IDG-Dichtungstechnik enters automated intralogistics

Hamburg/Albershausen - IDG-Dichtungstechnik GmbH, an expert in modern sealing profiles and materials based in Kirchheim unter Teck, is restructuring its logistics. Founded in 1971, the company is planning to move into automation for its new logistics site in Albershausen and has commissioned Jungheinrich to build a single-aisle miniload warehouse for this purpose.

Until now, IDG-Dichtungstechnik has organised its material flow exclusively manually. Since the Baden-Württemberg-based company needs to expand its logistics due to strong growth, it is taking the opportunity to switch to automated processes with the new building. "The strategic decision in favour of automation represents an important milestone for IDG-Dichtungstechnik, which we are closely supporting, including extensive training, from planning to turnkey handover," reports Knut Schröder, Project Manager Sales ASRS at Jungheinrich. "Thanks to the AS/RS, IDG benefits from structured workflows, ergonomic workplaces, a high degree of transparency as well as compact warehouse consolidation with optimum capacity utilisation on a small footprint." The 37-metre-long, 8-metre-wide and 15.4-metre-high miniload offers 11,562 storage locations and thus a 1.5-fold increase in performance compared to the current situation.

The new miniload, in which the containers are stored two deep, is connected to the pre-zone building for assembly supply via a conveyor system. On the ground floor, two workplaces are provided for order picking and one for goods receiving; another order picking workplace is located on the upper floor. In future, work will be carried out here on five working days in single-shift operation. For this, Jungheinrich is supplying an STC stacker crane including control and visualisation. This allows 150 totes per hour to be stored and retrieved. The scope of supply also includes the steel rack construction, the container conveyor technology, the platform systems, four airlocks with eight high-speed doors and four fire protection doors. The Hamburg-based company is also responsible for the electrification and the connection of the customer's ERP system to the Jungheinrich WMS, which was also ordered.

Since the customer is designing the plant with inerting - i.e. with oxygen reduction as a preventive fire protection measure that requires a particularly tight building shell - Jungheinrich has adapted its fire protection concept: instead of the usual sprinkler systems, the airlocks are fitted with high-speed doors. Jungheinrich also demonstrates flexibility and customer orientation with two other special construction features: for the water-impermeable concrete floor slab, the Hamburg-based company uses special injection dowels, and in addition, the AKL is not installed via a wall opening as is usually the case. Since the oxygen-reduced atmosphere requires a construction without skylights, Jungheinrich will bring in all the AKL components during the construction phase via the then only remaining opening above the roof.

"The chemistry was right from the start," says Aron Olbrich, Managing Director of IDG-Dichtungstechnik GmbH. "Even in the bidding phase, the cooperation proved to be successful, as Jungheinrich brought the project forward enormously by providing important impetus." The AKL is the first cooperation between Jungheinrich and IDG-Dichtungstechnik - but more are already foreseeable: the expansion of the warehouse to include an additional aisle and order-picking workstations is already planned, and the technology is being designed accordingly. The two partners will also jointly support IDG-Dichtungstechnik's now automated intralogistics in future via the service contract.