As the global vehicle market continues to grow, the logistics operation needed to support the supply chain for spare parts and accessories becomes increasingly important. Thirty-one consecutive months of growth in the UK’s new car market, including more than 425,000 new cars registered in September 2014*, suggests lucrative times ahead for parts dealers and suppliers of typical consumables such as tyres and exhausts.
With space at a premium, picking and storage systems which maximise utilisation of available building volume are assuming greater importance at both distribution centre and dealership level. Many years’ experience in working closely with some of the top names in the car manufacturing industry has enabled SSI Schaefer to understand their requirements and to develop both bespoke and standard systems to support their parts distribution operations.
2012 saw the completion of an extensive, new Midlands distribution centre for one prestigious car manufacturer, with the internal layout, design and installation of storage and automation systems completed by SSI Schaefer. Solution design experts from Schaefer worked closely with the manufacturer’s logistics team, analysing distribution data and factoring in growth plans, to provide an efficient and accurate storage and picking system, which would accommodate some 65,000 different part numbers (SKUs), at a level of 97% availability. This system enables a rapid response to a continual stream of orders placed throughout the day and ensures a guaranteed next day delivery service to all locations within the company’s national dealership network.
On a smaller scale, dedicated warehouses have been modified and furnished with SSI Schaefer’s unique wheel and tyre storage systems which provide dense storage media through both static and mobile systems. The standard system design stores one set of tyres next to another in a single-deep shelf. A more cost-effective solution is storing wheels in pairs in double-deep shelving, i.e. one set of tyres occupies two double-deep storage locations. If a mobile solution is required, the single-deep and double-deep versions can also be installed as mobile shelving, which can be driven manually or electrically. Such dense wheel and tyre storage systems have the benefit of releasing space for accommodating storage of other spare parts.
In addition to tyre storage it is more than likely there will be a requirement for the storage of exhausts – another category of spares which, because of size and shape, is frequently considered difficult to store efficiently. Schaefer’s specialist cantilever system has been designed to accommodate this awkward group effectively.
While single- and multi-tier shelving systems fitted with plastic bins have always been popular with parts stores, an increasing number of parts distributors are now maximising their ‘air space’ by using semi-automated, good-to-man vertical lift machines such as the Schaefer LogiMat. By occupying only a small footprint, the LogiMat lift saves up to 90 per cent of warehouse space in comparison to conventional shelf systems and delivers fast, ergonomic picking for small parts, as well as being versatile enough to accommodate bulkier items. Increases in picking speed at the distribution centre of one European parts dealer has increased between six- and ten-fold with the introduction of this system.
As vehicle design continues to evolve through the application of newer, greener technology the need for slicker, modern storage systems to accommodate new parts, in whatever form they may take, will continue to provide challenges for motor manufacturers and storage systems providers alike.
Mike Alibone, Business Development & Marketing Manager, SSI Schaefer Limited
*source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)
Tel: 01264 386600
Email: solutions@ssi-schaefer.co.uk
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