When it comes to the topic of bicycles, more than 2,000 customers in more than 70 countries rely on Messingschlager GmbH & Co. KG. With an experience of more than 90 years, the family-owned company based in Baunach is one of the leading providers of components related to bicycles. The product range comprises small parts such as valve caps as well as lighting kits, wheels or complete children’s bikes. The availability of goods and a comprehensive service are top priority. With more than 20,000 storage locations, Messingschlager operates Europe’s largest warehouse for bicycle parts already today.
Modernization and expansion for even more efficiency:
In order to make logistics processes at the company location even more efficient, the intralogistics specialist Klinkhammer was awarded the contract to modernize and expand the existing fully automated high-bay and small-parts warehouse. 2 additional aisles are added to the automated high-bay warehouse and connected by conveyors to a new, modern multi-order picking area. In addition, a retrofit of the existing automated storage and conveyor technology will ensure an even faster and more effective delivery of bicycle parts to the customers.
Automated warehouse rethought:
While connecting the pallet high-bay warehouse containing 4,592 storage locations, the existing pre-zone of the existing two-aisle warehouse is also optimized and replaced by a high-performance conveyor loop. In addition, the pallet conveyor technology supplies a modern order picking area comprising 4 retrieval and 6 target locations.Thus, an order can be allocated to each target location during multi-order picking. Special displays at the retrieval and target locations support the employees who pick the orders. Pallet supply and collection interfaces enable an in-house stock transfer between automated and manual pallet warehouse.
Retrofit:
The new construction is completed by a retrofit of the existing plant. This comprises both the modernization of the control technology components as well as the control software and warehouse management software. The existing warehouse management system including material flow calculator is replaced, order picking processes are optimized and manual warehouses are integrated. An interface connects the warehouse management software KlinkWARE to the ERP system.The warehouse management system which is tailored specifically to the requirements of Messingschlager manages the automated pallet and small parts warehouse, the manual pallet warehouse as well as the external warehouse, cross-docking warehouse and block storage. A stacker control system is integrated as well.
The reprogramming of the SPS-control for the storage and retrieval cranes and the conveyor technology will bring the old and new plant up to date and the overall productivity will be increased. Storage and retrieval cranes with touch panels facilitate usability, additional scanners improve the identification of the loading units. Wiring and cable lines of the conveyor technology are mostly renewed and brought up to date as well. With the system visualization software KlinkVISION, the system operator will be able to retrieve the exact storage space data and target data of each loading unit and provide a rapid alarm diagnosis in the warehouse. Thus, downtimes are minimized and system availability is increased.
Shipping times shortened, availability increased:
Rapidly changing markets in a globalized economy require rapid responses. „With the capacity expansions and modernizations we create the opportunity to continuously expand our full-service for wholesalers and manufacturers. We shorten shipping times again and are able to meet customer requests even more flexibly and efficiently“, said Sebastian Dirscherl, Operations Manager at Messingschlager. „We have the space which our customers can save. Thanks to state-of-the-art logistics, they are able to retrieve their goods easily and quickly in Europe’s largest bicycle parts warehouse, if needed.“
Closely linked construction stages
The overall concept for the conversion consists of chronologically closely linked stages of implementation. The aim of the first construction stage is the commissioning of the new shelf aisles in the high-bay warehouse with interim conveyor loop. In the second construction stage, the retrofit of the automated container warehouse is implemented and the inventory of the existing pallet high-bay warehouse is transferred to the new system. Subsequently, the existing automated high-bay warehouse is modernized and the new conveyor technology concept with order picking stations is implemented.
The expansion of the conveyor and warehouse technology with additional shelf aisles and a new order picking area, the modernization of the control and warehouse management software and the connection of the new warehouse area to the existing warehouse offer new opportunities to Messingschlager in terms of warehouse capacity, speed and delivery capacity.
Data and facts
- Retrofit of the automated high-bay and small-parts warehouse and the conveyor technology
- Replacement of the existing software by a new control and warehouse management software
- Construction of a new building containing a two-aisle automated pallet warehouse.
- 4,592 pallet storage locations
