STILL Relies on Würth Industry Service for Procurement

More than 50,000 delivery items per year, over 1,000 Kanban items, around 9,000 Kanban containers in use: For more than 15 years, STILL GmbH has relied on the intelligent supply solutions of Würth Industrie Service GmbH & Co. KG as a loyal Kanban customer to manage inventories efficiently, automate reorders, and identify fluctuations in demand early.

(Hamburg/Bad Mergentheim) From RFID Kanban to weighing technology to comprehensive supplier integration: The specialist for forklifts and material handling equipment fully relies on the system world of the C-parts expert at its Hamburg plant – all for maximum productivity along the intralogistics chain.

For STILL, every single part is of utmost importance. While screws, nuts, and washers may seem inconspicuous at first glance, they are invaluable: After all, fasteners prove to be crucial levers for ongoing operations to ensure safe and uninterrupted production. Whether wheel bolts for secure wheel mounting, clamps for securing hoses and lines, or screw plugs for counterweights – all these parts have one thing in common: They perform essential fastening functions and are therefore indispensable for the stability and safety of the vehicles. Therefore, not a single part can be missing – because every component counts. Especially in procurement, C-parts with irregular demands, low unit costs, and a wide variety of items have a significant impact on sourcing, which proves to be highly time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient. This is precisely where the intelligent supply solutions for automated production supply from Würth Industrie Service come into play at STILL – since 2010.

Intralogistics of the Future Demands Solutions

The intralogistics of the future demands solutions that are efficient and forward-looking, thereby securing a decisive advantage for customers. With the supply of production materials via RFID Kanban, this vision becomes a reality. One option for flexibly and universally reordering C-parts is the battery-operated iPLACER^®. The compact module features an integrated reading and transmitting unit and can be mounted anywhere – from production to the workplace to logistics. At the workplace, the device autonomously triggers an order when needed. When attached to any flow rack, users can also capture incoming and outgoing goods, additions, withdrawals, and order triggers without manual effort. In this case, RFID technology is used not only for ordering but also for inventory management – a real advancement on the path to a connected value chain. The iPLACER^® has also been successfully in use at STILL since 2020 – with success, as Michael Grosser, responsible for C-parts management at STILL, reports: “Our needs in forklift production are managed efficiently and reordered fully automatically, saving us a lot of time and significantly reducing the effort for coordination and orders.”

To centrally capture a large number of containers, the intralogistics specialist has relied on the iGATE since 2022. As soon as a material train passes through the gate at the Hamburg plant, the system allows for simultaneous recognition and data transmission of up to 100 containers in the case of STILL. The solution is used exclusively for the automated empty reporting of the Kanban containers. “Thanks to iGATE, we benefit from significant time savings in data capture. In particular, empty containers can be reported without manual scanning,” says Grosser.

Booster for Inventory Management

The iSCALE also impresses in terms of reliability and innovation – at STILL since 2023. It is a sensor-controlled scale that is directly connected to the Kanban container W-KLT^®2.0 (Würth small load carrier 2.0) and is autonomously movable. Whether at the assembly line, in the material warehouse, at the Kanban storage location, or directly at the assembly and workplace: iSCALE almost independently takes over the logistical inventory management for C-parts. By continuously checking the weight of the small parts stored in the container and transmitting it via an encrypted interface to the merchandise management system of the C-parts provider, everything remains in view at all times. Once the weight falls below a defined value, the intelligent system automatically and demand-oriented reorders. The advantages that STILL expects from the digital inventory management system are summarized by Grosser: “The fully automated logistical inventory management replaces time-consuming inventory assessments, reorders, and interim storage. Through continuous inventory checks, fluctuations and peaks can be identified early, thereby maximizing supply security.” In the case of STILL, the intelligent weighing systems are used in the conventional Kanban system in a central supermarket.

Automated Disposition and Inventory Management

So that nothing falls by the wayside: Since production must efficiently manage not only numerous C-parts but also A- and B-parts as well as other handling parts among thousands of items, a comprehensive supplier integration is necessary – as is the case at STILL. Therefore, Würth Industrie Service integrates qualified and STILL-defined suppliers into the existing Kanban system through route processing as part of CPS^®miDROPSHIP. The partner suppliers fill and label the Kanban containers in their warehouse and ship them directly to Hamburg to STILL. On-site, Würth Industrie Service ensures the filling of the shelves. Customers thus benefit from automated disposition and inventory management while simultaneously integrating their individual desired items into the Würth Kanban system. The intralogistics specialist uses the service to seamlessly integrate fasteners outside the Würth portfolio into the existing process landscape.

Partners at Eye Level

In February of this year, STILL and Würth Industrie Service celebrated 15 years of Kanban in Bad Mergentheim. With its own competence team for the KION Group, the parent company of STILL GmbH, which is well acquainted with the market, the industry, and the individual customer needs of the intralogistics expert, the two pioneers have since been working at eye level. This close collaboration forms the basis for developing innovative solutions in the future and successfully implementing joint projects.

Photo: © STILL