Effective material flow is the key to effective production.
Ponsse’s new factory, recently opened, is designed to be flexible and efficient. The particular production characteristics and extensive customer-specific variation of products also require a lot of power and accuracy from material logistics. The internal logistics operations were totally reformed in connection with the factory expansion and are now based on pull control.
The extensive scope of material flows in Ponsse’s production are illustrated by the fact that the new storage systems include 3,700 pallet positions and 15,000 box positions. The machine-specific assembly sets are distributed to production using a material train. Forklift truck traffic, causing hazardous situations, has been significantly reduced, resulting in an improvement in occupational safety.
The material flow from the factory door to the fitter is controlled by Leanware’s warehouse management system (Leanware WMS). SSI Schäfer’s automatic CubyShuttle systems for boxes and HBW pallet shelf lifts, handle 80% of the material flow in assembly operations. Flexible production and quicker store turnover make material flows more complicated. Warehouse automation requires adjustable control as part of overall logistics processes. Ponsse indicates that the materials logistics at Ponsse’s factory sets a new benchmark for machinery manufacturers in terms of level of automation, efficiency, quality and holistic flow. Source