Company and project information
For forty years the Tubądzin plant has been setting trends in tile design and, thanks to the application of most advanced technologies, the products of the company are characterized by the quality recognized all over the world. The Tubądzin Group owns three production plants and a modern logistics and distribution centre. Growing volume of orders combined with expansion plans led to extension of the distribution centre with a modern, automated warehouse. The centre was provided with a twenty-three meters high, fifteen-level palette racking warehouse with eight stacker cranes, a miniload storage zone with four stations for picking from containers and twelve GTP picking stations equipped with a Put-to-Light system, as well as about a thousand running meters of conveyors. Upon this development the entire warehousing area increased to reach fifty thousand square meters. The automation part was delivered and integrated by the Logisystem company. The MFC and WMS systems were provided by Quantum Qguar, with which the Tubądzin company has been cooperating since 2007.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
Nowadays the client is very demanding. He expects ordered goods to reach him in as short time as possible and demonstrate as high quality as possible. So, automation supports many processes in warehouses. First of all, it allows delivery times to be reduced, errors to be optimized.
Storage capacity
By synchronizing automatic and manual processes, the Qguar WMS and Qguar MFC systems allow orders to be processed in an extremely efficient manner. A high-bay warehouse may process up to 300 pallets per hour. Shipment realization times reached by the Tubądzin company, increased efficiency or reduced number of errors – these are not the only benefits in this project.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
Before we set about realizing the investment, we developed a number of main assumptions. Improvement of the quality of the picking process was, of course, one of the most important assumptions. We wanted to improve the service we had already been providing to clients. Improved ergonomics of our workers tasks was another, equally important assumption. As the load handled by our employees for many hours is very demanding, it was also our main objective to aid them in handling heavy loads.
Delivery and picking
Tiles are delivered to the warehouse from three production plants. Information about transports from production plants reach the WMS system automatically thanks to integration with the ERP system. Once a logistic label on a pallet is scanned, a part of articles is distributed on classic racks, while another part is sent to the automatic warehouse, wherefrom they will be fed into the picking process. The picking zone handles articles from the miniload storage zone and from the automatic pallet warehouse. Twelve GTP stations handle simultaneously up to forty eight orders, while one article can be picked for several shipments. Qguar WMS informs the operator about the quantity of an article to be picked for shipment, while the Put-to-Light installation minimizes the number of errors. Operators’ work is additionally facilitated by mechanical grippers. Small-sized articles from the miniload zone are transferred to the palletization station, where they are consolidated. The multi-picking strategy in the WMS system supplements high efficiency of automation solutions and increases the number of shipments realized per time unit.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
We focused primarily on automation of the picking process, because, from our point of view, it was the crucial domain to be optimized. But solutions in the domain of intralogistics will absolutely prove to be useful in any process.
The role of the MFC system
Palletized goods are transported to foil-wrapping machines and, once they are secured, they receive shipment labels. Then, pallets are directed with a T-CAR onto gravity roll conveyors to the docks zone, where they are grouped and loaded with lift trucks onto trailers. Event management in automatic systems and synchronization of business processes with the WMS software require an efficient MFC system. It is this system that mediates in the communication between PLC controllers of devices and the WMS layer. This role in the warehouse of the Tubądzin Group is performed by Qguar MFC that shares the technology and architecture with the WMS system.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
Warehouse management without a WMS- or MFC- class system is impossible, when automation solutions have been implemented, because, actually, from the business process realized in the ERP system, we have to transfer these decisions, these operations, to the warehouse. So, this is where these systems support us. The MFC system in this particular case.
Customization
It took only twelve months from the commencement of the investment for the warehouse to become operational. In spite of demanding deadlines, many processes were accurately adapted to individual requirement of the Tubądzin company. Many modifications also affected WMS and MFC systems. The obtained results proved the pursuit of high flexibility of the new solutions to be right.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
One has to adopt a very wide perspective, when contemplating such an investment. I do not recommend taking shortcuts or seeking compromises, for this solution is to be made to measure of the investor’s needs. Neither do I recommend to let suppliers push their out-of-the-box solutions at any price, for such investment is to be tailored to meet our needs. So, one should keep searching until one finds a supplier, who meets our requirements.
Logistics as a key to growth
This impressive project was developed thanks to visionary decisions of the Tubądzin Group management and thanks to professional cooperation of all partners. Development of the centre confirmed the investor’s belief that it is worth investing in advanced solutions. The experience gained in the project will certainly prove useful in further projects.
Jolanta Gałązka – Director of logistics – Tubądzin Management Group:
We had the good fortune to have selected such partners for this investment, whom I can recommend with clear conscience. And it applies to construction designs, automation as well as suppliers of IT systems. When setting about new investments, we will decidedly start first consultations with the same partners.
Thanks to the implemented solutions, the Tubądzin company may ship about 200 TIR lorries with tiles per 24 hours. This proves that caring for clients’ satisfaction also involves advanced logistics.