Success Story
CarryPick robot connection in SAP EWM at FST Italy
How we connected 13 AGVs and 400 mobile racks to SAP EWM at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Italy – with tailor-made user interfaces and noticeably better performance.
Project description
As part of an international SAP EWM rollout at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST), the challenge in a distribution centre in Italy was to transfer the existing integration of the automated warehouse and picking system “CarryPick” from SAP WM into the new system environment. At the FST logistics site in Pinerolo (IT) – 7,200 sqm, around 255,000 deliveries per year to over 900 customers worldwide (as of 2020) – the CarryPick robots mainly move small spare parts of the “Corteco” brand for the automotive aftermarket.
System solution
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SAP EWM 9.4
Warehouse management
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SynQ
Robot management (Swisslog)
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SAP ERP 6.0 R/3
ERP / merchandise management
Initial situation & challenge
The automated warehouse and picking area comprises 13 AGVs that move a total of 400 mobile racks to three different workstations on a “goods-to-person” principle. There, employees pick and pack the products for shipping or store them during goods receipt.
The aim of the connection within the new system landscape was to map the control of the automation and the picking and put-away processes in a single transaction each, to create an overall better user experience, and to fundamentally improve the performance of processing the picking volume.
Implementation & solution
The THEM Consulting team realised the entire processes and strategies in EWM – in the frontend as well as the backend – along with the optimisation of the task sequence and the design and development of the UI interfaces. The integration was supported by our partner Swisslog, who handled the basic integration and thus the connection of the robot management system “SynQ” to EWM.
In the tailor-made development of the UI interfaces, THEM – shaped by the intensive collaboration with the key users on site – created a solution that delivers significant added value to the end users. Visualising the racks with highlighting of the relevant compartments and an optimised presentation of information significantly improved usability and reduced error-proneness.
The proven SAP ITS technology already established at the client was used. The solution is designed so that scalability and reusability for other automated warehouse and picking systems are guaranteed.
The key factor for the success of the project was the great collaboration with THEM Consulting during the whole project. There was always a trustful and honest cooperation which led to a very successful GoLive which THEM Consulting supported for 24hrs a day with a highly competent team.
Highlights
High performance
Optimised stock-removal strategies increased performance in the automated picking area.
Focus on people
Tailor-made user interfaces significantly improved usability and the user experience.
Future-proof
A scalable integration and UI solution that can be flexibly reused with other technologies.