WMS successfully commissioned – iFD optimises logistics at Gramß GmbH

Automation is no longer a concern limited to large companies. An increasing number of medium-sized enterprises are also turning to semi-automated solutions to optimise their logistics processes. Innovative technology and software are therefore also being used in Gramß GmbH’s new warehouse in Kleintettau.

Gramß GmbH is a manufacturer of plastic products produced using injection moulding. The company was founded in 1989 in Tettau, northern Bavaria, and primarily manufactures for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries. With the growth of recent years, space in the halls at the site in the Fichtig industrial estate became increasingly tight. The logistics department had to reduce its storage space whilst simultaneously handling ever-increasing volumes of goods. For this reason, the family-run business decided to make the largest single investment in the company’s history. As part of the expansion of the existing logistics facilities, a new narrow-aisle warehouse with an adjacent production area was constructed.

The iFD WMS is used to control and manage the narrow-aisle warehouse, which has approximately 5,000 storage locations. The system handles warehouse management and features an interface to the ERP system as well as to the Optispeed software from Still, which is responsible for navigating the semi-automatic narrow-aisle forklifts. Due to the nature of the narrow-aisle forklifts, it is important to avoid frequent aisle changes, as these can only be carried out at low speed. Using intelligent putaway and retrieval strategies, the iFD WMS specifically avoids these changes and increases the productive time of the narrow-aisle forklift within the warehouse aisle. To boost performance, as many double-passes as possible are also formed. Goods are picked based on the picking orders transmitted from the ERP system. In addition to full-pallet picking, a picking process has also been implemented that allows Gramß to assemble customer-specific pallets from stock. The goods are dispatched to customers via a loading area with four lorry ramps.

The project was completed within a period of 6 months, including requirements specification meetings and commissioning.

"We would like to thank the entire IFD team for the successful and rapid implementation of our requirements. Ensuring the efficiency of stock-in and stock-out processes and integrating the system into our existing WMS were our primary objectives. These were met to our complete satisfaction. From the very beginning, we felt we were receiving highly competent and understanding advice."

Kerstin Gramß, Managing Director, Gramß GmbH

Contact for enquiries regarding the project:

Michaela Brade

Tel: 0371/ 53 88 0 28

Email: michaela.brade@ifd-gmbh.com