The aim of the warehouse reorganisation was to replace the ten-year-old hardware platform as well as the warehouse management software, which was also outdated, during ongoing operations. As general contractor, S&P was responsible for the implementation of the new warehouse management software, the modernisation of the subordinate control system (MFR) and the connection of the SAP/R2 software via an online interface. The entire modernisation and reorganisation of the warehouse was estimated to take only five months. As part of the reorganisation, function modules resulting from Böwespecific manufacturing conditions were integrated from the PPS system into the new warehouse management system. The HOST system transfers the complete production orders with an average of 400 operations online to the WMS. There, the requirement quantities related to production are combined into stock removal orders for several complete production lots per operation and article. The most important aspect here was the reduction of the picking effort in the automatic small parts warehouse (AS/RS) by significantly reducing the number of pick positions per workstation.
Furthermore, the data exchange between PPS and LVS, which previously took place via magnetic tapes, was changed to an online connection. The prerequisite for this was the realisation of an interface based on Lu6.2 using the CPI-C libraries from SAP. In the meantime, the R/2 connection was converted to an SAP R/3 connection via IDOC during operation.
The boundary condition for the introduction of the new software was the seamless transition from the old to the new WMS system without stopping warehouse operations for longer than a weekend.
In addition, the production orders already started by the PPS and the shortages accumulated in the old WMS system were migrated.
To couple the miniload, warehouse operations were reduced from three to two shifts during the two-week commissioning period. In the third shift, the 6-aisle miniload equipped with fixed trays was coupled to the new WMS and tested. During the remaining time, the manually operated sheet metal and bar storage as well as the pallet and component storage were put into operation.
Application software
- Goods receipt entry based on advance notifications from SAP
- Consideration of the article-related container units during goods receipt entry and order picking in the manually managed sheet metal and bar warehouse
- Blend account management and feedback of inflows and outflows in the sheet metal and bar storage to SAP
- Grouping of production orders into collective stock removals (stacks) based on the same work processes in production with the aim of reducing picks in order picking
- Allocation of transports according to priority, taking into account stack-clean picking in the automated warehouse
- Recording of replenishment orders for "Kanbanteile" in production via MDE
- Bypass function for missing parts in goods receipt with feedback of the missing quantity resolution to SAP
- Warehouse information system (among others)
- Operational management (among others)
Hardware and system software
- The project, originally realised on a Compaq Alpha Server, has since been migrated to the IBM RS/6000.
- 14 network terminals with barcode reading pistols, 2 PCs as well as 12 barcode label printers and 2 fast list printers are connected via a TCP/IP network.
- The original HOST online interface to SAP R/2 using SNA/LU6.2 has been replaced by an IDOC interface to SAP R/3.
- The connection to the subordinate control of the automatic small parts warehouse from the company viastore systems (formerly Haushahn Automationssysteme GmbH) is made via Ethernet connection.
About Böwe Systec
BÖWE SYSTEC GmbH, headquartered in Augsburg, is one of Europe's leading providers of high-performance inserting, card logistics and mailing, reading technologies, mail sorting and innovative software. The company is one of the world's leading solution providers for modern printing and mail processing centres, so-called mailrooms.
The company was founded in Augsburg in the early 1950s. Its roots lie in cutting machines for continuous documents. Later, high-performance inserting systems, special systems for sending sensitive documents such as insurance policies and plastic cards as well as special software concepts were added - a development that led to the company becoming a globally active full-service provider for the mailroom. BÖWE SYSTEC GmbH, together with its international subsidiaries, is part of the Possehl Group, which generates an annual turnover of approximately 2.8 billion euros with more than 11,000 employees.
