Industry:
Automotive and Vehicle Manufacturing, Bus Production
Key Technologies:
SAP ERP, SAP S/4HANA, FlexGuide Transport and Forklift Guidance System
Applications:
Production supply, order picking, automated guided vehicle (AGV) control, internal material flow
Key Features:
Centralized logistics management directly in SAP, automated real-time dispatch of driving orders, convoy and forklift coordination, paperless order picking, 2D/3D visualization, and real-time key performance indicator calculation
Central logistics control through the transport control system
Intralogistics platform – Integrated and central control of the operational SAP logistics processes for SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA.
As part of the Daimler Buses division, EvoBus is not only Europe’s largest but also one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers, producing tour buses, intercity buses, and city buses at its Neu-Ulm facility.
To ensure a steady supply for production, management has decided to implement a networked and centralized SAP logistics system for material flow control.
EvoBus GmbH is Daimler AG’s largest European subsidiary. With its Mercedes-Benz, Setra, OMNIplus, and BusStore brands, EvoBus is a leading full-line provider.
As part of the Daimler Buses division, EvoBus is not only Europe’s largest but also one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers.
The savings potential and results of the FlexGuide
Armin Barth
The transport and forklift guidance systems from Flexus AG have impressed us from day one.
Head of Bus Logistics for Western Europe
EvoBus GmbH
Neu-Ulm location
Challenges in transport processing
This resulted in a high number of empty runs, an oversized fleet, and long response times. One problem with using route trains was that orders ready for pickup along the route were not known in advance. As a result, it was not possible to schedule appropriate trailers or resources. In some cases, this led to underutilization or overloading of individual route trains.
Faced with these major challenges, the decision-makers sought a partner to help implement these requirements. Their attention quickly turned to Flexus AG, an SAP partner based in Würzburg. With its FlexGuide transport and forklift management system for SAP, Flexus AG offers a solution that fully meets the majority of the requirements right out of the box.
FlexGuide allows various materials from the small-parts warehouse to be consolidated into a single transport order. Thanks to real-time data transmission, it is possible to track exactly where the material is in the process at any given time. At the same time, the automated and capacity-optimized control of transport volumes ensures efficiency in logistics.
VIDEO Success Story
Watch the success story as a video:
Optimize intralogistics with Flexus AG’s FlexGuide transport control system! EvoBus GmbH, a subsidiary of Daimler AG, is not only Europe’s largest but also one of the world’s leading bus manufacturers. In search of a solution to ensure a steady supply to production, EvoBus chose Flexus as its partner. Management decided to implement a networked and centralized SAP logistics system for material flow control—the Flexus intralogistics platform. The result: cost savings, increased transparency, and efficient resource allocation and utilization thanks to the FlexGuide transport/forklift control system for SAP.
The system not only enables simple and transparent management of the forklift fleet—it also takes into account all available resources necessary for material flow within the company. Its functions include the optimization of forklifts, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), employees using mobile devices, and on-site truck traffic. FlexGuide represents a holistic approach to cross-departmental control and route optimization of material flow. The implementation is designed for SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA.
Efficient control of the means of transport
When supplying materials to the internal logistics areas, the various means of transport (forklifts, tugger trains, …) are efficiently controlled via the real-time client and the mobile terminals. This ensures transparency even in the confusing high-bay warehouse.
Demand-oriented planning of picking orders
Within the picking areas, employee scheduling is sequenced and demand-driven. The visualization of picking orders enables transparent order processing. Real-time data transmission enables a completely paperless picking process. By integrating cutting-edge technologies, employee ergonomics are simultaneously improved and sources of error are reduced. Dynamic control via FlexGuide in operational logistics thus leads to flexible and efficient processes.
Efficient and optimized control of the tugger trains
With FlexGuide, route trains are also controlled directly through SAP and supplied with transport orders. Route train control is based on the maintenance of routes and tours and is an extension of the FlexGuide transport/forklift dispatch system for SAP®. A route describes a fixed sequence of source and destination locations that can be served by a route train. Automatic optimization and synchronization of all routes in real time ensure that production needs are met.
Even short-term changes are incorporated into the overall process by automatic recalculation. The scheduled orders are visualized in a clear cockpit and can be edited in terms of sequence and assignment. For the tugger train driver, the current route including the route is displayed on a hall plan directly on the forklift terminal.
Optimized transfer of driving orders to the various means of transport
Transport orders are created automatically or manually via the Flexus operator dialog. This ensures the supply and removal of materials, returnable containers, and other relevant items during production. The transport orders are optimized in a central order pool and distributed among the various resources (forklifts, tugger trains, order-picking carts, automated guided vehicles).
Real-time key figure determination and active area control
The transmission of up-to-date key metrics and system-reported malfunctions ensures transparency at all times and helps resolve problems quickly and effectively. The processing, summarization, and provision of real-time information in 2D and 3D enhance traceability from goods receipt through assembly.
In conclusion
The use of the FlexGuide transport and forklift guidance system optimizes the entire internal material flow at EvoBus GmbH. Cost savings were achieved through reduced staffing requirements, more efficient resource allocation, and a resulting reduction in the size of the vehicle fleet. In addition, the automated control processes enhance stability, quality, and flexibility. FlexGuide is being used as the central order-picking and route-guidance system at the Neu-Ulm site, and plans are already underway to roll it out to other plants within the group.
Your contact
Sascha Scherer
FlexGuide4 for worry-free intralogistics
phone: +49 931 466 211 100