By introducing a driverless transport system with multiple vehicles(AGVs) from Safelog, the full-service logistics provider Roman Mayer increased productivity at its fulfillment site in Nuremberg by 30%.
With 1,400 employees at 30 locations across Europe, logistics provider Roman Mayer offers a comprehensive portfolio of warehousing solutions, ranging from conventional to highly automated systems and sophisticated fulfillment concepts. At its Nuremberg location, services include the handling and unloading of sea containers, as well as order picking, packing, and shipping of goods to recipients in Europe and beyond. The indoor and outdoor warehouse space covers approximately 20,000 m², providing room for around 40,000 pallets.
Over two years ago, Roman Mayer largely automated the intralogistics at its Nuremberg site. The goal was to increase output in order to better respond to the highly fluctuating seasonal business of its major customer and the associated staff shortages during peak periods. "However, pallet transport between the sorting stations and the fully automated wrapper was still done manually using industrial trucks such as pallet jacks and forklifts," explains branch manager Werner Böhm. "This repeatedly led to problems."
Once a pallet was loaded with goods, a worker moved it from the sorting stations to the buffer area. From there, it was transported to the loading station of a fully automated pallet wrapper. Since sorting was usually faster than manual removal from the buffer, a backlog of completed pallets accumulated at the next station. As a result, the intended FIFO (First In, First Out) principle no longer functioned. Goods that had entered the buffer last were subsequently prepared for shipping first. The pallets did not reach the shipping area in the intended sequence and timeframe. This resulted in loading delays and excessively long waiting times for the trucks. "Furthermore, we had to assign employees from other stations to transport the pallets. They couldn't perform their regular tasks during this time," says Böhm. Personnel planning therefore proved challenging.
To automate transport between stations and thus increase the efficiency of the area, Roman Mayer commissioned the AGV manufacturer Safelog. The process in this area was to be designed in such a way that, with an average of 480 pallets per day, increasing demand could also be handled in the future.
To optimally supply the rotary wrapper with pallets, Safelog developed a workflow using two AGV L1 type AGVs with pallet supports. "At Roman Mayer, we use our larger mobile transport robots. Thanks to their omnidirectional driving style, the AGVs require less space to maneuver and can transport pallets weighing up to 1500 kg," explains Michael Treml, branch manager at Safelog.
As a first step, Safelog installed tablets and cantilever racks with four to five pallet positions at the ten sorting stations. The tablets are used to request an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) when a worker has fully loaded a pallet. Each pallet position is assigned a button on the touchscreen. If there are more AGV requests than vehicles, the transport orders are temporarily stored in the appropriate sequence and processed one after the other. The AGV drives under the cantilever rack, which is open on one side, and then lifts the pallet with millimeter precision. After picking up the load, the pallet is taken to the automatic wrapper. If the wrapper cannot process the pallet due to the heterogeneous contents, the AGV transports it to designated overflow locations where manual wrapping can be carried out.
Photos: Safelog
All routes within the process are clearly defined. Sections of the route that are already in use are blocked for other AGVs. If multiple stations send a transport request simultaneously, pickups are processed according to the FIFO principle, preventing collisions. Loaded AGVs always have priority. Control is managed by the fleet management software Safelog IntelliAgent. Two waiting/loading positions are located on the return lane to the pickup points. There, the transport robots can recharge using floor-mounted contact points until the next transport order.
By implementing the Safelog AGV L1, Roman Mayer achieved a 30% increase in productivity. The automated guided vehicle (AGV) continuously and prioritizes the removal of pallets, ensuring a constant supply to the automatic wrapping machine. This eliminates the need for intermediate storage and solves the space problem. The mobile transport robots only unload the pallets once further processing is guaranteed. This allows goods to be ready for shipment on time. Truck waiting times have been drastically reduced. "Even during peak periods, the system doesn't reach its limits and can keep up with the significantly increased output," summarizes Böhm. "Furthermore, our employees can now focus on value-adding tasks instead of transport."
Furthermore, the elevated cantilever racking improves the ergonomics of work processes. Workers no longer have to bend down as far to load items. Additionally, the need for forklifts and pallet jacks to travel between stations is eliminated, significantly reducing physical strain. Moreover, the reduction in forklift traffic has increased workplace safety.
The automation of pallet transport has significantly increased productivity between sorting and wrapping. Congestion and the resulting long truck downtimes are a thing of the past. Workflows in this area have been greatly optimized by the AGV system.
Jan Leins
