SICK Hungary Factory Automates Production Logistics with KNAPP

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Sensor manufacturer SICK has completed capacity expansion and internal logistics system optimization at its factory in Kunsziget, Hungary, using automation technology from KNAPP. The factory currently employs 800 people, while SICK has a global workforce of 10,000. To meet growing order demand, the company has added three new buildings to the existing site for receiving, small parts storage, and picking, as well as a new manufacturing workshop.

In collaboration with KNAPP, SICK has automated its production logistics using a system comprising autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), an automated small parts warehouse, goods-to-person picking stations, and SAP® EWM software. This end-to-end automation solution supports just-in-time delivery to production areas, optimizes material flow, and enhances inventory management transparency.

For internal transport, KNAPP provided 27 Open Shuttle AMRs as the backbone of factory logistics. These AMRs directly connect the new warehouse with the manufacturing workshop, delivering materials to 30 flow racks within the production area and returning finished parts to the warehouse for storage. This just-in-time approach helps SICK minimize inventory levels while maximizing parts availability. The Open Shuttle's navigation does not rely on physical infrastructure; through KNAPP's KiSoft Fleet Control System (FCS), the layout and processes of the AMRs can be flexibly configured. These robots feature path planning, obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities, and use swarm intelligence to distribute tasks and optimize routes among the fleet.

The automated small parts warehouse is equipped with one stacker crane serving four aisles and 28 levels, supplying materials to all production areas from a central point. Unfinished and semi-finished goods are stored in three different types of containers across 52,000 storage locations. Directly connected to the automated warehouse are two ergonomic KNAPP Pick-it-Easy workstations, enabling efficient screen-guided goods-to-person picking. This solution allows SICK to fully automate goods access and retrieval, supply parts to production just in time, and improve space utilization.

At the control level, a decentralized SAP® EWM solution is used, functioning as both a warehouse management system (WMS) and a warehouse control system (WCS). KNAPP's SAP® EWM MFS (Material Flow System) directly controls the automation equipment, coordinating all movements within the warehouse without the need for external middleware or additional control layers. Both the factory's logistics system and the SAP® EWM environment are designed to be scalable, allowing additional manufacturing workshops to be efficiently added in the future using the same approach.