Dematic Automates Small Parts Warehouse at Siemens Plant

Dematic has automated the warehouse at the Siemens plant for combination technology in Chemnitz (Siemens WKC). The plant produces switchgear and custom electronic components for the global market. In one year, more than 1,270,000 material parts for the production of applications are to be stored.

(Heusenstamm/Chemnitz) Dematic’s compact small goods picking solution not only improves warehouse space utilization at Siemens but also automates the picking and material flow for production. It includes an AutoStore® system with more than 45,000 containers for the storage of small parts, along with adjacent Dematic conveyor technology. In addition to saving time and costs, the Dematic solution for Siemens offers higher capacity and storage density, as well as a reduced error rate in the assembly of components.

“Until now, we have been working with a manual modular shelving system at the site. With the new solution, the entire material flow will now be automated to ensure a very good production supply that integrates flexibly into the working processes at Siemens,” says Carsten Sambo, Head of Inbound Logistics, Siemens WKC.

Shelving System with 12,000 Storage Locations

As a long-standing consulting partner of Siemens, KION Group sister company STILL introduced Dematic. In addition, the intralogistics expert and forklift manufacturer provided a shelving system for approximately 12,000 storage locations and 2,100 square meters of staging area for the warehouse as part of the overall logistics concept. In developing the small goods picking solution, Dematic collaborated with Siemens WKC.

“Siemens has trusted the KION Group for years due to its commitment to excellence in all projects,” explains Rainer Buchmann, SVP, Dematic Central Europe. “This project showcases the great collaboration between Siemens, Dematic, and STILL – and the results prove that this collaboration yields exceptional results – more processed orders, less time, and fewer errors. A real win for everyone.”

The AutoStore® system features more than 45,000 containers. These are divided into various compartments, allowing multiple different products to be stored per container. Orders are collected by 34 mobile robots that travel on top of the system and access the containers with the parts as soon as they are requested. They then automatically transport the items to one of the five picking stations, where the components are bundled for further processing in production. Previously, staff had to cover long distances to pick individual items. A conveyor belt then brings the bundled parts into the production area.

Conveyor Technology Automates Material Flow

To supply the AutoStore® system with parts, packages are unloaded directly from delivery vehicles onto connected Dematic conveyor technology and transported via lifts to the workstations in the goods receiving area. There, the containers of the AutoStore® system are filled. Additional conveyor belts then bring the containers to the transfer cell, where they are loaded into the AutoStore® system. The conveyor technology thus automates the entire material flow of the goods.

Furthermore, Siemens has integrated the new warehouse system ASIS (AutoStore Integration Service), a software solution developed and maintained by Siemens Bad Neustadt, into its IT structure. It complements SAP and manages the processes between AutoStore®, conveyor technology, and the employees.

Photo: © Dematic