RS Components to automate key storage facility

The space-saving solution takes items into stock, buffers them and then sequences them for commissioning and order consolidation. There will be 300 shuttles to automatically access the containers and transport them directly to the goods-to-person (GTP) commissioning station, to dispatch or to inventory storage, where they are repacked in order to prepare them for dispatch. 

The goal for RS Components is to increase its picking capacity to up to 38,000 order lines per day through the automation. The plan is for the logistics centre to become operational in the second quarter of 2021.

“The Dematic solution enables high throughput rates as well as faultless commissioning, guaranteeing efficient and reliable order processing for RS Components,” says Jessica Heinz, head of marketing and business development for Dematic Central Europe. 

RS Components is a global, multi-channel provider of products and solutions for industry, specifically electronics with plans to store up to 450,000 items at its new, highly modern distribution centre in Bad Hersfeld. The large product range presents a process challenge, which the company is now addressing with the comprehensive automation of the flow of material. 

“The system allows the speed, storage density, accuracy and availability within the distribution centre to be increased significantly,” adds Peter Stock, who is the senior project manager of implementation at RS Components.

How it works

The articles are delivered in cases to the incoming goods department on the ground floor and fed into the Dematic Multishuttle system. Next, the system automatically takes care of storage and disbursement and transports the goods across three floors. Dematic container transport technology is integrated into the installation. This technology links the Dematic Multishuttle to commissioning, the packing stations and dispatch. In addition, various devices, such as spiral and continuous conveyors, label printers, conveyor scales, case erectors and case sealers are incorporated into the system to support the logistics processes. 

As soon as an order is received, the shuttles automatically transport the necessary articles in the right order to one out of a total of eight GTP workstations on the second floor or to the make-to-order and make-to-stock workstations on the third floor for production and consolidation. For the automatic packaging that follows, Dematic integrates case erector and case sealer machines. This allows RS Components to decrease its packaging and shipping expenses.

Integrated automation software from Digital Applications International (DAI) Limited, a subsidiary of Dematic and its parent company, KION Group, manages the Dematic Multishuttle and that of the material flow. It also manages order consolidation.

“This IT solution is extremely efficient and decreases the cycle times with the utmost precision,” said Heinz.

The reconstruction project is one of many in the nearly 20 years of continuous partnership between Dematic and RS Components.

For more information, visit www.dematic.com