Logistics
Modernization of a high-bay warehouse
The high-bay warehouse, built in 1980, has a capacity of 3,800 storage locations, which are divided into eight racks. Previously, the processes were controlled with SIMATIC S5 135U and operated via COROS. Many of the HW components were discontinued at the end of the 1990s and a continuous supply of spare parts was no longer guaranteed. In order to ensure the availability of the high-bay warehouse in the future, it was necessary to modernise the control and drive technology as well as the safety technology.
Realisation
To minimise system downtime, HEITEC developed a retrofit concept that made it possible to operate the old and new systems in parallel and carry out the conversions in stages. The new drive systems and control units for the storage and retrieval machines were pre-assembled and installed on mounting plates for quick replacement.
In addition, the system was set up on the computer as a virtual model and tested in real time before the individual conversion phases.
The old control systems were replaced by a fail-safe SIMATIC S7-317F and a WinCC client/server solution was used to operate the system.
Customer benefits
- short downtimes during conversion
- Increased operational reliability and fulfilment of the statutory safety standards
- Reduction in energy costs
- Increased reliability
Ensuring system availability for the next 10 to 15 years
