Unipart Logistics, Intermec and SAP join forces on RFID project

A new real-time automated data collection system at ThyssenKrupp is using Intermec 750 Color handheld computers and a WLAN based on Intermec wireless access points to improve production visibility and workflows. Production planners are using the data on machine running and down times gathered by the new system to avoid bottlenecks and take full advantage of production capacity.

ThyssenKrupp Stahl-Service-Center GmbH and its subsidiary, Herzog Coilex GmbH, produce metal parts at their German factories in Leverkusen and Stuttgart respectively. They specialise in split strips, sheet metal and hot and cold rolled metal cuts, with finished surfaces and in high-grade steel. The manufacturing process requires generous stocks of coil supplied from either a steel factory or a rolling mill. Each stage of work, from the arrival of the coil to the despatch of the finished product, is monitored by quality assurance and inspection.

This stringent demand for product quality was a key driver behind ThyssenKrupp’s ambitious new IT project led by software consultants in.depend GmbH and begun in 2004. The company now uses Intermec 750 Color handheld computers with integrated scanners for bar code data collection throughout the manufacturing process.

During production, cut-to-measure metal strips are rolled up and given a bar code label to clearly identify each individual roll. Weight data for the processed steel is captured at a weighing station by the wireless scanner, verified and registered directly into the SAP system. All of the warehouse management and order-picking of finished goods are also performed using the 750s and forklift terminals. This occasionally involves the use of extra long range scanners so that scans can be performed directly from the forklifts at distances of up to 5 metres. Now approximately 900 inputs are performed daily in each factory using the new wireless network. In the past all of the inputs had to be carried out manually.

With the need for the WLAN to cover outdoor areas, long driving routes, and the involvement of metal products, it was a challenge to ensure the network covering 45,000 square metres did not have any coverage gaps. For this reason, in.depend recommended using Intermec’s WA21 access points. All data is encrypted to prevent unauthorised eavesdropping and is transmitted continuously throughout the manufacturing process.

“The Intermec Access Points provide forklift drivers and other workers with excellent wireless reception,” said Thomas Frank, project manager at ThyssenKrupp Stahl-Service-Centre.

The 750 mobile handheld computer was chosen for its large graphical display, which can be read in direct sunlight and is easy to use. Intermec also offered a proprietary forklift fitting to attach the mobile computers securely to vehicles.

“The devices are characterised by excellent roaming qualities as well as a lack of sensitivity to dust and sprayed water,” commented Frank.

Moreover, the IP64 rated device is robustly built and ideal for harsh industrial environments, like the ThyssenKrupp factories. It functions in a temperature range from -25° C to 75° C and can survive a fall from a height of 1.5 meters onto a concrete floor without suffering any damage.

“Our experience with the Intermec solution has been thoroughly positive,” said Ralf Knäpper, central organisation IT manager for ThyssennKrupp Stahl-Service-Centre. “The immediate start, quick data transmission and user-friendly operation made a good impression from the beginning. The Intermec devices were convincing in this respect compared with other products and the wireless solution creates major potential for rationalisation. We expect a return on investment from the WLAN system within 9 months to one year.”

ThyssenKrupp is currently working to further improve production flows with the WLAN system. Production planners are using the precise data gathered by the new system on machine running and down times to avoid bottlenecks and take full advantage of the production capacity.

“Of the prior 35 production process phases, only 10 steps will remain when the rationalisation potential is fully exploited,” Knäpper said. Further WLAN projects for ThyssenKrupp Stahl-Service-Center are currently underway at factories in Mannheim, Bochum, Dortmund, Radebeul and Nettetal, and will also be implemented in the future at the company’s French subsidiaries.