This year’s LogiMAT – the International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management – took place in Stuttgart once again.
LogiMAT gives visitors a comprehensive market overview of everything connected to the intralogistics industry. It covers all manner of topics – from procurement and production through to delivery – and is attended by a range of international exhibitors who introduce innovative technologies, products, systems and solutions for the rationalisation, process optimisation and cost-reduction of internal business logistics processes.
This year’s LogiMAT focussed on the motto:
Intralogistics at first hand – Intelligent-Efficient-Innovative!
The world of intralogistics
It was clear to see that the motto was reflected in each of the individual exhibitor stands. The exhibitors had more or less everything covered, from fully automatic driverless transport systems in high-bay warehouses and system solutions for day-to-day logistics operations, through to smaller offerings, such as a forklift warning light for lighting up the way. This year we had pretty clear targets on our agenda, including investigating inventory sampling, browsing for alternative delivery packaging and getting up to speed with the latest developments in industrial truck manufacturing.
As the markets are always changing, they require a flexible and innovative logistics approach and processes need constant monitoring and optimisation. It takes a good degree of intuition to sift through all the offerings and select the right products and solutions – the ones that will help us to optimise our internal business operations with precision.
Impressions of the LogiMAT 2019
Potential solutions for Herth+Buss –
Information on inventory sampling
Inventory sampling proves the accuracy level of your inventory management. This means checking whether the inventory levels recorded on the system match the stock levels in the warehouse. The SAP system we use is compatible with the inventory system and, as a result, it would be easy to implement over the course of the year. Inventory sampling doesn’t just make counting stock significantly easier but also saves time and money. Not every inventory item needs to be checked in person. It’s enough if around as little as 10 percent of the entire warehouse stock is counted. The remaining items don’t need to be counted. Inventory sampling is based on the principle of random sampling, which dictates which items should be counted. At LogiMAT we spoke to a company called INFORM, who explained this concept in a bit more detail.
Taking steps to repair our wheel conveyor
The conveyor is used to unload the delivered container goods and has been in operation for quite some time now. As a result, it is starting to show some wear and tear. The question at the moment is whether the wheel conveyor used for incoming goods has individual parts that are interchangeable or whether we need to appoint a technician to help deconstruct the entire conveyor. After a short discussion, it became clear that it would be quite easy for us to just exchange the segments ourselves.
Alternatives for our air cushion load securing
We have discovered an alternative for the air cushions that we are currently using for our load securing. Instead we can use filling material made from paper, which is considerably more eco-friendly. It also withstands the pressure from heaver loads without bursting. By using this material, we can guarantee better protection of our items.
Dispatch boxes
Another highlight was the attendance of various different cardboard box manufacturers. In future, we plan to order samples of boxes that have a crash-lock in the base – which means the bottom locks into place automatically when being assembled. With these types of boxes, the arduous task of taping down the flaps will soon become a thing of the past. As well as using adhesive tape more sparingly, another advantage of these boxes is the time that is saved through not having to fold and stick them down. However, it will take a lot of time and patience for us to find alternatives, as the boxes have to meet all of our requirements, such as stackability and load capacity. The aim is to make handling the dispatch boxes as easy as possible for logistics employees, as they have to work with them on a daily basis.
Alternative load carriers for our system pallets
At the moment we use our system pallets for the package picking process on the lower ground floor – using either a forklift or hand pallet truck. However, the pallets often get knocked on the left or right when being lifted, which can damage the wood. As a result, we approached a company called Arcawa to find some alternatives. Possible solutions we are considering include load carriers made of metal or plastic rather than the fast-wearing wooden pallets. At the moment we are checking what the requirements for an alternative solution to the wooden pallets would be.
Conclusion
Once again, our visit to LogiMAT 2019 was a huge success. We returned full of ideas and perspectives and hopefully will be able to adapt these for future operations at Herth+Buss. Progress within the intralogistics industry remains, as always, impressive and offers the ideal solution for any process. And on that note we can proudly say that the standard of Herth+Buss logistics is already extremely high – something which is undoubtedly plain to see.
We are looking forward to the next LogiMAT and excited to see the type of new and innovative solutions that the year 2020 has in store for us! If you would like to take a look at our agenda from the LogiMAT in 2017, just click here!
