Bersch aloitti GEA Group AG:lla vuonna 2000, minkä jälkeen hän ehti toimia konsernissa monissa erilaisissa johtotehtävissä. Hän muun muassa toimi GEA Middle East -yhtiön toimitusjohtajana Dubaissa ja hoiti menestyksekkäästi Separators -liiketoimintayksikköä. Vuoden 2019 loppuun asti hän vastasi Equipment-liiketoimintayksiköstä toimien samalla GEA Group AG:n johtoryhmän jäsenenä.

SSI Schäfer Advisory Boardin vetäjä, tohtori Kay Mayland sanoo: ”On todella ilo saada menestynyt ja kansainvälisesti kokenut johtaja Steffen Bersch SSI Schäfer Groupin toimitusjohtajaksi. Samalla Bersch tuo taloon pitkän kokemuksensa globaalisti toimivien yrityskonsernien strategisesta kehittämisestä.”

SSI Schäfer Groupin osakkaat ja Advisory Board ovat vakuuttuneita, että uusi toimitusjohtaja tarjoaa kestävän täydennyksen konsernin johtoon.

SSI Schäfer, 13. helmikuuta 2020

MISUMI, a global manufacturer and leading provider of mechanical components and indirect materials for special machine construction and assembly automation, has commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to implement a new logistics center in Frankfurt/Main. Until the beginning of 2020, the distribution center with a capacity for 450,000 items on more than 10,000 m2 of storage area will be built in several stages. Core elements of the system are an automated shuttle warehouse, a four-storied rack system, ergonomic work stations connected via a conveying system and the logistics software WAMAS®.

MISUMI was founded in Tokyo in 1963 and today has selling agencies all over the world. The business model of the company is based on highest quality, low costs and short delivery times. In the logistics center in Frankfurt stock items, standard components from its own production and third-party suppliers and make-to-order (MTO) parts are handled. MTO parts are currently produced in particular in Japan, China and Vietnam. For the turnover of MTO parts, MISUMI uses the cross-docking principle: After arrival, items are directly consolidated with the existing stock and sent to the customer the same day – without being stored. The short delivery time resulting from this approach is important because innovation cycles in mechanical engineering constantly decrease and therefore less time remains for product development. In order to be able to process the increasing number of orders in even shorter times in the future, MISUMI counts on a state-of-the-art automation solution from SSI Schaefer.

Tailor-made logistics solution for efficient make-to-order processes
For storing the items, a four-storied platform rack system for 250,000 items and a 10-aisle shuttle warehouse with a capacity for 200,000 items are realized. In the latter, Cuby single-level shuttles within a double-deep storage concept will take care of the high-efficiency storage and retrieval process in the future. Four goods-in work stations, four work stations integrated into the platform rack system and four multi-functional work stations will support the distribution and sortation process of incoming items and the make-to-order business. Picking will be performed at five ergonomic Pick to Tote work stations and a pick wall with a clearing station. Before leaving the logistics center, orders will pass one of the ten packing stations. All work stations are connected to the system with a high-performance conveying system. For the coordinated process control of the material flows, the logistics software WAMAS by SSI SCHAEFER is used.

"Quality, competitive prices and high speed are our recipe for maximum customer satisfaction. With efficient logistics structures, we will reinforce these principles in the future. The entire investment volume emphasizes the high potential that we see at the location in Germany and in Europe", comments Jörg Gonnermann, General Manager Logistics Service Platform of MISUMI, the assignment of SSI SCHAEFER.

The Maintenance 4.0 for Intralogistics concept for condition monitoring and semi-automatic maintenance was developed by SSI SCHAEFER in partnership with Schaeffler. Now, the solution is among the winners of LOGISTRA magazine’s “LOGISTRA Best Practice: 2018 Innovations” Readers’ Choice Awards. The accolade underscores the inventive and future-proof design.

LOGISTRA, a German logistics magazine for commercial vehicle fleets and warehouse logistics, recently held its LOGISTRA Best Practice: 2018 Innovations Readers’ Choice Awards. To determine the most exciting industry development of 2018, the editorial team shortlisted a total of 24 creative products and solutions in eight categories. Approximately 900 readers cast votes for the coveted awards. Reflecting on the results, Peter Berlik, Chief Technology Officer at SSI SCHAEFER, stated, “We are delighted that our future-proof development received such a positive response from professionals who put these technologies into practice. This award, for the storage and picking category, confirms that we are on the right path by integrating solutions for predictive maintenance and monitoring of operational and critical components into our portfolio.”

Schaeffler supplied the components for the Maintenance 4.0 for Intralogistics solution, and SSI SCHAEFER acted as the system integrator. The partners collaborated closely to create a sophisticated solution package for condition monitoring of crucial drive systems, and for the partial automation of maintenance in warehouses. The result was implemented at the Schaeffler European distribution center (EDZ Mitte). A total of 58 Schaeffler SmartCheck systems monitor drive motors and gears employed for the horizontal and vertical movement of storage and retrieval machines (SRMs). The alert status of each SmartCheck device, plus other warehouse systems, are all available visually in the SSI SCHAEFER WAMAS^® Lighthouse logistics cockpit. Additionally, a fully automatic Schaeffler Concept8 lubrication system, with specially developed pinions, continuously and precisely lubricates the chain and roller conveyors during ongoing operation. “In our European distribution center in Kitzingen, Schaeffler has succeeded in transitioning away from preventive maintenance with fixed intervals when it comes to condition monitoring and partially automated maintenance,” explains Dr. Hans-Willi Kessler, Head of Condition Monitoring Equipment at Schaeffler. Dr. Kessler accepted the award at the most advanced Schaeffler logistics center in Europe.

In Kitzingen, Germany, SSI SCHAEFER designed the state-of-the-art distribution center to help the Schaeffler Group reliably supply customers within the European market. The facility includes a seven-aisle high-bay warehouse, comprehensive conveying systems for pallets and bins, and a six-aisle automated small parts storage across two levels. In addition, the center has fully automated palletizing and depalletizing robots for containers, plus ergonomic workstations.

Only several kilometers away from the previous location in the eastern Ruhr area in Germany, the ERL Euro Retail Logistics GmbH builds a new central warehouse on behalf of the Woolworth GmbH. SSI SCHÄFER was awarded the contract for the implementation of intralogistics. A balanced mix of manual and automated processes characterizes the solution to be implemented.

In the medium term, the traditional retail company, which sees itself as a local supplier of everyday consumer goods, would like to expand its nationwide store network from around 400 to 800 stores. The hub for the supply will be the new company headquarters in the industrial estate Unna/Kamen, directly at the A1 highway. The headquarters include an administration building and a new warehouse and distribution center with five halls. On an area of approx. 50,000 m², around 40,000 pallets will be stored in the SSI SCHÄFER longitudinal beam rack PR 600. Additionally, a static rack system R 3000 to archive files as well as a three-aisle miniload for double-deep storage with more than 29,000 bin storage locations will be installed. The SSI SCHÄFER logistics software WAMAS^® controls the material flows. The system is operated by ERL Euro Retail Logistics GmbH and stores and prepares a wide range of home textiles, household supplies, fashion for women, men and children, decorating materials and drugstore products as well as stationary, notions and sweets for shipping.

Designed for continuing expansion

In August 2019, the gradual installation of the racks was started. The miniload will be installed starting from January 2020. It is scheduled to be launched in July of the same year. “Our new central warehouse provides sufficient capacity for future growth,” says Heinz Lutermann, General Manager ERL Euro Retail Logistics GmbH. “At the same time, we take advantage of a fast and secure provision of goods from the miniload and combine them with classic person-to-goods processes in the forklift-controlled pallet warehouse.” This ensures maximum delivery quality. All in all, about 8,000 items will be stored in the future. Approx. 2,100 of them in the miniload. This translates to a performance of about 16,500 of more than 250,000 store positions per day. “SSI SCHÄFER convinced us as a full-range supplier of manual and automated logistics solutions,” comments Mr. Lutermann on the reasons for choosing the logistics supplier.

Optimized material flow solution for store supply

In the future, the empty bins provided at the goods-in area are filled with goods at the four repacking work stations and are conveyed to the miniload after a contour and weight check. There, three storage and retrieval machines, type Schäfer Miniload Crane, are in charge of storage and retrieval processes. On the long side of the miniload aisles, a total of 2,178 dynamic channels are implemented for manual picking. The required items are taken from the corresponding dynamic channels until the order is complete and ready for shipping. A repacking and clearing station facilitates repacking remaining items from the pallet warehouse and e.g. processing items that are past their best before date.

The go-live date for the entire system is planned for July 2020.

Every two years, Bosch honors the best of their suppliers from around the world with the “Bosch Global Supplier Award”. This year, SSI SCHÄFER received the award in the category "Purchasing of indirect materials", in the field of plastic injection moulding containers. Bosch rewards outstanding performance in the manufacture and supply of products or services – very important are quality, costs, innovation, and logistics. From its roughly 43,000 suppliers, Bosch awarded 47 suppliers from 15 countries.

This year’s award ceremony, with the theme “Transforming Together. Staying Ahead,” was held on 10 July 2019 in Blaichach, Germany. Bosch has been presenting these awards to honor supplier excellence since 1987, and they are highly regarded in the industry. "We are delighted to receive the Bosch Global Supplier Award as this confirms that our priorities in development, production and realization are appropriate. In addition to suitability for daily use and individualization, long durability of the load carriers is also fundamental," states Dr. Armin Vogel, Executive Vice President Plastics at SSI SCHÄFER.

A jury decides on the best suppliers worldwide in the following categories: Purchasing of indirect materials, Raw materials and components as well as Purchasing of direct materials by business sector. In a special category, suppliers had furthermore the possibility to submit to the Bosch judges products, processes, and technologies with a high innovation potential.

"From technological expertise to logistical quality and entrepreneurial potential – our award-winners have it all,” says Andreas Reutter, Head of Supply Chain Management at Robert Bosch GmbH and explains: "Today’s suppliers do more than just deliver components. They are also partners in development and innovation supporting Bosch to stay competitive.”

Dr. Armin Vogel (2^nd from left), Executive Vice President Plastics, and Thomas Jettkant (2^nd from right), Head of Sales Customized Packaging, at SSI SCHÄFER, accepted the award handed by Andreas Reutter (left), Head of Supply Chain Management, and Steffen Hammer (right), Senior Vice President Professional Services, Purchasing Indirect Material and Services, at Robert Bosch GmbH.

The strong growth and global orientation of SSI SCHÄFER result in a worldwide investment boost for the company: New employees, prestigious buildings, and state-of-the-art production facilities – the intralogistics specialist has a lot going on around the globe, and developments are continuously being reported. Currently, one of the greatest milestones is the construction of new buildings at the existing locations Giebelstadt and Friesach, which will not only create more space for new employees, but will also support a modern corporate culture. The very popular sector of Customer Services & Support in Graz has also moved into a new space, given that its number of employees more than doubled in a short time.

Those following reports in the media about SSI SCHÄFER over the last few months will have noticed that the company is consistently pushing its expansion strategy. With its claim to shape the future of intralogistics, the company has become not only one of the market leaders, but also a major employer in various regions and countries. Harrie Swinkels, CEO SSI SCHÄFER, explains the intralogistics specialist’s aspirations: “Through internal growth, cooperative partnerships, and company takeovers, we are steadily expanding our know-how so that we can offer the entire range of systems and technologies worldwide. Thanks to our range of services, our actions are ‘product-neutral’; the focus is on developing optimized customer-specific solutions and not the sale of one specific product.”

One consequence of the expansion strategy is the decision to expand the Giebelstadt and Friesach locations by investing in new, modern building complexes and the related employee growth: In Giebelstadt, SSI SCHÄFER’s center of competence for automated logistics solutions, the ground-breaking ceremony for a 5-story office building took place in September of last year. The building will provide space for 450 workplaces on almost 7,000 square meters in 2020. At the Friesach location in Austria, heart of the proprietary WAMAS^© logistics software, an additional office complex is being built that reflects the company’s strength in IT. After its grand opening, which is scheduled for as early as November 2019, close to 170 employees will be moving into the 1,000 square meter IT powerhouse.

Whether high-tech or semi-automated, maximum availability of the logistics systems and a trouble-free workflow are essential for any company. It is therefore not surprising that the Customer Service & Support Solutions field of SSI SCHÄFER has been expanding for years. The range of services extends from classic maintenance to modern maintenance concepts such as predictive maintenance. The Customer Service & Support 4.0 solution continuously records and evaluates the system state. The information gained is used to predict potential outages and prevent them with proactive maintenance.

In order to meet the strong demand and increased requirements, the number of employees has more than doubled over the last few years: Of the 1,500 CSS experts around the globe, 130 team members can be found at the location in Graz. This required additional space into which the staff moved just recently. Elie Zita, EVP Customer Services SSI SCHÄFER, comments on this topic: “We are continuously developing and growing to meet our customers’ challenges. This not only applies to the technologies used in our logistics center, but also relates to the integrated services and support modules. We are also adding training programs and new tools to be able to offer our customers optimized support services and to ensure that the systems run smoothly. For us, it goes without saying that this is part of the overall responsibility of a holistic intralogistics provider.”

The awards that SSI SCHÄFER regularly receives in various categories confirm that the company is on the right track. Thus, the intralogistics specialist received in April of this year the award for “Best Logistics Brand,” based on a reader and expert vote made by the magazine Logistik Heute and the Bundesvereinigung Logistik. In June, the company received another award, the “Best of Industry Award” presented by the industry magazine “MM MaschinenMarkt.” Most recently, SSI SCHÄFER was included in the circle of the most innovative companies in Germany featured in the magazines Focus and Focus Money, coming in first place in the logistics sector.

Additional information will be provided soon about the activities at SSI SCHÄFER’s international headquarters in Neunkirchen in Germany’s Siegerland region.

MISUMI, a global manufacturer and leading provider of mechanical components and indirect materials for special machine construction and assembly automation, has commissioned SSI SCHÄFER to implement a new logistics center in Frankfurt/Main. Until the beginning of 2020, the distribution center with a capacity for 450,000 items on more than 10,000 m2 of storage area will be built in several stages. Core elements of the system are an automated shuttle warehouse, a four-storied rack system, ergonomic work stations connected via a conveying system and the logistics software WAMAS®.

MISUMI was founded in Tokyo in 1963 and today has selling agencies all over the world. The business model of the company is based on highest quality, low costs and short delivery times. In the logistics center in Frankfurt stock items, standard components from its own production and third-party suppliers and make-to-order (MTO) parts are handled. MTO parts are currently produced in particular in Japan, China and Vietnam. For the turnover of MTO parts, MISUMI uses the cross-docking principle: After arrival, items are directly consolidated with the existing stock and sent to the customer the same day – without being stored. The short delivery time resulting from this approach is important because innovation cycles in mechanical engineering constantly decrease and therefore less time remains for product development. In order to be able to process the increasing number of orders in even shorter times in the future, MISUMI counts on a state-of-the-art automation solution from SSI SCHÄFER.

Tailor-made logistics solution for efficient make-to-order processes
For storing the items, a four-storied platform rack system for 250,000 items and a 10-aisle shuttle warehouse with a capacity for 200,000 items are realized. In the latter, Cuby single-level shuttles within a double-deep storage concept will take care of the high-efficiency storage and retrieval process in the future. Four goods-in work stations, four work stations integrated into the platform rack system and four multi-functional work stations will support the distribution and sortation process of incoming items and the make-to-order business. Picking will be performed at five ergonomic Pick to Tote work stations and a pick wall with a clearing station. Before leaving the logistics center, orders will pass one of the ten packing stations. All work stations are connected to the system with a high-performance conveying system. For the coordinated process control of the material flows, the logistics software WAMAS by SSI SCHÄFER is used.

"Quality, competitive prices and high speed are our recipe for maximum customer satisfaction. With efficient logistics structures, we will reinforce these principles in the future. The entire investment volume emphasizes the high potential that we see at the location in Germany and in Europe", comments Jörg Gonnermann, General Manager Logistics Service Platform of MISUMI, the assignment of SSI SCHÄFER.

Apotea, The largest online pharmacy in Sweden has grown rapidly since they started in 2012. Last year the company distributed 6 million packages and also moved in to a new built climate smart logistic center. Much of the order processing is done manually but now Apotea takes a step forward and will get an automated solution.

For the customer the process is simple – a couple of clicks and a few hours later the customer gets the delivery. The fact that the product is picked, packed and sent is a matter of course for the customer, but how is the question for Apotea. E-commerce is an industry where development is fast, and efficient order management and fast delivery are crucial for the company. Therefore, with the help of the logistics provider SSI Schaefer, Apotea has made a thorough analysis of how the warehouse can be made more efficient. The choice falls on a tailor-made automatic picking solution so-called A-frame.

“It is extremely enjoyable that we have found a solution together with SSI Schaefer and this will make us even more efficient and faster. After evaluating several solutions, we have now found a picking solution we will be able to grow with.” says Pär Svärdson, CEO at Apotea

The A-frame -system at Apotea can store up to 1500 products and has a picking capacity up to 1400 orders/ hour. Except of the picking solution and the associated conveyor system parts of the packing process will also be fully automated. Part of the system will be installed before the summer and the facility will be fully installed October 2019.

For more information please contact us,
Anders Bohlin, sales Manager Automation, SSI Schäfer Tel +46 725 - 37 37 00
Maria Alriksson, Head of Business Development,  Apotea Tel +46 704 – 33 04 49

Today, SSI SCHAEFER announces its new brand ambassador, Mick Schumacher. The reigning Formula 3 champion, who is competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year, has entered a long-term partnership with intralogistics specialist SSI SCHAEFER.

Mick Schumacher has been impressing fans, colleagues, and the general public alike for years with his stringent quest for improvement. The 20-year-old son of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, Michael Schumacher, has long since created his own identity. As a member of the exclusive driving field of the FIA Formula 2 Championship, Mick is now one of the best young racers in the world.

"Driving for Excellence" is the clear goal for this partnership. “Mick brings a great passion that impresses us here at SSI SCHAEFER. Giving everything, gaining experience, and accepting challenges that work towards a solution with intent and hyper focus is what connects our company with him. True to our corporate tagline, ‘Think Tomorrow.’,       SSI SCHAEFER looks ahead to achieve the ambitious goals for our customers,” stated Michael Mohr, EVP Sales for       SSI SCHAEFER.

Mick Schumacher has been driving for the Italian PREMA team since 2016. The 2018 European Formula 3 Champion just recently started driving for the Formula 2 team this year and he joined into the Ferrari Driver Academy program that promotes young talents. As a young driver, Schumacher started test driving in April for Bahrain in Formula 1 for both, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo Racing. “I’m delighted to welcome SSI SCHAEFER as a partner because we share the same core values: a down-to-earth attitude, striving for success, innovative solutions, as well as long-term thinking and action. ‘Think Tomorrow.’ suits me too,” stated Schumacher.

Various joint activities are planned for the partnership between the intralogistics specialist and the Formula 2 driver. Mick Schumacher is taking part in a panel discussion at one of the world's largest in-house events in the industry this autumn, with international logistics users, expert discussions, keynotes and live demonstrations of logistics systems.

But for now, Schumacher’s focus is on Monaco since today marks the fourth racing weekend out of the 12 for Formula 2. The Grand Prix Formula 2 is scheduled from 23^rd to the 25^th of May 2019 in Monaco. The entire                  SSI SCHAEFER family will certainly be cheering.

As general contractor for intralogistics, SSI SCHAEFER provides a new logistics building for Work in Progress Textilhandels GmbH (Carhartt WIP), including a Cuby shuttle system, a compact bin and carton conveying system as well as picking locations with sequencing tower. Furthermore, the existing automated shipping buffer will be extended and connected to the new system technology.

Carhartt WIP supplies 70 of its own retail stores and eleven outlet stores worldwide through an omni-channel strategy from their central logistics center at the company headquarters in Weil am Rhein, Germany. The rapidly growing B2C demand is met by an online shop. In the course of this project, SSI SCHAEFER extends the storage capacity of the Carhartt WIP logistics center and increases the process efficiency of made-to-order production for various distribution channels, thanks to optimized material flows and modern system technology.

SSI SCHAEFER will implement a fully automated 5-aisle Cuby shuttle system with about 35,000 carton storage locations, a pre-zone and a high-speed loop in the add-on building, which exceeds 4,000 m². The dynamic and completely scalable storage system is operated by ten lifts to ensure high performance with a compact design. A potential expansion by three aisles is already considered in the installation layout. To guarantee successful sequencing of source cartons and consistent material supply of the eight connected picking locations, SSI SCHAEFER will install eight sequencing towers with 2 x 23 transfer locations each. An optional expansion by up to four towers for this automation area is already included in the installation layout. The picking locations are equipped with Put to Light technology and integrated into the system concept and material flows.

The new 1.6 km conveying system is set to supply 20 new packing work stations, a semi-automated returns work station and eleven special handling work stations for value-added services (VAS). Additionally, it is connected to the material flows of the already existing system. The existing system will be modified as well: SSI SCHAEFER will extend the 8-aisle miniload by two aisles with 9,800 storage locations. For further process support, SSI SCHAEFER also integrates a wide range of handling systems into the new conveying system, such as automatic carton openers and erectors, tape carton sealers, scanners and label applicators. SSI SCHAEFER implements the warehouse management system WAMAS^® in the WIP logistics center for warehouse management and process control. Material flow structures for B2B shipping remain intact, while SSI SCHAEFER will restructure the material flow for B2C shipping, returns handling and the special handling area (VAS). In doing so, the system technology of B2B shipping is considered and incorporated to a large extent. The go-live date for the entire system is planned for the first quarter of 2020.

The drugstore chain Rossmann commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to automate their central warehouse in their Polish subsidiary in Łódź. In addition to installing a custom-fit pallet and bin conveying system, implementing 84 ergonomic work station systems and the logistics software WAMAS®, SSI SCHAEFER will equip a 10-aisle miniload with more than 100,000 bin storage locations operated by SCHAEFER Miniload Cranes (SMC).

The Polish central warehouse of Rossmann supplies two regional warehouses and over 1,300 Rossmann stores in Poland. Rossmann is thus the leading drugstore chain in Poland serving about 770,000 customers every day. The product range focuses on skin, body, hair, baby and health and comprises up to 21,000 items depending on store size with 27 own brands. Commissioning SSI SCHAEFER to install a second miniload in an existing building and integrate the available material flows, the drugstore discount chain responds to bottlenecks in capacity due to expansion and growing demand. The project is intended to enhance the degree of automation in the central warehouse, and to increase process efficiency and performance.

For this purpose, SSI SCHAEFER will install a pallet conveying system to transport the load carriers from the existing high-bay warehouse to a higher level. There, the goods will be repacked to storage bins at 28 newly installed ergonomic repacking stations and transported to the miniload on a bin conveying system. In the miniload with more than 100,000 bin storage locations, 10 SCHAEFER Miniload Cranes (SMC) with a turnover performance of 1,200 bins per hour take care of goods storage. The miniload rack includes 4,960 static and 1,984 dynamic channels. They are supplied directly from the miniload and are part of the picking area with the bin conveying system and the 56 connected manual work stations. Reliable order picking of up to 250,000 lines per day is supported by a Pick by Light system. Once picking has been completed, the newly installed bin conveying system will transfer the target bins to the material flow of the existing system. The system is perfected by the powerful logistics software WAMAS® by SSI SCHAEFER to control and monitor warehouse operations.

The project will be implemented while the system is in operation – go-live is scheduled for December 2019. Then, up to 18,000 bins will be transported to and from the miniload on the new conveying system.