Large-scale projects in the automotive industry demand a maximum of precision and meeting deadlines. Nowhere is the bar set this high. "We are practically working according to an hourly timetable. Because of the ongoing production, the installation times are extremely short and require coordination and preparation," explains Jochen Keinath, Vollert's project manager responsible for the installation. Partial commissioning at the plant shortens the installation period. The retrofit specialists at Vollert have many years' experience in the automotive industry, ensuring that retrofit projects of this type and magnitude can be implemented with high competency.
High-bay Warehouse with 48 Infeed and Outfeed Slots
The high-bay warehouse for sheet metal parts at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen, to be newly equipped by Vollert, serves as interim storage for load carriers coming from the press plant. Load carriers weighing up to 2.5 tons are handled individually using the stacker cranes. Smaller load carriers are combined to form loads up to 3.5 tons and are stored together. The hourly turnover rate this fully automated system can cope with is immense. In addition to the process-control technology and the electronics, which alone amount to one-third of the entire order volume, Vollert delivers the conveyor equipment as well as the steel construction for the pre-zone. A total of 48 infeed and outfeed slots lead to the stacker cranes. The loading and unloading takes place on two levels. Fork lifts govern the ground level; whereas driverless transport systems (AGV) are loaded automatically on the below-ground level.
Conversion in Four Phases
A special feature of this retrofitting project can be found in the special stacker crane and their adaptation to the already existing high-bay warehouse. Standard solutions won't do here. Instead, ample know-how and flexibility are the order of the day. At the same time, the production of individual systems essentially amounts to a mini-series by virtue of their sheer numbers. Vollert guarantees minimum delivery times here as well. After only six months of planning and construction the first delivery was made in December 2014. Overall the installation is divided into four construction phases during which three aisles are always exchanged together. This includes opening the roof, disassembly of the old equipment and assembly of the new. The heavy-load experts also coordinate certification and approval. By the end of 2015, the conversion of the high-bay warehouse will be completed.
