Evolution through Partnership
Häfele UK’s operation in Rugby is no ordinary facility. This is an ongoing project that has evolved and developed over the years in a stepped process, using appropriate materials handling technologies whether they be manual, semi automated or fully automated, to produce a flexible system that meets Häfele’s changing needs. Making it work relies on a close relationship between Hafele and its systems supplier – Jungheinrich. It is a relationship that is built on trust and Jungheinrich’s close understanding of Hafele’s business.
Not everyone has the luxury of developing a distribution centre on a green field site. Indeed, for Mark Batchelor, Operations Director of Häfele UK, the challenge has been to manage the continued expansion of the company’s UK business from an existing site evolving and growing with the developing need of the Company. This has seen the use and adaptation of the widest range of technologies from Manual through Semi Automated to Fully automated Solutions.
The key challenges for Hafele have been managing this continual state of development with it its own unique problems, whilst ensuring that the operation – the despatch of orders to building companies, kitchen planners & fitters, DIY retailers and independent stores – carries on without any disruption of service to the customer.
Over his 27 years of service with Häfele, Batchelor has found that the key to the successful planning and management of this dynamic operation is in finding the right materials handling partner to work with.
At the outset Häfele worked with several suppliers to implement various ranges of materials handling equipment. However as the Systems became more complex and the integration into the operation became business critical then Häfele decided that they would be better served by working with an Organisation with whom they could develop a long term relationship and could supply the total range of materials handling solutions.
After a period of evaluation and consolidation, Jungheinrich UK’s Systems & Projects Division, were selected as Häfeles’ partner and the two companies have forged a close working relationship over the last twelve years – in fact, to the point where Eddie Rowlinson, project manager for Jungheinrich’s Systems Division, is considered an integral member of the team at Häfele UK’s Rugby operation.
Häfele UK was a relatively early adopter of automated high-bay warehousing technology, its vision for the use of high bay technology in alignment with its German Parent Company and supporting the rapid rate of growth of the UK business.
From the establishment of operations in the UK in 1980, it was realised that by 1984 a dedicated facility would be required.
By March 1985 a high bay warehouse together with a 2500sq m low bay area and a two-story office block was completed on a purchased six-acre site in Rugby, Warwickshire. At a height of 12.5 m the high bay pushed the boundaries for local planning in the mid 80’s.
As business continued to expand in the late 80’s a fundamental rethink got underway regarding the efficiency of running the high bay operation. Mark Batchelor explains: ‘For small parts a high bay with shorter aisle length makes sense, whereas with bulk goods a longer aisle length works best.’ This required some re-planning and between 1989 and 1990 ‘high bay 2’ was constructed, consisting four, 90m aisles of pallet racking giving 5000 pallet locations. A further 780sq m of low bay was also added at this time.
But by 1996 it became apparent that the company was again constrained by space and required the building of a 3400 sq m low bay area and an additional four-story office block.
Over the ensuing 12 years Häfele has engaged Jungheinrich in a virtually continuous series of development projects. This has involved the design installation and integration of the widest range of materials handling solutions available which includes:
• 4 Order Picking Cranes serving 7,200 shelving locations for any combination of carton / tote storage
• Four manual Pallet Handling Cranes in Four aisles of racking
• Complex integration of tote handling conveyor systems
• 4 Pallet Handling Cranes in 4 aisles of racking, capable of operating in manual and fully automatic modes depending on the time of day and operation required
• Implementation of automated small parts handling system including mini load crane
• Implementation of automated medium parts handling system including 3 mini load cranes
• Robotic destacking operation
• Consolidation of picking activities from around the system via a complex “consolidator” incorporating 2 tote handling cranes working in the same aisle
All of these activities have been implemented whilst full operations have been maintained with no reduction in customer service levels.
But this is a continuously evolving facility, so development of the site does not stop here; plans are in place to construct a new goods-in system during 2009, and in 2010 a fourth high bay for long items is scheduled which will consist of two automated double deep cranes and two VNA cranes. And at some point, four cranes in ‘high bay 2’ will be replaced and additional buffer storage provided.
Keeping an operation of this size and complexity running while development work takes place requires meticulous planning, fine coordination and highly professional project management. ‘Some compromise is always necessary and flexibility is essential, but it’s imperative that the operation is kept going with the least disruption,’ says Mark Batchelor.
Given the constraints of the site and the complex nature of this highly evolved facility, the question has to be asked: Why not move to a green field site? ‘Moving an operation of this size and nature is not easy. Having invested in the site over many years – at this point we are investing £2 million in the new order collator – do you just write that off and move to a new site?’ explains Mark Batchelor. ‘We wouldn’t be here if our evolutionary history hadn’t dictated it. When the first high bay was installed in 1985, unbeknown to us, that determined the future.’
‘Some time ago we had to find a way of fitting a quart into a pint pot and that has been our focus for the past five years. For example, we had to find a way of maximising the capacity of ‘high bay 1’ within the physical constraints of the building. With careful planning we were able to replace 3500 storage locations with a solution that provided 8000,’ says Mark Batchelor. ‘The current project to automate the order consolidation process will provide a solution for over 400 order consolidation points on the same footprint that presently only provides for 200 – it’s footprint that we’re short of, everything we do has to maximise the use of the footprint.’
Running through the system, as it stands today. Goods arriving at the facility are either accepted into the system on pallets at three pallet in-feed points, or pallet loads are broken down into totes and trays depending on weight, volume and quantity and entered into the system at one of six tote in-feed stations. Green transportation trays are used for small goods and are replacing the old, troublesome, cardboard totes, whereas blue trays (subdivided up to eight) are used in the Zip automated system. For larger items, a bigger grey tote is used, and these are in operation in the ‘X-system’ automated tote facility in ‘high bay 1’.
As goods are booked into the computer system a barcode label is produced for each boxed item. The operator will place the label on the product and place it in the appropriate container, as indicated by the on-screen instructions, matching the product barcode to that of the container.
Pallet loads are taken by pallet conveyor to either ‘high bay 2’ or ‘high bay 3’, whereas: Grey totes are taken to the three aisle automated ‘X- system’ in ‘high bay 1’, cardboard totes (being phased out) and green trays are moved to a manually operated four crane system in ‘high bay 1’ and blue trays are transported by conveyor to the automated Zip small parts system.
Incorporated into the conveyor system are four lanes of buffer for feeding ‘high bay 1’ and for feeding the forward buffer area in ‘high bay 1’. The buffer system maximises the efficiency of the four manual cranes in ‘high bay 1’, cutting out waiting time for the crane operators.
In ‘high bay 2’ there were four manually operated cranes serviced by a shuttle car system. (not supplied by Jungheinrich) these were proving to be unreliable so when Jungheinrich was asked to install ‘high bay 3’ Eddie Rowlinson and his team replaced the shuttle cars with input conveyors at ground level and take-away conveyors at an elevated level. This was no easy task as the overall system had to remain operational.
‘As the roof of the adjacent building [the low bay area] which was to accommodate the take off conveyor was too low, we had to build up above the roof on the low bay to accommodate it,’ explains Rowlinson. This was a major exercise that required the closing of the goods-in area for three weeks and involved the trucking of input goods around the outside of the building in order to get them into the high bay - and all without causing any disruption of service to customers.
In ‘high bay 3’ – the first major involvement for Jungheinrich, completed in 1999 – four manual man-up order picking cranes sit alongside four fully automated cranes. The last aisle was shoehorned into the structure and can accept Chep pallets.
The ‘X-system’ in ‘high bay 1’ is the latest system upgrade, commissioned just before Christmas 2007. Here three fully automated tote cranes operating over 7800 locations, service requirements of 800 x 600 mm totes. The cranes are designed for a maximum carrying weight of 75 kg. A robot is used in this area to move totes from a pallet to replenish the store and provide empty totes to the picking operators.
On a mezzanine area adjacent to the ‘X-system’ is a two station picking operation. Totes are drawn from the system and accumulated in order sequence for the picking operative. Instructions for the picker are given via terminals integrated into the warehouse Management System.
The Zip system for small items stored in trays consists of just one aisle at present, although plans are in place to expand the system by a further aisle. This automated mini-load system, , handles two trays at a time and has the storage capacity for almost 2,000 trays.
Totes called off the Zip system are fed to two picking stations, designed for simultaneous picking and replenishment. At the station three conveyor points are positioned above one another, aligning totes for action: The order tote at the bottom, the donor tote in the middle, and the replenishment tote on top. But in addition each tote position is doubled up for each station, ensuring that the operator is never left idle. While he picks from one tote, the next tote in the second position is getting ready. If a space becomes available on the donor tote the operator is told to replenish by the computer, which has already automatically presented the correct replenishment tote.
All instructions are indicated to the operator in a simple graphic form. All the operator has to do is follow the instructions and scan for confirmation. This process of replenishing during the pick cycle is highly efficient and was specifically designed by Jungheinrich for Häfele.
Once goods have been picked from their various zones orders are presently consolidated by a manual process. This is soon to change, an automated order consolidation system is under construction and this will use a pick-to-light system to guide the operator through the consolidation process. Mark Batchelor insists that, ‘The methodologies of ‘pick-to-order’ and ‘goods-to-man’ are fundamental to the future vision of Häfele in the UK.’
Steve Richmond, general manager systems and projects division, Jungheinrich UK, understands the unique requirements of Häfele UK. ‘The product profile has changed enormously over the years and this has driven the need for flexibility in the design of the material handling solutions provided. At each stage thorough analysis of the product, SKU profile and Häfele’s requirements have been taken into account in order to come up with the optimum solution.’
It’s clear that Häfele UK’s operation in Rugby is no ordinary facility. This is an ongoing project that has evolved and developed over the years in a stepped process, using appropriate technologies whether they be manual, semi automated or fully automated where and when necessary, to produce a flexible system that meets Häfele’s changing needs. Making it work relies on trust and a close understanding of the business - both Mark Batchelor and Steve Richmond concur, ‘it’s a classic partnership’.