Spring Lake, MI—Feb. 3, 2012—Integrated logistics solutions- and material handling equipment provider TGW Systems’ Detroit-based MTU parts logistics center is now equipped with an automated material handling system.
Installed by Tognum America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tognum AG, Friedrichshafen, Germany, the project was part of a move to a new 395,000-square-foot parts distribution center that now services all North American operations and fulfills customer orders of diesel products, components and spare parts. The TGW automation system is very similar to a system that TGW supplied to MTU in Germany about four years ago.
“Because of the success of our system in Germany, we decided to duplicate that system in the U.S.” said Adam Wood, Director of Logistics, for Tognum America Inc. “We had a very aggressive timeline to install this system and TGW stepped to the plate and hit a home run in delivering the system in record time. With two very similar systems, we will now be able to accurately compare the performance of each facility against the other.”
The system includes five aisles of Stratus mini-load cranes with Spectra load-handling devices to store 22,500 totes of parts and a conveyor handling system to feed the mini-load. The conveyor system transfers trays to five ergonomic picking workstations which are also used for kitting and replenishment of orders and products. The system also includes warehouse control software, conveyor controls, integrated racking, installation and support.
“The system is so quiet that you hardly hear it running,” Wood confirmed. “The totes in the system are metal, so you would think that there would be a lot of noise but the conveyor is very quiet and there is little noise coming from the totes as they’re being moved.”
For TGW, being able to supply the high density storage solution linked to goods-to-person order picking illustrates the company’s full integration experience.
“TGW was able to provide a complete solution for Tognum America that included the automated material handling solution, warehouse control software, controls, integrated racking, installation, start-up and support,” said Larry Strayhorn, President and CEO of TGW Systems. “The tight timeline that Tognum America had for installation and TGW’s ability to meet that schedule further illustrates TGW’s ability to deliver.”
To learn more, visit www.tgw-group.com.
