VVA Expands Commissioning Capacities Through Automation

The VVA Group, part of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions, has modernized and expanded its distribution center in Gütersloh during ongoing operations. An automatic shuttle storage system with commissioning system has been established in the existing facility on limited space by long-term partner SSI Schäfer, which expands the capacities in the area of immediately available item containers to a total of more than 60,000 slots.

(Gütersloh) The trigger for the capacity expansion was, on one hand, the business growth of VVA (Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung) in recent years. On the other hand, the business is characterized by a significant increase in pick intensity. As a partner and service provider, the company delivers media products to trade and end consumers worldwide from its three locations in Gütersloh, Verl, and Gilching for more than 200 clients. In the central logistics center in Gütersloh alone, about 70,000 different items are stored – including books, CDs, and DVDs, as well as magazines, calendars, and writing and gaming supplies. “With our existing facility, which is already designed for very high performance, we have now reached capacity limits,” explains Harald Horstmann, Vice President Publisher at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions. “We wanted to continue using the existing system and not invest in a completely new solution. Therefore, we decided together with SSI Schäfer to modernize and expand.”

The intralogistics specialist, who had already installed the existing facility in 2006, best met the high requirements. A storage and commissioning system for a throughput of 16 million items per year was realized on just 900 square meters. A highly dynamic modular shuttle system with about 40,000 container slots was developed. The new shuttle storage is located in a 24-meter high extension directly next to the existing high-bay warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 pallets and is designed according to SSI Schäfer’s patented 3D-Matrix Solution®. By installing the workstations on the storage cube at a height of 16 meters, optimal space utilization was achieved. A total of 84 single-level shuttles of the SSI Flexi type ensure efficient inbound and outbound processes, and 20 integrated lifts enable fast material flows on the vertical system level. By integrating into the storage cube, the number of lifts and thus the performance compared to conventional solutions could be increased. Each workstation has access to the entire item spectrum of the 3D-Matrix Solution® and thus enables a one-stop pick solution. Overall

the new system expands the capacities in the area of automatically immediately available item containers to more than 60,000 slots. At the same time, the number of goods-to-person commissioning stations is increased by 60 percent.

Installation During Ongoing Operations

A particular challenge was the system expansion during ongoing operations, which took place in three steps: First, the order start in the old system had to be shifted and further automated. In a second step, the direct conveyor technical connection of the fully automated high-bay warehouse to the existing and future storage and commissioning systems was established. The third and most important project step was the establishment of the shuttle storage including the connected workstations. The business was not affected by the project work at any time.

The system has already passed its first test. Due to the special Corona situation and numerous top titles in the Christmas business, the high book demand at the end of last year led to the largest order quantities since the company’s founding at VVA. In some cases, even the newly created capacities were fully utilized. Nevertheless, VVA was able to maintain a high level of delivery reliability. “If the trend continues, VVA is able to expand flexibly again thanks to the foresightedly planned scalable solution,” confirms Stephan Schierke, President Publisher at Arvato Supply Chain Solutions.

Ergonomics and Social Responsibility

Arvato Supply Chain Solutions placed particular emphasis on the ergonomics of the workstations. Together with SSI Schäfer and the start-up Cellumation, innovative workstations were developed, where source and target containers are provided on one level. The new workstations of the shuttle storage are multifunctional and enable not only order assembly but also the sorting of returns. The workstations are characterized by individually adjustable working heights, ergonomic arrangement of control elements, touch-friendly materials, optimal presentation of information, and innovative lighting systems.

About Arvato Supply Chain Solutions/VVA

For more than 200 clients, the Vereinigte Verlagsauslieferung (VVA) delivers books, CDs, magazines, paper, office and writing supplies, as well as games to trade and end consumers from its three locations in Gütersloh, Verl, and Gilching (Publisher Service Munich). Through complementary solutions in logistics, sales, and finance, we realize an individual and market-oriented complete service from a single source together with our customers. As a publishing distributor, we have decades of experience in the logistics business. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and integrated into the Arvato business area of Supply Chain Solutions, we are a strong partner in the world of media.

Arvato Supply Chain Solutions is an innovative and internationally leading service provider in the field of supply chain management and e-commerce. In the areas of telecommunications, tech, corporate information management, healthcare, consumer products, and publishing, each partner meets their industry specialist. Around 15,000 employees work worldwide on services and practical solutions. Using the latest digital technologies, Arvato develops, operates, and optimizes complex global supply chains and e-commerce platforms, thus becoming the strategic growth partner of its customers. Arvato combines the expertise of people with the right technologies and suitable business processes, thereby measurably increasing the productivity and performance of its partners.

Photo: © VVA