Logistics-IT relaunch at the Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu brewery

At the end of April 2012 the new METALAG warehouse management and truck guidance system with Locanis IntelliGence went into use at the DS-Getränke- Logistik GmbH, a subsidiary of the big private brewery Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg (Ger).
 
The challenge

The Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu GmbH & Co. ltd came into being following the fusion of the two Stuttgart breweries Dinkelacker and Schwaben Bräu. Already since 1994 the two breweries had joined forces logistically under the name DS-Getränke-Logistik GmbH (DSL). All logistic threads come together at DSL. The state-of-the-art logistics centre ensures that the produced beers always arrive totally fresh – at the market, restaurants and the actual consumer. Additionally, other products from the entire range of beverages are also distributed.
 
The solution
The used warehouse management solution, METALAG by Metasyst Wien, was linked to the latest Locanis truck guidance system, the newest stacking locating and sensoring component, thereby enabling continuous controlling for the high performance logistics of beverage specialist DSL. Information about incoming goods and deliveries is taken from the already existing SAP-ERP-System into the METALAG WMS and is converted into picking and transport orders. All warehouse processes – from incoming goods to dispatch – can be controlled and tracked by the METALAG control station. The closely interconnected online communication between the METALAG WMS and the Locanis SLS constantly exchanges and records stock location information, as well as data for positioning and locating the ground conveyors in use and the transported drinks pallets as a 3-dimensional block-storage image. This enables precise batch controlling and the tracking of the individual products’ minimum durability dates. Modern touch-screen truck terminals provide visualisations of the transport order for the truck operators.
 
The benefits
Apart from the efficient processing of homogenous full pallets via the ground conveyor control system, the order picking on mixed pallets and heterogeneous deliveries is also supported. For these manual picking processes the pre-existent pick-by-voice system was interlinked with the METALAG WMS. This voice-operated system guides warehouse employees via headphones and microphones, thus enabling paperless picking without scanning terminals. Especially for this range of products (beer crates, barrels, glasses, etc.) two free hands are a crucial benefit and actually indispensable.
 
Conclusion
The project was completed within the proposed time frame and in budget, while the cooperation between the employees of Dinkelacker-Schwaben Bräu, DSL, Locanis and Metasyst was professional and exemplary.

METASYST Informatik GmbH
With many years of experience and over 200 successfully realised projects to look back on, METASYST is a reliable partner where effective logistics solutions are concerned. METALAG is a well engineered warehouse management, control and truck guidance system that caters to all needs in effective standard processes in warehouse logistics, as well as offering dynamic commissioning control. Manually organised warehouses are supported via mobile terminal applications (barcode, RFID, voice control), as well as warehouses with semi or fully automated warehouse management systems.