Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke selects Kardex to refurbish facilities
13 January 2022, Company News
Kardex Mlog / Food
Sustainability into the future
Neuenstadt, 12/14/2021 – The diagnosis was clear: After almost 40 years of deployment and countless storage and retrieval operations in salty air conditions, it was time to replace all three stacker cranes in the high-bay warehouse of Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG (SWS AG) at the company’s location in Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria. The machine parts showed severe wear and spare parts were extremely difficult to obtain. Availability of the salt plant, which is operated in two shifts, could no longer be guaranteed. With this in mind, the company looked for an experienced supplier to deliver three new stacker cranes and to carry out the entire conversion project including the latest control technology and IT connections as quickly as possible.
In close cooperation with logistics consultant Bernhard Lechner, the decision was made to select Kardex Mlog. The original stacker cranes had been supplied by a competitor of Kardex but, during the construction of an additional high-bay warehouse at the company’s Reichenhall location, Kardex Mlog had proven itself as a reliable project partner. The project was scheduled for August 2021. During the four-week conversion phase, the Euro pallets and plastic pallets containing the packed goods were stored in an external warehouse.
In step one, the Kardex Mlog team dismantled the existing machines and aisle equipment. The original storage and retrieval machines were removed with a crane through an opening in the roof. The new stacker cranes, type MSingle A 1100, were brought in the same way. The new machines have corrosion protection that far exceeds conventional standards. During production in Neuenstadt, all galvanized parts were painted or powder coated. The screws required for setting and adjustment were made from stainless V2A steel. A coating was applied to all other screws. The parts of the rails that are not used for travel were also coated.
Longer service life
The low-maintenance technology of the MSingle A enables a cost-effective automation variant coupled with high throughput performance and maximum space utilization. The machines supplied to SWS AG are 22.8 meters high and have a load capacity of 1,000 kg. The compact tubular pole construction and the absence of an enclosed operator platform means that the MSingle A weighs less than conventional stacker cranes. As a result, the chassis and lift units require smaller drives which saves energy. The slimline design also enables a narrower aisle width and very small approach dimensions for the chassis and lift units. A further design feature is the cable deflection at the column head: This is facilitated by two plastic pulleys fitted with roller bearings and ensures a longer service life of the lift cable.
The storage and retrieval orders are transferred to the machines via a warehouse management computer. Kardex Mlog set up the necessary data interfaces for this data transfer. The lift carriages are fitted with a telescopic fork and two prongs for single-deep storage. Each stacker crane accelerates to a maximum of 100 meters/minute for travel and 60 meters/minute for lifting and has a capacity of approximately 35 double cycles per hour. This corresponds to a performance capacity of more than 100 storage and retrieval operations every hour in the warehouse. “This means that we have increased the performance of the warehouse by approximately 33 percent,” states Kardex Mlog project leader Sebastian Haist.
Conversion in just four weeks
The first of the three MSingle A 1100 machines was commissioned on August 18, 2021. The other two stacker cranes followed just a few days later so that the complete conversion phase, including connection to the warehouse management system, was carried out within a four-week period. “We are very happy with the progress of the project. The Kardex Mlog team were very quick and professional and they kept us in the loop with regard to every step of the project,” explains the project leader at Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG.
Each stacker crane has an on-board control box, which is fitted with a touch panel. This means that the stacker crane can be operated semi-automatically, manually, and in set-up mode. Implementation of the travel and lift commands is ensured via state-of-the-art controls of type Siemens S7-1500F and SEW Movi PLC. 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.
Remote maintenance
In conjunction with the MVisu visualization system, it is possible to eliminate many disruptions remotely without needing to enter the aisles. MVisu is a module of the Mlog Control Center (MCC). With MVisu, users can graphically map the entire automated conveying system and stacker cranes and show their operating statuses.
Summary: Following the refurbishment, the almost 40-year-old high-bay warehouse is once again a state-ofthe-art system and is well equipped to face the next 40 years. The project fully upheld the sustainability principle to which Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke is committed.
Background: Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG
Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG, based in Heilbronn, Germany is the parent company of the SWS Group and employs a total of approxinately 1,000 people at all its locations in the salt, waste management, logistics and tourism business segments.
The company is one of the largest salt producers in Europe. The salt is extracted from the Heilbronn and Berchtesgaden salt mines and from the brine deposits in the Bad Reichenhall basin. The production capacity of the two shafts of the Heilbronn Rock Salt Mine is just under 5 million tons annually. The salt is processed and refined to produce evaporated salt at the Bad Friedrichshall and Bad Reichenhall Saltworks.
In addition, Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG operates tourist facilities at the two mines in Bad Friedrichshall and Berchtesgaden and the salt museum in the Old Saltworks in Bad Reichenhall. For more information, see www.salzwerke.de
Über Kardex Mlog
Kardex Mlog (www.kardex.com), with head office in Neuenstadt am Kocher, Germany 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 Aftersales 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.
Further Informationen:
MLOG Logistics GmbH
Wilhelm-Maybach-Straße 2
74196 Neuenstadt am Kocher
Tel.: +49 7139 / 4893-536
Fax: +49 7139 / 4893-99 536
E-mail: presse.mlog@kardex.com
Website: www.kardex.com
Press Officer:
Bettina Wittenberg
Tel.: +49 7139 / 4893-536