Dematic has equipped the center with a customized automation solution to ensure that all components reach the customer in the shortest possible time.

Fast response times, precise delivery around the clock: spare parts logistics is one of the most demanding tasks for a logistics service provider. This is because it is a real balancing act: companies must always maintain a balance between fast deliveries and the costs of storing and shipping components. Röthlein Logistik GmbH, a joint venture between BayWa AG and Schäflein AG, has risen to this challenge.

When a spare part is needed, the farmer is on red alert. Machines come to a standstill and operations are cancelled. Every minute costs companies hard cash. That’s why the delivery of spare parts is always a race against time. In agriculture in particular, which is more seasonal than almost any other industry and dependent on external conditions such as the weather, even short delays can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful harvest. Every machine has to deliver top performance with pinpoint accuracy. Röthlein Logistik has therefore set itself the task of delivering spare parts for the agricultural industry as quickly as possible.

The logistics service provider’s range extends from rings weighing just a few grams to the cutter bar of a combine harvester weighing several tonnes. Röthlein Logistik has integrated various types of storage into its multi-user system in order to store the approximately 96,000 different spare parts properly. The majority is taken up by a shelf storage system with 60,000 storage locations and an automated small parts warehouse (Miniload) with 18,000 containers. In addition, a Multishuttle system offers space for 4,560 containers, the 10.5 meter high-bay pallet warehouse has 6,000 storage locations and the honeycomb warehouse a further 10,000. Slightly smaller, but no less important, are the disc storage system with 800 storage locations, a cantilever storage system with 200, a cable drum and cut-to-length storage rack with 32 and 400 storage locations respectively and a hazardous materials warehouse with 360 storage locations. There is also a 1,500 square meter block warehouse. 

To ensure a smooth material flow, Röthlein Logistik’s logistics center  is fully equipped with automation technology from Dematic. The customized solution consists of a three-aisle miniload AS/RS with three Dematic RapidStore storage and retrieval machines for four-deep bin storage and retrieval. In addition, there is a Dematic Multishuttle system with 20 shuttles, which serves as a buffer store. Thanks to their high speed, the shuttles store and retrieve up to 1,200 items per hour. 

Six goods-to-person picking stations, which are equipped with a pick-to-light system, and twelve combined workstations for incoming and outgoing goods complete the system. The intralogistics specialist has also installed nine mobile workstations for order picking in the manually operated warehouse areas. The automated conveyor technology Dematic Modular Conveyor System (MCS) is the connecting element to the warehouses. “With the automation solution from Dematic, we have quadrupled our goods handling,” summarizes Michael Hunstock, Head of the Logistics Center at Röthlein Logistik. Today, an average of 1,000 items are handled per day in incoming goods, and as many as 5,900 in outgoing goods. Previously, many processes were carried out manually - for example in two external warehouses in Schweinfurt, which Röthlein Logistik has now integrated into the multi-user system.

According to Hunstock, one of the main reasons for automating the material flow was to be able to carry out spare parts deliveries even faster and more accurately. “Dematic supplied us with the complete technology for this from a single source,” he says. “In addition to the price-performance ratio, we were particularly impressed by Dematic’s comprehensive and reliable range of services.” After all, Röthlein Logistik itself guarantees its customers a 24-hour service seven days a week. Orders placed by 4 p.m. leave the logistics centre on the same day. For larger-volume bulk orders, the company agrees a fixed delivery date with the customer in advance. “Our immediate delivery capability is 97.8 per cent thanks to our broadly diversified stock,” says Hunstock. “We also expect this customer and service orientation from our service providers - with Dematic, it’s guaranteed.” 

Today, up to 2,230 shipments leave the logistics center in Röthlein every day. The spare parts logistics company uses various methods for fast delivery to the customer: overnight express, forwarding and parcel shipping as well as couriers. Self-collection is also possible. “This means we are equipped for every inquiry and every customer request,” says Hunstock.  

The key to the performance of the automation solution is the right software. At Röthlein Logistik, Dematic has installed the SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) software with Material Flow System (MFS) to control the system and the entire material flow, which is directly connected to the mechatronics without middleware. 

All automation systems are digitally networked. Röthlein Logistik has its own control tower for the entire monitoring and control of order throughput. With the help of the software, the employees of the spare parts logistics company ensure that all processes are optimally coordinated during the storage and transport of goods. “Our concept provides for proactive supply chain management,” emphasizes Hunstock. “The software solution from Dematic supports us in this.” For example, it automatically provides information on warehouse capacity utilization and helps to monitor all intralogistics processes.

Röthlein Logistik is prepared for growth and even more extensive material handling: The industrial estate in Röthlein, where the multi-user facility is located, offers enormous potential for expansion. In the next expansion stage, the plan is to extend the logistics center by a further 9,000 square meters. “We would then have the opportunity to install a high-bay warehouse there,” says Hunstock. Röthlein Logistik already put an additional 10,000 square meter tire warehouse into operation on the industrial estate last year.

However, the logistics company is not only prepared for further growth in terms of floor space. Dematic’s automation solutions can also be easily expanded during ongoing operations. For example, the small parts warehouse can be extended by three aisles in just a few simple steps. “The scalability of the Dematic systems allows us to adapt them precisely to the requirements of our business,” summarizes Hunstock.