Features and innovations

Manufacturing companies: between workbench and flow of goods. (Part 1/2)

The reality on the store floor: challenges instead of routine.

Machines hum, conveyor belts run and robots provide support. Production halls are trimmed for high performance. But the supply of materials can still come to a standstill. Why? Because there is a lack of coordination between the warehouse and production. In addition, there are supply bottlenecks, volatile markets and quality problems with purchased parts.

Industrial companies are under more time pressure today than ever before. Whether B2B or B2C customers - everyone expects fast deliveries and traceability is mandatory. If parts or raw materials are missing, production stops. If you're not efficient and flexible, you're in trouble.

Intralogistics demands everything. Requirements change daily, goods flows are becoming more complex, quality standards are rising and delivery deadlines were already due yesterday.

The solution: smart warehouse management software linked to the production system. It controls material flows, avoids stock shortages and reliably manages spare parts. Intelligent analyses support planning. This means that the material arrives exactly when it is needed - in production, in the warehouse or directly to the customer.

Examples of this industry:
  • Automotive industry: produces vehicles, car parts and accessories
  • Electronics industry: manufactures electronic devices, components and semiconductors
  • Food and beverage industry: produces food and beverages
  • Textile and clothing industry: processes fabrics into clothing and fashion
  • Chemical industry: produces paints, varnishes, cleaning agents and fertilizers
  • Metalworking industry: manufactures components, machines and tools
  • Furniture and wood industry: builds furniture, furnishings and wood products
  • Pharmaceutical industry: produces medicines and medical products
  • Mechanical engineering: develops machines, systems and equipment for industry and trade
  • Aerospace industry: builds aircraft, spacecraft and components
  • Construction and construction industry: supplies building materials and components for building construction and civil engineering
  • Energy sector: manufactures batteries, solar cells and turbines
  • Toy and leisure industry: produces toys and entertainment articles

Our customers come from many of these sectors. These include: Bachmann Elektrotechnik, Bad Heilbrunner, Husqvarna, NKD, Stihl, Good Time Holding, Thomas Sabo, Werk28, Nobilia, Häcker, Eisenhart Laeppché GmbH, Adam Hall, Bansbach and BIBUS GmbH, Toyota Ersatzteillager and FLURO-Gelenklager GmbH.

Industry diversity, but the same challenges

Anyone who works in production knows that it's not just about moving material. It's about providing the right thing in the right place at the right time - just-in-time production.

  • Reliable production supply and disposal: What is not there cannot be processed. What cannot be removed blocks the process. When the conveyor belt comes to a standstill, there's no shrugging your shoulders. It has to run.
  • End-to-end traceability: Who produces what, when and with which batch? A must in many industries. Without gaps and without compromises.
  • Strict quality assurance: sources of error must be eliminated, processes constantly checked and documented. Faulty products? Costs. Those discovered too late cost even more.
  • Time-critical deliveries and bottlenecks: a missing part brings production to a standstill. A late delivery results in penalties. Just-in-time must not become just-to-late.
  • Kit formation (set formation): Products are often not delivered individually, but as a set - the process has to be right. That makes all the difference.
  • Coordination of different warehouse types: Automated, manual, chaotic - the interaction must work. And the question: "Where to put the pallet now?" must not even arise.
The solution? Warehouse management software that maps, optimizes, automates and secures critical processes.
  • Precise production planning & control: no material bottlenecks. This ensures that every delivery lands on time - precisely and efficiently.
  • Automatic replenishment strategy: no manual reordering, no frantic searching. The software recognizes bottlenecks in advance and reacts immediately.
  • Batch & serial number management: Complete traceability down to the smallest part is standard with us. And without additional tools.
  • QA inspection module: Quality starts in the warehouse. Inspection processes are integrated, documented and can be called up at any time. Errors are filtered out before they leave the warehouse.
  • Real-time inventory management & tracking: What is stored where? How much is still there? Everything live and at a glance. Every item, every movement and every transfer.
  • Parts list management for kit creation: We organize kits and sets intelligently. This allows you to create exactly the product you need from many parts.
  • Multi-warehouse capability: Whether manual, automatic or mixed, the software combines all warehouse types on one platform.

Challenge 1: reliable production supply & disposal

Production does not wait. If the material is missing, the machine comes to a standstill and with it the entire production flow. At the same time, finished parts have to be sent quickly for further processing, assembly or dispatch. And all this under time pressure. Materials must be available just in time so that production does not come to a standstill. Close coordination between the warehouse and production is therefore essential. If unplanned downtime occurs, for example due to machine damage, raw material shortages or other disruptions, the system reacts immediately, in a coordinated and automatic manner.

Smart solution 1: precise production planning & control

We network warehouses and production lines. Our software delivers materials to the machine with pinpoint accuracy, takes downtime and bottlenecks into account and ensures that nothing comes to a standstill. Thanks to order data, real-time communication and process intelligence, production runs smoothly.

What that means?‍

  • Materials are available when they are needed.
  • Manage finished goods, semi-finished products & raw materials efficiently in the warehouse.
  • The software knows the order data and production capacities and plans accordingly.
  • Even in the event of disruptions, everything remains in flow. Planning is adjusted in real time.

Find out more: Perfect your material flow and stop wasting time with production supply and disposal.

Practical example: How the process works.‍

  1. Raw materials are in the warehouse.
  2. A production order comes in.
  3. Components must be manufactured on machine XY in hall 1.
  4. The software triggers the process for delivering the raw materials to the machine.
  5. The order is booked and reported to the ERP or production system.
  6. Production is underway.
  7. After completion, a message is sent to the warehouse.
  8. Storage or direct shipping - the software decides that too.

Do the parts need to be sent to the supplier with other parts or to the next production stage? No problem: cross-docking is integrated.

Smart solution 2: automatic replenishment strategy

How do you organize material replenishment for production? Manually, with Excel lists or by gut feeling? That's easier. Our warehouse management software controls replenishment using various strategies:

  • Kanban processes with mobile data collection
  • Provision in fixed replenishment batch sizes
  • Demand-driven material provision

This means there are no waiting times. The software recognizes the demand, starts the replenishment and keeps production stable - even if plans change spontaneously.


Challenge 2: end-to-end traceability

If a product problem occurs, every minute counts. Which batch is affected? Where is it located? Who supplied it? Without complete traceability, these questions remain unanswered. Theory and practice diverge here. From raw material to production to delivery, the path of an item must be clearly traceable. This is almost impossible without digital systems - especially when thousands of items pass through the warehouse every day. If you don't have clarity about batches, you risk losing time, customer confidence and money. High costs are incurred at the latest in the event of a product recall.

Smart solution: Batch & serial number management

Whether internal or external - every batch, every serial number is continuously documented. From goods receipt to delivery, the system knows where each batch is located. And this is legally compliant, audit-proof and integrated into the processes.

Advantages at a glance:

  • Serial numbers enable seamless tracking of every product.
  • Batch-controlled items are registered directly at goods receipt.
  • Storage locations are clearly assigned, thus eliminating search times.
  • The number remains the same for all movements, both internal and external.

Companies with clear traceability work faster, more transparently and more customer-oriented. They ensure quality and trust - not only in the event of a crisis, but also in the competition for sustainability and product safety.

More about batch management: Knowing where the goods are, even if they are scattered everywhere.


Challenge 3: strict quality assurance

Even small errors in the incoming goods department affect the entire production process - with expensive consequences. That is why quality is checked directly on receipt. The wrong screw, a porous hose or contaminated granulate? If this is only discovered after further processing, the damage is great: production stops, costs, stress. Special inspection processes in the incoming goods department filter reliably. Only raw materials and components that meet the quality standard are passed on. Everything else ends up in the restricted warehouse.

Smart solution: QA inspection module

Our software controls individually defined inspection processes, random samples, target values, blocked batches and much more. You define the standards and we ensure that they are adhered to. Automated, documented and traceable.

Functions of the test module:

  • Define checkpoints - what is checked, how and when?
  • Spot checks - definition of target values and tolerances.
  • Process linking - tests exactly where they belong.
  • Manage inspection lots and generate inspection orders automatically.
  • Manage blocked stock - so that nothing slips through.
  • Recognize, document and rectify deviations.
Anyone who demands the highest standards in production must not improvise when it comes to quality assurance - especially not in the warehouse.

You have now learned about three of the six key challenges, including solutions. The second part will follow in a few weeks. In it, we will address another three challenges and show you how they can be solved. It's worth sticking with it.

Contact us and talk to one of our experts on the subject.

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