High tech and automation in manufacturing
Since November 2023, parts transport in our assembly production has been fully automated.
State-of-the-art technology serving people
At Böllhoff, we are continuously advancing digitalisation and automation – always with a view to the benefits for our employees and customers. Like in our assembly production in Bielefeld where parts transfer has been fully automated since November 2023. 9 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) whizz around, delivering raw parts and transporting finished parts away, always in line with the requirements at the production machines. Including automatic retrieval and storage of parts with the help of buffer storage systems.
Special production, special fasteners
Every day, over 2 million plastic fasteners are produced in our injection-moulding production at Böllhoff HQ in Bielefeld, Germany.
For some of these fasteners, the journey through production goes even further: In the assembly production area, they are used as raw parts and combined with other parts. This creates fasteners with additional functionalities, such as the ones from the FLEXITOL® product family. These specific elements, for example, can compensate for manufacturing tolerances in car body parts or decouple vibrations.
To create special fasteners like that, the workers in assembly production use 25 production machines – and have been cooperating closely with 9 AGVs since November 2023.
»"During this automation project, we redesigned the routes taken by all parts to the production machines and back to the storage locations. It’s a move away from manual processes and towards just-in-time delivery – with automatic storage systems and automated guided vehicles."
»"This is a big step into the digital future for us, and an important way of making work easier for our employees in logistics and production."
More efficient processes and greater added value instead of manual delivery
Before the automation project, logistics workers would deliver the necessary raw parts for the day to the production machines themselves, early in the morning. And they would also pick up the finished parts there after production. With a total of 25 machines in assembly production, this was a time-consuming process.
In addition, raw parts and finished parts had to be stored on pallets temporarily, right next to the machines. Not only did this take up valuable space, it also meant that production workers had to spend additional time looking for exactly the parts they needed.
Thanks to automated parts transfer, such manual processes and obstacles are now a thing of the past.
From the storage location to production and back: AGVs make it possible
Now, our logistics workers simply store all raw parts in an automatic buffer storage system in the morning. There, the parts for the day are kept in small containers, so-called Small Load Carriers (KLTs), in almost 1,000 storage locations. If production workers need new parts at a machine, they can simply request replenishment at the push of a button. And here comes the essential part: the following path of the raw parts from the storage location to the production machines is completely automated – with no human intervention.
- All at the push of a button
- The replenishment delivery begins
- An AGV prepares for deployment
- Supplies are on the way
- The delivery arrives
When a production worker needs new raw parts, he simply triggers the replenishment delivery at the push of a button next to the production machine.
The buffer storage system then sends out a container with the desired raw parts, completely automatically. At the same time, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) is called to the storage system to transport the parts from there right to the production machine.
Almost like a taxi rank: the AGVs waiting for their next mission. From here, an AGV whizzes off to the storage system.
After collecting the parts from the storage system, the AGV takes the delivery directly to the respective production machine.
When arriving at the production machine, the AGV places the supplies on a transfer point. The production workers can now equip the machine for the next production batches. And the AGV heads off to its next mission.
The collection of finished parts at the production machines follows the same logic. When production workers have stowed all the parts in the appropriate container, they place it on a transfer point. Then they initiate collection by pushing a button. An AGV collects the container as soon as possible and transports it to a second buffer storage system. There, a further 1,000 storage locations are reserved for finished parts – and the full container is automatically stored in one of them.
»"Thanks to the automation of transport routes in assembly production, our colleagues can now concentrate on tasks where human skills are essential."
Hard-working robot helpers in continuous operation
The pilot phase for this automation project began in August 2023. There the new processes were first tested on some of the machines. Since the following November, the AGVs have been in continuous operation for all 25 production machines – working 3 shifts per day. Around 250 meters of driving lanes have been set up in the production halls for this purpose.
“The colleagues were already very interested in the new robot helpers during the pilot phase”, says Head of Intralogistics André Koring with a smile on his face. “Everyone wanted to be part of the change and kept asking us when their production machines would also be connected to the system. This is wonderful confirmation that we are enthusiastic about constantly reinventing ourselves within the company.”
To fully integrate the robot helpers into the team, all 9 AGVs have now been ‘baptised’ and given suitable names. This is supposed to make the collaboration between humans and machines even more personal.
»"In 2021, I joined Böllhoff as a student trainee while continuing my mechanical engineering studies. That gave me the opportunity to be part of this automation project right from the start – and I’m still involved in it today. It’s a great feeling to be actively involved in shaping the production of tomorrow!"
