FlexGuide Forklift Guidance System for SAP at FFG

Industry:
Automotive Manufacturing, Defense Technology, Mechanical Engineering

Key Technologies:
SAP ERP, FlexGuide Transport and Forklift Dispatch System

Areas of Application:
Internal material flow, goods receiving, goods shipping, warehouse logistics

Key Features:
Centralized control of all material-handling vehicles in SAP, barcode-based material tracking, SLS control center for transparency in material flow, reduced empty runs, and optimized forklift utilization

Forklift Guidance system for SAP

You won’t find any vacant lots here: The sprawling grounds of Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH (FFG) are surrounded by neighboring companies, roads, and water. With no prospect of expanding its physical footprint, the manufacturer of armored tracked and wheeled vehicles reached its capacity limits in 2016 after years of growth. As a result, FFG sought efficient solutions to make better use of its existing space. Internal material flow presented a key starting point: All forklift traffic had previously been managed “on demand” and coordinated by an external gatekeeping service.

Flensburger Fahrzeugbau is internationally active in the civil and defense technology sectors. FFG’s core competencies include the development, production, conversion and optimization of tracked and wheeled armored vehicles, including security concepts to protect occupants against mines and ballistic threats.

Centralized instead of decentralized

As a result, FFG decided to introduce a Material Guidance System in order to optimize the complete material flow within the plant. In addition to material traceability, this was primarily intended to increase transparency.

In addition, the goal was to reduce the gatekeeper’s workload, avoid empty runs, and make better use of warehouse capacity. In short: The forklift guidance system was intended to increase productivity and reduce costs. The company was looking for a software solution that could be integrated with SAP® to centrally control all industrial trucks. Attention quickly turned to the FlexGuide transport and forklift guidance system from Flexus, an SAP partner based in Würzburg. In addition to strong references, the direct integration of the software into SAP® was particularly compelling. After defining the future transport processes using SAP®, the required software modules were implemented in the test system. In addition, all receiving points and warehouse zones were equipped with barcodes, and the forklifts were fitted with forklift terminals featuring touchscreen functionality.

Checking at the control station

The transport orders can now be created with a few clicks on various PCs between goods receipt and goods issue with SAP®. A barcode label is printed simultaneously with each order and attached to the pallets to be transported.

Once the transport orders have been scheduled with optimized routes based on priorities, they appear directly on the corresponding forklift terminal. They can then be processed quickly and accurately, with drivers using a mobile scanner for this purpose. Scanning the barcodes on the pallet and in the relevant warehouse zones ensures that the correct pallet is transported to the correct location. In addition, supervisors can now manage the material flow at any time via their own forklift control station, known as the SLS Cockpit.

However, the FlexGuide transport and forklift guidance system for SAP® can be used for more than just scheduling forklifts within a plant. Another area of application for other customers is the control of all other resources within the material flow: This includes automated guided vehicles (AGVs), employees with mobile devices, on-site truck traffic, and high-bay warehouses. The solution thus ensures cross-departmental control and tracking of the material flow, while reducing empty runs to a minimum. Numerous modules and extensions ensure optimal alignment with customer needs.

The benefits of the forklift guidance system for FFG are clearly evident in the truest sense, as every pallet can now be tracked throughout the entire internal transport process via the SLS Cockpit. Before the introduction of the FlexGuide transport guidance system, this material traceability did not exist, which led to long search times and, in some cases, to reorders of items that could not be located. Another major advantage of the centralized and route-optimized material flow control is the significantly higher utilization of the forklifts and their operators. They now reach their destinations much faster, which also increases employee satisfaction—including that of the gatekeeper, whose workload has been significantly reduced and who can now focus on his actual duties again.

In conclusion

The Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH is convinced of the advantages of the system conversion in the internal material flow: “The time spent today with the introduction of a transport and forklift control system is saved twice tomorrow,” as summed up by logistics manager Detlef Vogel.

Learn more about the forklift control system for SAP