As soon as global market leaders want to optimise, dusty structures and inefficient processes no longer stand a chance. What does it look like when several of the smart add-ons from the status C Connected Warehouse and Connected Manufacturing are used across divisions? Oerlikon Barmag has the answer.
Integration of:
status C connect:IT
status C guide:IT
status C progress:IT
status C scan:IT
status C check:IT
Plant solutions & pump construction
January 2022 – January 2023
OTT (On-Time-Transport) Performance at 94%
Increased sales and shortened lead times
Reduction of search and fault times
Establishing leaner processes in warehouse and production
Oerlikon Barmag is one of the world's leading providers in fibre plant technology. The Remscheid site, where pumps and systems for the production of synthetic yarn are manufactured, is essential for the company. It is therefore all the more important that all processes here are as lean, efficient and transparent as possible. The construction of a new production hall gave those responsible at Oerlikon Barmag the impulse to scrutinise processes in their own warehouse and production logistics and to optimise them with a strong partner. Because only those who constantly optimise can stay at the top.
The path to Industry 4.0 and fully digitalised intralogistics initially seemed impregnable. Long material search times, overcrowded storage spaces at the machines, transports on demand, long throughput times and no flexibility for short-term changes in the production plan were among the everyday problems. In addition, there was hardly any reliable information for the management on the basis of which resources could be planned sparingly and efficiently at the same time. And where there is a lot of room for optimisation, status C should not be far away. So it was time to get to work.
At the beginning of every cooperation there is comprehensive process consulting. Only those who understand processes can identify needs and optimise workflows. The "7R rule" was used as a guideline for the joint cooperation: The right goods in the right packaging of the right quality at the right time in the right place with the right quantity at the right cost.
To ensure this, the standard-based AddOns from status C should be connected to the in-house planning tool. No problem for the plug & play solutions from the Connected Warehouse. This was followed by the smart warehouse lift integration status c connect:IT, the solution for mobile data collection status C scan:IT and the AGV guidance system status c guide:IT. In addition, the warehouse monitor with live key figures driven by status C check:IT found its way into Oerlikon Barmag's hallowed halls.
Thanks to minimal customising efforts, the software was quickly operational and the optimisations were noticeable from day 1. Poor picking performance, long material searches, empty runs and non-transparent transports were now a thing of the past.
"Thanks to status C, the system supports us in our work and not vice versa. Mr. Semrock and his teamwork in an incredibly dynamic way - with a passion for intelligent solutions and a desire to break boundaries."
"The constructive cooperation and constant exchange of ideas with status C has led to the fact that weare now playing Champions League with our transport system."
But the cooperation did not stop there. As a company that not only has to cope with warehouse management challenges, but also manufactures, the needs are diverse. One of Oerlikon Barmag's main concerns was a managed material flow with targeted control of production orders along the entire supply chain. In addition, the exact allocation of parts in production (WIP - work in progress) played a major role - both for efficiency and work safety. Status C progress:IT once again proved to be a booster for production logistics. As soon as the master data was maintained in the SAP system, the innovative solution from Connected Manufacturing unfolded its full potential. Now every employee knew at any time which part was in which production step and in which storage location - without any supervisory knowledge and thus with maximum transparency.
Maximum drive, high competence and an agile way of working: this is how both parties describe the course of the project. Together, Oerlikon Barmag and status C have managed to make production orders faster to find, established capacity-controlled transport routes and perfectly networked the hardware that is used - as always, standards-based and directly in SAP. All in all, the cooperation has resulted in, among other things, an OTT (On-Time-Transport) performance of 94% as well as considerable time savings due to the elimination of inconvenient sorting of production orders. In addition, Oerlikon Barmag and status C have thus created the foundation for a paperless factory. A result that all project participants can be proud of.
"The cooperation with Oerlikon Barmag was very agile and open. From the management level to the employees in production, it was clear that everyone here is interested in optimisation. So the daily doing went easily from hand to hand."
"I have particularly fond memories of this project. Above all, the close coordination with the client was on an equal basis right from the start and was always geared towards productivity."