The bottleneck in front of the high-bay warehouse

The converting machines do not operate in sync with the storage and retrieval machines. Different formats, orders, stack sizes, and production speeds are handled by a warehouse that processes its storage and retrieval operations in cycles. The purpose of the pre-zone is to synchronize these two worlds.

To achieve maximum efficiency, a storage and retrieval machine needs optimally assembled block units to be available at the right time.

The smart pre-zone

We do not consider the storage and retrieval machine separately or assume it to be a fixed component with specific performance parameters. Rather, it is designed - together with the pre-zone - to meet the customer's requirements, production capacity, and desired material flows. The decisive fact is the perfect synergy of all components.

To get the most out of a storage and retrieval machine, the blocks are, as required, assembled into load units, held together, and transferred as needed, starting from production all the way to the pre-zone. Always keeping the following in mind: How many blocks can the storage and retrieval machine handle? What is the exact timing to ensure that as few cycles as possible are used?

The storage and retrieval machine shouldn't require organization. When it arrives, its next order must already be fully prepared. 

Multiple load units are arranged in parallel - side by side and one behind the other - and assembled according to the requirements of the subsequent processes. The storage and retrieval machine picks up the optimally prepared load units in a single step and stores them in the high-bay warehouse.

Without this preparation in the pre-zone, storage and retrieval machines would simply not be able to achieve their required performance for storage and retrieval operations. Or, to put it simply: The pre-zone is the key!

Cycle Sync in the Pre-zone

It is self-evident that a waiting storage and retrieval machine is bad for the warehouse's efficiency. What matters more is how to prevent this situation in a constructive way.  The key factor is the decoupling of the cycle timing of the storage and retrieval machine from the output of the converting machines.

The storage and retrieval machine has a specific cycle capacity and can only increase its speed to a limited extent due to physical constraints. At the same time, blocks leave several converting machines at irregular intervals. The pre-zone must absorb peaks and convert this irregularity into a consistently even flow to the high-bay warehouse.

MINDA uses a customized solution tailored to these types of tasks. These may consist of: Buffer zones, parallel lines and preparation area, intelligent sequencing, timely pre-positioning, and accordingly designed conveyor technology. 

Intelligent software without black box

Where should each block be positioned when, so that the storage and retrieval machine doesn't have to wait? To answer this question, the MINDA MoveIT software makes it possible to identify each block precisely at any time. Customers can continuously analyze performance data and material movements. Material flows and warehouse strategies are thus managed in real time and can be dynamically adjusted according to production. 

When it comes to warehouse strategy, our software considers aisle distribution, warehouse zones, order sequence, and subsequent machine assignment, and avoids unnecessary movements in the warehouse. In addition, there are strategies for sequential retrieval.

Consequence

Performance is not determined by the highest speed of a single component, but rather by how often the SRM can operate with an optimally prepared load unit without any waiting time. Efficient performance increase is not achieved by optimizing individual components, but rather by an intelligently optimized material flow across the entire system.

The intelligence of the pre-zone does not begin at the transfer point to the storage and retrieval machine. It starts with knowing what is going to happen to the block later. The storing strategy begins with the production of the stack, not just in the warehouse.

MINDA considers the pre-zone from the perspective of the entire corrugated board plant - starting with the production and conversion of the stacks, via their accumulation and transport, all the way to their optimally prepared transfer to the high-bay warehouse.

MINDA as full-service partner for the entire intralogistics material flow

MINDA is not only your partner for high-bay warehouses, but also for the entire upstream and downstream material flow. With decades of experience, we efficiently optimize the performance of your entire system. Not just focusing on cycle times in warehouse systems, but covering the entire production process!