Building 10 is the new central production storage area for metalworking, packaging materials, customer-supplied parts, parts for assembly and semi-finished component parts. The materials are sorted, numbered and stored clearly in cantilever racks ready for the next stage of production. The items are pre-picked and transported to the next stage of the process via an effective tugger train system.

As little as possible, as much as necessary

"Material transport on site is a necessary evil," explains Andreas Kotara. When he started working here in 2016, he closely assessed the routes travelled by staff and materials in production. He concluded that too much time was wasted identifying and transporting items. The aim going forward was to reduce the number of process steps within production to only those that added value or were absolutely necessary. Building 10 provides the conditions required to improve internal logistics as a whole.

Tugger train system boosts speed and effectiveness

Building 10's central location allowed it to be easily integrated into the existing tugger train system. Our tug vehicles can pull up to 15 Euro-pallet trailers. This makes it a much faster and more effective way to transport goods compared to a forklift. The tugger train travels at agreed times to clearly marked stops. Colored labels tell the tugger train driver where to uncouple or attach a trailer.

Improved processes boost reliability

Andreas Kotara, who has plenty of experience in lean management, is confident: "Structured work increases productivity. Production is faster, quality is higher and reject rates are lower." Our experiments with lean production processes confirm that our customers benefit from the greater process reliability. It also allows us to adhere more closely to delivery schedules, while ensuring constant product quality.