Smart Press Shop GmbH & Co. KG: The innovative press shop for vehicle body parts manufacturing
Joint venture projects are no longer a rarity in the automobile industry. Many large manufacturers have recognized the economic advantages and are entering into cooperative ventures. Smart Press Shop GmbH & Co. KG (SPS for short) is one of these global joint venture projects being developed in the heart of Germany. In Halle (Saale), Porsche AG and Schuler AG are jointly building a press shop characterized by the attributes of efficiency, innovation and flexibility in vehicle body parts production. SPS is to be a reliable partner not only to Porsche AG, but to all automotive manufacturers. With its lean, smart processes, SPS is able to adapt flexible to customer requirements and offer everything from small batches to large-scale pressings. The focus here is on the production of external vehicle panels in aluminum or steel, as well as further processing into standard parts and assemblies in smaller-scale production.
Since the beginning of 2020, LOGSOL supports Smart Press Shop GmbH & Co. KG in successfully establishing the above-mentioned three attributes in the extensive planning and implementation of logistics processes
Development of logistic concepts from the factory gate to the warehouse
After defining planning assumptions and taking a component quantity structure as the basis for calculation, the container, space and staff requirements were determined. Via one-day workshops focusing on topics such as planning criteria, processes and layouts, customer requirements and the knowledge gained in the workshop were quickly and productively conveyed in an active exchange.
Within the project there were three work packages:
- „Concept and detailing phase – preparation of specifications”“
- „Technical monitoring of tenders up to the award of contracts“
- „Support during realization and run-up“
The major challenges in this phase included the integration of containers of up to 4.5 meters in length and 2.2 meters in width in the area of the metal blanks warehouse and the enormous weight of these containers, which can weigh up to 10 metric tons. Based on the long-term, intelligent approach adopted by SPS, the goal was to operate 100% of the logistics vehicles within the press shop with lithium-ion batteries. Different concepts and specially constructed heavy-duty vehicles were requested for this purpose. A shelving concept in the heavy-duty area, to facilitate space optimization in the blank storage area if required in future, was also tendered as part of the special construction. The current block storage will be dismantled and the stands for the metal blanks will be mounted at a height of up to 10 meters using a heavy-duty stacker crane. Thanks to a competent partner in special rack construction, these stands weighing 10 metric tons can be moved automatically at the top levels of the rack.
In the second and third work packages, LOGSOL’s task is to provide technical support in tendering for the logistics equipment and to guide the entire awarding process, and then to define the run-up planning for space allocation and staff requirements. In the course of the Go live planning, several scenarios will be defined at different stages until 2023. The space allocations will be adapted to the processes of several production orders running in parallel, from the start of the pre-production run-up to the series production process.
LOGSOL is supporting SPS as a competent partner in all logistics matters, providing project support for all necessary changes and also integrating these changes subsequently into the completed process and space planning.
From “Greenfield” to implementation
The tender for the logistics equipment, as well as the scenarios from the run-up planning, are aimed at enabling the smooth commissioning of the press shop. The planning that was started in the “Greenfield” is to be implemented in the new press shop in the Starpark industrial area from the first quarter of 2021: from the floor markings in the logistics area, to the construction of shelving, the attachment of the collision protection to the charging stations and logistics vehicles. LOGSOL is supporting SPS from the start of logistical planning through to implementation on site.