Borgholzhausen/Nörten-Hardenberg - We read about challenges in the beverage industry everywhere, be it the growing demands of consumers, rising raw material prices or the need to make processes more sustainable. To stay on course and strengthen their own position, beverage manufacturers need to proactively address these changes and take action. This is exactly what the medium-sized fruit juice producer beckers bester GmbH has done by investing in the modernization of its compact warehouse.
Investment in the future from back then pays off
The change in consumers' purchasing decisions was already apparent in the 1990s. Health, enjoyment and environmental awareness were becoming more important and beckers bester translated its market success in this area into sustainable investments. This included the automation of the logistics area, and the company management decided to build a new compact warehouse in silo design from Westfalia Technologies GmbH & Co KG, then still Westfalia Systemtechnik.
For three decades now, the Westfalia facility in Nörten-Hardenberg has ensured the fully automated storage of beckers best natural fruit juices, nectars and spritzers. With a two-aisle Satellite® warehouse, four storage and retrieval machines with Satellite® and 11,601 storage locations for Euro pallets, the basis for efficient warehouse logistics has been created. A basis that has proven its worth for 30 years.
Modernization as the key to future viability
A longer maturing time improves the quality of many beverages, but this applies less to automated systems. Over the years, issues such as spare parts procurement, mechanical wear, high energy consumption and software developments come to the fore. This was also the case for the fruit juice manufacturer, whose system stores and retrieves around 100,000 pallets a year in 3-shift operation. Malfunctions occurred, resulting in longer truck downtimes and even the threat of production stoppages. A well-thought-out modernization was almost unavoidable in order to guarantee profitability through high planning capability, availability and reliability. For this reason, beckers bester commissioned its long-standing partner and warehouse automation specialist Westfalia to carry out a comprehensive inventory analysis, during which all critical components and system parts were checked.
"Westfalia has been a constant companion to our system since it was built in 1993, so the decision was quickly made that we wanted to continue working with Westfalia as a reliable partner," explains Theresa Burchard, Head of Logistics at beckers bester. The aim was to significantly extend the service life of the system, increase efficiency and continue to guarantee operational reliability.
"To make the system fit for the future, we started a comprehensive modernization project in July 2021. The project was implemented in four steps: conversion of the warehouse management system from PMain to Savanna.NET®, replacement of a transfer car, modernization of the first rack aisle including the two storage and retrieval machines and modernization of the second rack aisle including the two storage and retrieval machines," explains René Findling, Sales Manager Modernization & Extensions.
Are you interested in modernization? Read more about modernization and expansion of storage systems. Or contact our sales department for more information.
Efficiency gains through software conversion
As part of the modernization, Westfalia initially focused on the storage process for returnable and non-returnable items. Thanks to the new use of the customer's own camera scanners and the extended CSB-ERP system link, manual data entry by users is no longer necessary. The integration of Savanna.NET® with a customized connection to the CSB-ERP system and the photo scanners enables a seamless connection between the various systems and processes and leads to more efficient and error-free data processing. A step that optimizes the entire logistics chain.
This was followed by the connection to the four storage and retrieval machines, which are distributed across two aisles, and to the staging lanes for the loading lists. By changing the software, it was possible to improve the usable area of the existing 15 staging lanes. "Previously, the staging lanes were reserved for specific trucks, which limited efficiency. Savanna.NET® now calculates in advance exactly how many lanes are needed and selects them automatically," says Gunnar Milchert, Senior Project Manager Software & IT. "Thanks to this dynamic allocation, we can now efficiently serve significantly more trucks with the same number of staging lanes." The software modernization of the system was carried out parallel to ongoing operations in order to avoid interruptions to availability. Necessary system tests were therefore carried out during beckers bester's downtime to enable a direct start with the new system during operating hours.
Increase in system availability
Another key element of the modernization was the extensive renewal of the drive and control technology. This modernization included the use of new servo motors, the integration of the latest inverter technology, the installation of new control cabinets and the implementation of increased safety standards.
The positioning of the storage and retrieval machines within the warehouse, which was originally carried out by an incremental encoder, is now carried out by precise laser distance sensors following the modernization. "A new addition is comprehensive monitoring of the position and speed of the travel carriage via a functionally reliable evaluation unit. For this purpose, two SSI encoders of different types and manufacturers are used for distance measurement. This is also done once for each direction of travel, as two storage and retrieval machines travel on one rail. This also enables more modern collision monitoring of the two vehicles," says Martin Hessler, Head of Automation Technology, describing the project. "In addition, the compartment fine positioning was replaced by a positioning camera integrated via Profinet."
Another important step was the optimization of data transmission between the storage and retrieval machine and the stationary control unit. Previously, the necessary data exchange with the conveyor system was realized via a bus system that was superimposed on the busbar of the storage and retrieval machine. This system was converted to optical data transmission, which significantly improved performance. In addition, a new touch panel was installed for manual operation of the storage and retrieval machine, which significantly improved the operability and user-friendliness of the system.
Finally, a new service interface to Westfalia was introduced. This new link enables faster and more reliable support in service cases, minimizes downtimes and increases the efficiency of maintenance processes.
The use of better and more reliable components has increased the availability of the system and Theresa Burchard is satisfied: "The susceptibility to faults has been significantly reduced and we benefit above all from the interfaces to our ERP system CSB."
Overall, the modernization at beckers bester has not only significantly improved the operational reliability and efficiency of the plant but has also once again created the basis for future-proof and sustainable logistics.
"Our solution has clearly shown that even older systems can be brought back up to date through targeted modernization and individual adaptations," emphasizes René Findling. "There are no standard solutions. We offer customized solutions that are precisely tailored to the customer's requirements, thus ensuring a long-term increase in efficiency and future viability of the systems."
