Automate Manufacturing Material Flows for When and Where You Need Them

The manufacturing industry poses unique challenges for intralogistics and material flow—especially when flexibility and process reliability are critical. As product life cycles shorten and demand becomes increasingly unpredictable, manufacturers across North America are turning to automation solutions that adapt quickly to changing production requirements. Making sure your operation runs smoothly is always top-of-mind when it comes to manufacturing. Having a deep understanding for all components, inventory, storage, and assembly can become cumbersome, especially if you have multiple productions lines operating at once.

An operation that has daily incoming components, arriving multiple times per day, or even within a certain time frame, can get overwhelming if proper material handling workflows are not set-up correctly. This is why many operations work with an automated material handling company. Automated workflows make it easy to store but also can offer part delivery to the proper work cell or production line when needed. Plus, it does so error free. Automated material handling systems, such as automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), conveyor technology, and robotic picking solutions, ensure that the right parts are available exactly when and where they’re needed. This enables efficient parts fulfillment for assembly lines, supports just-in-time (JIT) and just-in-sequence (JIS) production strategies, and minimizes costly downtime.

Automated Production Logistics from
Incoming Goods or to Outgoing Goods

Intelligent production logistics is the basis for just-in-time and just-in-sequence concepts. This is especially the case in assembly workplaces, where an incorrect delivery immediately leads to downtime and incurs high costs. Automatic warehouses and conveyor systems are complemented by mobile robots that are flexible and can react quickly to new production processes.

At the chassis manufacturer KW automotive, the task was to implement the entire manufacturing intralogistics with an automated warehouse. This project includes a modern conveyor technology as well as a pick-to-light system (PTL) in the built-to-order operation. This new automated operation integrates into a flexible production structure and is completely networked.

Real-time Monitoring of Material Flow Processes Enables Maximum Transparency

The transparency process for this project was created by using the latest software technology from GEBHARDT. Real-time data monitoring and visualization in conjunction with automating the intralogistics, gives an in-depth overview on how the system is performing at any given time. This monitoring of material flows increases process quality, repeatability, and enables faster throughput times with lower error rates.

When automation is combined with our powerful GEBHARDT Galileo IoT visualization and monitoring software, operators gain real-time insight into system performance, equipment status, and throughput across the entire facility. This level of transparency enables faster decision-making, proactive maintenance, and optimized production planning. By integrating automation and data visualization, manufacturers can achieve higher uptime, improved accuracy, and greater overall process efficiency within their smart factory environments.

Software for the Digitalization of Intralogistics

Software is the key to the transparency and efficiency when it comes to automation systems. Furthermore, GEBHARDT systems can be operated with our own StoreWare® software, or these systems can also integrate into software solutions from other providers, such as SAP. Our cloud-based solutions Galileo IoT and Galileo Insight provide maximum transparency and further improve availability through the use of analytics.

An Example of a Perfectly Networked Intralogistics Solution

At the GEBHARDT Innovation Center located in Sinsheim Germany, the GEBHARDT Intralogistics Group presents the perfect interaction of the intralogistics solutions for the company. This solution includes displays software and IoT applications to its customers and interested parties. This solution incorporates realistic storage and order-picking conditions. “To perfectly automate our own warehouse and at the same time pick real customer orders, as well as supply our production is and remains the declared goal of the GEBHARDT Innovation Center,” explains Marco Gebhardt, CEO of the GEBHARDT Intralogistics Group. The development and production of intralogistics solutions and IoT applications are subject to continuous evolution, which is why the Innovation Center is also constantly being expanded. New and further developments, such as the SimplePick series workstations or our AGVs that are onsite and available for customers to see in action.

Automating Intralogistics Enables the Digitalization of Production and Distribution in Manufacturing

Automatic storage and material flow systems enable high storage density and optimal use of space, whether for buffering or general storage of products and raw materials. The individual process steps must be linked with each other and allows transparency across all material flows.

Maximum Flexibility of In-house Transport

In addition, organizations are now looking for the fastest and most efficient intralogistics possible. This ever-increasing demand for individualization and new digitalization solutions are the main drivers of change. The goal here is to be flexible and scalable. Technical solutions must be adaptable, both in terms of throughput and item size. The StoreBiter OLS X shuttle system shows its advantages and exactly how maximum flexibility, and scalability are required. In combination with mobile robots, this means that a classic line or an assembly production line can become a thing of the past. In the factory of the future, they efficiently process a high number of variants, even with a batch size of one. Highly flexible assembly cells can be variable and are interconnected by modern automation systems.

In this collaboration shown here between MOSCA GmbH and GEBHARDT Intralogistics Group, it shows how the use of mobile autonomous systems can be used to rethink the optimal linking of assembly islands or end-of-line solutions.

Ergonomic Workplaces Achieved Through Automation

For employees, automation provides an ergonomic design and functional safety for employees. Reduce absenteeism and address the challenges of an aging population (and workforce) along with skills shortages. With easy-to-use visual aids, errors become reduced. Plus, with integrated workstations, ergonomics makes picking easy and reduces stress.

Ergonomics Improve Efficiency and Deliver High Quality Products

You expect the highest quality from your production and logistics environment. An optimized and ergonomically workplace facilitates daily work with less stress and creates spaces and awareness for assuring optimum quality without product defects or incorrect deliveries. GEBHARDT software products provide such additional support.

Automation and digitalization determine daily activities in intralogistics. In addition to challenges, they offer new opportunities to meet rising levels of competitive pressure and become even more efficient. Questions about faster delivery times, error prevention, and flexible adaptation to performance peaks, can all be achieved through an ergonomic automated solution. Even the mapping of very different order picking tasks is achievable even with customer-specific variations. This was also Leuze’s experience when it came to building its new international distribution center.

Automation Promotes Sustainability

With automation you are also investing in sustainability and resource conservation. Furthermore, you're also meeting high requirements for economic efficiency and investment security. Automation of internal logistics leads to a reduction in labor costs within several years of facility operations and is the key to high efficiency even in countries with high unit labor costs.