Versandmanufaktur

Optimise your workflow with LEO locative

  • LEO adapts to your requirements and is scalable
  • Destination programming with a tablet
  • LEO improves workplace ergonomics

Learn more about this solution

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About the customer

Still under the name Trendcom GmbH, Frank Hammermeister opened his own logistics centre in 2009, thus switching to fulfillment in e-commerce after many years of providing intralogistics consulting services only. In 2017, the company was renamed Versandmanufaktur GmbH. The shipping company offers picking, packing, storage and shipping, returns management, quality management, packaging concepts, web store and content maintenance, as well as order management. In 2016, the company moved into a former railroad repair shop of around 5,500 square meters on the German Rail (DB) site in Witten using the storage and handling equipment already in place. Meanwhile, the company has a workforce of 120 employees.

Initial situation and customer requirements

    • On 5,500 square meters of operating space, the mail-order company stores, assembles and ships over 70,000 products on behalf of their e-commerce customers in the fashion, food, interior/home design and cosmetics sectors.
    • Depending on the season, between 2,000 and 6,000 orders have to be processed per day. The service provider ships finished products to end customers, prepares orders and also assembles products as per customer order.
    • Annual growth rate between 50% and 60%; more than 50% of the sales are generated in the 4th quarter of the year.
    • The e-commerce business is subject to strong fluctuations, is expanding rapidly in general, and is difficult to predict.
    • The customer looked for a solution that would eliminate walking, enable a quick response, and save valuable staff time.
    • For this reason, automating their storage installation was no option for the customer. In order to reduce error rates and further optimise processes, the focus fell on automating material flow. Previously, products were placed one by one in a KLT bin divided by hanging racks; staff would move the bins on carts.

The BITO Solution

    • LEO AGVs and LEO stations

    » The package consists of LEO locative transporters and LEO locative stations. LEO operates without WLAN or IT connection and is guided by an optical track and command markers taped on the shop floor.

    • Plug & Play

    » LEO self-installs and is immediately ready for use. The optical guidance system can be quickly adapted to new requirements.

    • Decentralised route monitoring

    » LEO moves goods from the starting point to any destination selected on a tablet. The destination information is transmitted with Bluetooth technology to a smartbox mounted on the LEO station.

Product use on site

    • Five LEO locative transporters carry goods on the long route from the six LEO stations located in front of the racking installation to the assembly or despatch area.
    • Currently, six destinations can be accessed using a tablet. On its way to the destination, LEO simply follows the instructions encoded on the floor markers.
    • Currently, 80% of the LEO capacity is used in the despatch area and 20% for moving incoming goods to the storage area. It is intended to extend LEO operations in the storage area.
    • Particularly in the product packaging and assembly area, complexity is very high. LEO transporters and stations help to simplify material flow in this field.

Customer benefits

    • LEO eliminates unnecessary walking and improves workplace ergonomics
    • Automated material flow
    • Flexibility and scalability
    • Material flow structures can be decoupled Compliance with the high standards of the heterogeneous e-commerce environment
    • Destination control can be programmed with just a tablet - no expensive material flow computer needed

That's what our customer says

"As a fulfillment service partner for online retailers, we are operating in a very dynamic market with high growth rates. We are participating in this development at an above-average rate. It is important for our customers that we have the ability to react very flexibly. True to our motto Better build tents than castles", we cannot and do not want to invest into warehouse automation. Instead we are interested in automating our material flow process. Among the options available on the market, the LEO locative system convinced us because it offers the required flexibility and scalability which is important for us and our customers. It's a simple plug-and-play application in the truest sense of the word, saving us many miles of walking and giving us a high return on investment with an ROI of well under half a year.”

Frank Hammermeister, Managing Director

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