Production building
Transports/year
Expertise in shipbuilding
Optimization of intralogistics
The initial situation
TKMS AG & Co. KGaA is one of the leading shipbuilding companies specializing in the production of state-of-the-art submarines.
At the shipyard site in Kiel, precise and reliable intralogistics are crucial: every day, components, semi-finished products and parts in up to 200 load carriers are moved by industrial trucks between 67 different buildings and halls on the 31-hectare site.
The material flow is organized in SAP EWM, triggered by material requirements from production.
The motivation
Transport processing at the Kiel site requires precise coordination in order to provide the required parts on time and in the right place, thus ensuring uninterrupted production. Previously, the control and execution of transport movements was based on paper printouts and manual feedback from employees in the existing SAP EWM. Around 40,000 transports were carried out in this way in 2023. However, incorrect or missing records led to a lack of transparency and gaps in documentation, which sometimes caused employees to spend a considerable amount of time searching and, in the worst case, even interrupted value-adding activities in production.
The project approach
In order to consistently leverage efficiency potential, TKMS relies on a forward-looking approach: a solution for optimizing intralogistics based on tracking technologies for the automatic tracking and documentation of transport orders in real time. By using the software products INDUTRAX ASSETTRACKER and TransportAPP, the company has been able to significantly optimize its transport processes. The associated, targeted worker guidance for forklift drivers not only digitized the control of intralogistics and minimized the search effort, but also gained valuable time for more effective activities.
The solution with INDUTRAX
By integrating the INDUTRAX ASSETTRACKER into the existing system landscape and using the INDUTRAX TransportAPP on the forklift terminals, we were able to implement a fully digital solution for transport processing and worker management together with TKMS. The result: fewer interruptions, more transparency regarding material flows and a sustainable increase in overall efficiency. The solution combines state-of-the-art tracking technologies such as GPS, Quuppa RTLS and BLE presence detection with seamless integration of SAP EWM to ensure:
- Fully automated bookings in SAP EWM. The documentation effort for employees on the industrial trucks is reduced to a minimum. Without paper and manual intervention, the transport process runs more efficiently, with intervention only necessary in the event of conflicts.
- The significant reduction in error rates. Incorrect bookings and incorrect unloading are significantly minimized. The increased reliability of item information in SAP EWM increases transparency and enables more effective planning and control of the material flow.
Our solution design
The introduction of digital worker guidance and automation of transport tracking is based on the INDUTRAX ASSETTRACKER and the INDUTRAX TransportAPP mobile app in conjunction with SAP S/4 HANA EWM.
We have integrated the following technologies and systems:
GPS-enabled tablets
Worker guidance via TransportAPP:
Transport orders to be processed from SAP EWM are displayed on GPS-enabled tablets mounted in industrial trucks in list and map views in the INDUTRAX TransportAPP user interface. Real-time information on position and processing status enables employees to act quickly and purposefully, avoid incorrect unloading and automatically record feedback.
RTLS Tags
Transported goods are equipped with RTLS tags for automatic location tracking:
Quuppa-compatible BLE tags from Tatwah are used for the transportation of orders. These provide end-to-end transparency and at the same time ensure the plausibility of the transports to be carried out, especially on arrival at the unloading points on the shipyard site.
RTLS infrastructure
Location tracking with Quuppa RTLS inside the building and outside unloading points:
The relevant areas of the unloading points are equipped with a network of Quuppa RTLS locators, which enable automatic position detection of the BLE tags. Outside the unloading points, the location tracking of the industrial trucks is realized using GPS. The seamless integration of both tracking technologies into the INDUTRAX software ensures consistent tracking and optimizes the automation of work processes.
SAP S/4 HANA eWM
Seamless integration in SAP S/4 HANA eWM:
In exchange with Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM), employees have direct access to transport order data such as pick-up location, destination, order prioritization and the distance to the pick-up location based on their own position. Actions are triggered via a simple button press in the software. Material movements recorded by the RTLS trigger automatic postings in SAP. Paperless processing promotes optimized process documentation, minimizes sources of error and enables improved decision-making in the operational area.
The result and the outlook
With the introduction of the INDUTRAX ASSETTRACKER and the TransportAPP, we were able to achieve the following results for TKMS:
- Reduction of manual scans through automated postings in SAP EWM
- Increased transparency of the material flow and the positions of the load carriers
- Significant reduction in search times and incorrect bookings
- Optimized use of resources through digital worker guidance
- Increasing overall efficiency in both logistics and production
In future, TKMS plans to extend the solution to other locations and additional logistics processes.
Key data and facts about the company
Locations worldwide
Production building on 31 ha site (Kiel)
Daily transportation
Transports per year
"We have recognized that solutions with tracking technologies open up enormous potential for improvement.
We chose INDUTRAX for our goal of reducing the error rate in transport execution and increasing the transparency of the material flow because the software platform offers agile implementation of solutions with ready-made building blocks and mobile apps and allows easy integration
of tracking systems."
Michael Sturm
Head of Logistics Tractor Plant, Fendt
Your contact for INDUTRAX
Would you like to find out more about the benefits of digitalization with INDUTRAX in logistics and production? Would you like to know how our tailor-made solutions such as the INDUTRAX ASSETTRACKER or the mobile TransportAPP can reduce errors, optimize processes and relieve your employees? I would be happy to advise you and show you how we can take your processes to a new level with our solutions.
Simply fill out the contact form and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Dr. Andreas Schürzinger
Principal Consultant IoT
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