Integrate warehousing and production

Are you integrated yet - Stephan Remmert discusses the linking of warehouse and processing technology and says that we have fundamentally redefined the way we perceive warehousing and production.

The two elements - until now separate entities - are today rightly perceived by leading companies as a single productive cell.

While process optimisations long focussed on either the warehousing system or the productive cell, this focus is today more comprehensive and with good reason: By perfectly linking the warehouse and production facilities it is possible to free up significant potential for optimisation.

Changing production conditions, including shorter delivery times or increased warehouse turnover, are making new demands on the entire production process and in particular call for the best possible interplay between the warehouse and productive cell.

In recent years, this necessity triggered the restructuring of processes and resulted in the integration of the warehouse into the production process.

Instead of serving as a mere production buffer, the warehouse now serves in many companies as an intelligent link within the production cycle.

The benefits of this restructuring are plain to see: by directly integrating one or several warehouses into the production process it is possible to achieve increased access speeds and significant increases in productivity.

Whereas in the past production staff was tied down by warehousing tasks, the perfect integration of the warehouse enables human resources to be cut in volume to a large extent.

In addition, a warehouse specifically tailored to the needs of the company forms a link between procurement and production and guarantees a smooth workflow for assembly line production.

However, in most companies, there is significantly more scope for optimisation, namely by employing warehouse management systems and flexible production systems.

Powerful software systems contribute far more to the optimal interplay between warehouse and processing systems than conventional restructuring.

Warehouse management systems such as PRO WMS-System from Remmert PRO 'refine' the warehouse, transforming it from a mere production buffer to an equal partner of the processing cell by generating potential for optimisation and guaranteeing enhanced planning reliability for instance through dynamic storage bin management or through connection to upstream host systems.

In addition, warehouse management systems also offer end-to-end and transparent IT processes and thus serve to significantly enhance planning reliability.

Flexible production systems go one step further: They make it possible to directly connect processing machines to the warehouse and allow both elements to finally merge into a single productive cell.

The production system PRO FMS from Remmert PRO, for example, controls all warehouse and production processes and hence significantly improves process flows.

Optimum machine capacity utilisation, a tangible increase in throughput and a low-staff operation are the most significant results of using this software.

Besides the metal processing industry, cell technology is also in considerable demand in the steel retailing sector.

In this sector, the range of products on offer is developing rapidly from the single bar to cut and prepared semi-finished products.

Here, cell technology is used in particular to reduce unit costs.

Any company that wishes to produce quickly, flexibly and cheaply in future must have optimum production processes.

Here, integration of the warehouse into the production process plays an important role.

However, the full potential for optimisation that can be achieved through the perfect linking of warehouse technology and the productive cell requires the use of powerful software systems.

Companies that have so far not made this monetary investment should go ahead with the modernisation of their software or the restructuring of their production processes as soon as possible.

* About the author - Stephan Remmert is the managing director of Friedrich Remmert, Germany, and is responsible for production and development.

He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld.

After completing his studies he started work in the family-owned enterprise in 1988.

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