The RackBot System COMPACT combines the benefits of rack systems and mobile robots from SSI Schaefer. Transmec thus receives a comprehensive solution consisting of fine-tuned robots, racks, bins, workstations and software. The picking warehouse built by SSI Schaefer as a general contractor features 13,000 rack storage locations that are served fully automatically by 15 RunBots and RackBots. The Mobile Robots work as an intelligent swarm and help Transmec maximise the availability of the new warehouse.
With 800,000 sqm of warehouses and yards, the Transmec Group is one of the largest logistics service providers in Europe. For a long time, the 3PL (Third Party Logistics Provider), founded in 1850, focused on the supply chain management for business customers (B2B). Since the pandemic, the business with end consumers (B2C) has gained increasing importance. With the opening of the first picking warehouse at the company headquarters in Campogalliano, Italy, the Transmec T-Log storage division combines both distribution worlds under one roof.
Commented Simone Corradini, General Manager of the T-Log storage division: “In recent years, we have seen significant changes in the market. These include the rise of online shopping and the increasing demand for fast deliveries. Together with the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, this is forcing companies to restructure their logistics and introduce more agile distribution models.”
Added Chiara Zoccoli, Project Manager at T-Log: “We do so by investing in know-how and innovation. The new RackBot System COMPACT is a very good example of this.”
Transmec demonstrated its innovative spirit by choosing the new RackBot System COMPACT, which had never been installed in Europe before.
Continued Zoccoli: “With this comprehensive solution, we were able to build a robot-assisted omnichannel warehouse within just a few months which we can use across all customers and industries.”
The picking warehouse, with a height of 10.3 meters, offers 13,000 double-deep rack storage locations. All storage and retrieval operations are carried out by a fully integrated swarm of 15 mobile robots with different capabilities. Specifically, there are 10 RunBots for all horizontal transportation, as well as 5 RackBots to operate the racks.
The roaming concept of the robot fleet ensures that each device can be operated in the entire robotics zone of the warehouse. It is thus possible to change aisles at any time. Plus: If a robot is temporarily unavailable, because its battery is being charged, for example, the others can take over its tasks. Comprehensive roaming provides for top values in terms of system availability.
SSI Schaefer has seamlessly integrated the picking warehouse, protected by a safety fence, into the material flow of the building. The storage area is connected via a conveying system that transports the piece goods in bins to the RunBots. Behind a safety gate, the RunBots pick up the bins and take them to one of the 360 buffer storage locations. The goods are taken over by the RackBots and transported to the storage locations in the rack storage.
Installation and commissioning of the picking warehouse took eight weeks in total. SSI Schaefer managed all sub-systems from a single source. The system layout for the warehouse was also developed by SSI Schaefer.
Special attention was paid to software integration. An interface environment was created enabling Transmec to flexibly integrate their customers’ warehouse management systems (WMS). As a result, incoming customer orders now automatically lead to orders for the RackBot System COMPACT, and all required work steps are optimally sequenced. Furthermore, the risk of picking errors is reduced to zero and delivery reliability increases significantly.
The RackBot warehouse has been in operation since the end of October 2024. “We consciously chose an online retailer as our first customer. “This way, we had two opportunities for stress tests – Black Friday and the Christmas season – all of which the robot-based warehouse mastered very well,” summarises Project Manager Chiara Zoccoli, adding: “After these two positive experiences, we added an automotive company as our system‘s second customer.”
Concluded Corradini: “After only three months of start-up time, we have achieved our goal and created a powerful omnichannel solution. Together with SSI Schaefer, we check which additional solutions are suitable for integration into the RackBot System. The goal is to further increase the utilization rate of the system and offer our customers even better service.” For more visit SSI-Schaefer.com
