Kardex Mlog Converts TME Facility During Ongoing Operations

Family-owned companies tend to place greater focus on forward and long-term planning: this certainly applies to the international electronic components distributor, Transfer Multisort Elektronik (TME), headquartered in Lodz, Poland. In 2011 when the rapidly-expanding mail-order and online retailer teamed up with Kardex Mlog to plan an automated high-bay warehouse for pallets, the plans included significant space for further growth. In the initial extension phase, the 23-meter high, 96-meter long, and 8.3-meter wide building had only one aisle served by a single stacker crane of type Kardex MSingle. Eleven years ago, the capacity of approximately 2,500 pallet storage spaces was more than sufficient. In 2011, TME’s product range consisted of 64,350 items and the daily total of incoming orders was 1,300.

Just three years later, in 2014, these numbers had almost doubled, which meant that Kardex Mlog was commissioned with the first extension to add two aisles. This tripling of warehouse capacity would ensure that TME was equipped to face forecast demands for the next five years. In 2016, the company decided to optimize the distribution vehicles to increase plant throughput.

The next major works were planned for 2019: By now, TME was receiving 3,650 incoming orders every day and the product range had grown to 329,000 items. As in 2014, Kardex Mlog installed two additional warehouse aisles during ongoing operations. The project also included two stacker cranes, conveying technology for storage and retrieval with eight drives and steel racking. This increased the storage capacity of the high-bay warehouse by a further 4,920 pallet storage spaces to a total of approximately 12,500. Thanks to the meticulous scheduling carried out by Kardex Mlog, the conversion work was completed in August 2020 after less than four months. “We’ve been working together with Kardex Mlog for more than ten years now and, during the most recent construction phase, our expectations with regard to the implementation were met in full,” reports Kornel Betkowski, the TME specialist in charge of the extension project.

In this third phase, TME also opted for stacker cranes of type Kardex MSingle A600/23-ET. Unloaded, they travel at up to 60 meters per minute through the aisles and are controlled by state-of-the-art controls (PLC) of type Siemens S7-1500F and SEW MoviPLC. This enables up to 57 single cycles or 35 double cycles per stacker crane per hour. Each operation along with the current positions of the five stacker cranes and of the conveying technology are graphically displayed in the warehouse control center with TME’s newly introduced visualization software Kardex MVisu. The software previously in use at TME was no longer compatible with the latest browsers and was also no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Kardex MVisu was developed by Kardex Mlog specifically for warehouse handling devices. Once purchased, the license is valid indefinitely and the number of users is unlimited. In conjunction with TeamViewer, the Kardex MVisu license forms the basis for easy remote maintenance of the machines. Visualization takes place via a TCP/IP interface with the PLC and data exchange running permanently. An integrated notification system with powerful filter and search functions completes the solution.

 

Each stacker crane has an on-board control box fitted with a touch panel. This means that the stacker crane can be operated semi-automatically, manually and in set-up mode. Cameras installed on the stacker cranes allow any errors or disruptions during operation to be identified and localized quickly and easily. The field of view of the cameras is illuminated for improved image presentation.

Kardex Mlog (www.kardex.com), with head office in Neuenstadt am Kocher, is one of the leading suppliers of integrated material flow systems and high-bay warehouses. The company has more than 50 years of experience in the planning, implementation and maintenance of fully automated logistics solutions. The three business sectors - Greenfield installations, Refurbishment, and After sales service – draw upon its in-house manufacturing facility in Neuenstadt. Kardex Mlog is part of the Kardex Group and employs 290 people. In 2020 the company achieved revenues of €73 million. Since 2021, Kardex Mlog has had its own branch office in Poland. The Kardex Group business area is based in Zoppot and, under the umbrella of Kardex Polska, it supplies the entire range of services from consulting, sales and project planning, right through to project management, PLC programming, commissioning and maintenance.

74196 Neuenstadt am Kocher

Tel.: +49 7139 / 4893-536

Fax: +49 7139 / 4893-99 536

Bettina Wittenberg

Tel.: +49 7139 / 4893-536