The KNAPP group – headquartered in Graz, Austria – ranks among the leading suppliers of logistics automation solutions and software, having over 1400 active systems worldwide. The KNAPP AG stand at IMHX – number 20D30 – will feature solutions from both group companies, KNAPP and Dürkopp Fördertechnik, with particular emphasis on automation for multichannel distribution. Warehouse & Logistics News spoke to Craig Rollason, Head of Sales and Marketing at KNAPP UK Ltd, to find out about the group’s products, performance and plans.
WLN – First of all, what is KNAPP’s scope of supply?
We design, install, maintain and upgrade warehouse automation systems that feature order picking, conveying and storage technology. Order fulfilment and warehouse integration are particular areas of expertise for KNAPP. We also supply everything from the low-level software up to warehouse management systems, control systems and host-level interfacing.
WLN – What are you going to be showing on your stand at IMHX 2013?
Our stand at IMHX will underline our expertise in providing automated solutions for multichannel distribution. The continuing growth in e-commerce is driving the need for highly efficient multichannel facilities and we have a number of leading-edge solutions for this very important market.
The stand will feature a live demo of our Pick-it-Easy workstation, which is designed for use in conjunction with our market-leading OSR Shuttle™ automated storage and retrieval system. The Pick-it-Easy workstation is part of a range of ergonomically designed work areas to suit the needs of various industry sectors and the unit at IMHX will demonstrate how pick-from and pick-to totes required for current orders are delivered to the picker, with pick-to-light technology directing the order fulfilment process and light curtains detecting if goods are placed into the wrong tote.
Also on display will be the new Pick-it-Easy Pocket solution, based on Dürkopp Fördertechnik’s proven overhead conveyor technology. This innovative solution – which enables both hanging garments and flat goods to be handled together for the first time on the same system – is ideal for multichannel distribution centres. Consisting of a hanging pocket – suitable for items such as flat-packed clothes, shoes, accessories, books, DVDs or toys – that runs on an overhead system, Pick-it-Easy Pocket allows the performance of an OSR Shuttle™ system to be maximized through batch-picking of orders and then sortation of the picked goods ready for dispatch. Batch-picked goods are placed into a series of hanging pockets – each of which has an RFID tag – which are then conveyed to a matrix sorter which sequences them so that they arrive at the packing stations in the correct order to collate each customer’s order. The Pick-it-Easy Pocket – which can process 10,000 items an hour – recently won the coveted Logistics Innovation Award in the category ‘Logistics installations or systems’ for client SeD Logistique at the SITL in France. The first system in the UK will soon be installed by Dürkopp in the second phase of an almost €2 million contract awarded by Glasgow-based ACS Clothing, the largest dress hire group in Europe.
WLN – Can you explain KNAPP’s philosophy of the ‘low-complexity warehouse’?
KNAPP’s ‘low-complexity warehouse’ concept aims to reduce the number of different technologies within distribution facilities in order to minimise costs. The bedrock of this philosophy is the OSR Shuttle™ system. KNAPP pioneered the concept of shuttle-based storage back in 2002 and we have been developing it continuously ever since. To date, we’ve sold over 10,000 shuttles in 180 systems worldwide. The OSR Shuttle™ system – which has an independent shuttle on every level of the storage cube, served by dedicated lifts at the aisle ends – forms the heart of many of the solutions that we supply today. The efficiency of the OSR Shuttle™ is remarkable – it achieves up to six times the rate of totes in/out than a traditional ASRS, while having about 20% less footprint and using only some 5% of the energy consumption.
WLN – Is the OSR Shuttle™ system also suitable for multichannel applications?
Absolutely. In fact, many of our clients use the OSR Shuttle™ system in multichannel or dedicated e-tail DCs – including Boots, John Lewis and Ocado here in the UK. In Germany, the largest OSR Shuttle™ system installed to date – for Hermes Fulfilment in Haldensleben – is used for handling returns. With the OSR Shuttle™ system, totes retrieved from storage to meet current orders are processed at a Pick-it-Easy station, where staff can pick a number of items from the source container and place them as directed in multiple target containers. This computer-controlled batching of orders allows the physical accessing of storage totes to be minimised and the number of picks per operator/hour to be maximised. Alternatively, totes can be conveyed to a KiSoft Sort & Pack station, which features a ‘pigeon hole’ arrangement to enable picked batches to be separated out using a combination of scanning and put-to-light technology.
A recent development of our OSR Shuttle™ technology that is proving popular for e-commerce applications is Fastbox. This is a buffer tower for fast-moving products – such as goods featured in current promotional campaigns – that is situated immediately adjacent to the Pick-it-Easy stations. Fastbox towers are served by the super-fast lifts from the OSR Shuttle™ system and their use allows shuttle technology to meet the needs of a wider range of applications.
WLN – Will you be promoting any other products or technologies at IMHX?
KNAPP is pioneering the use of image recognition and augmented reality technology in logistics and we’ll be explaining our ground-breaking VISION solutions at the show. The first installation of our head-mounted KiSoft VISION picking system went live in September 2012 at the site of the leading eyewear designer and manufacturer, Michael Pachleitner Group, in Nuremberg. Six mobile sets are being used to support staff with storage, replenishment and order picking. A micro camera over the display detects what the operator is looking at and KiSoft VISION enhances this picture with additional information and arrows to guide the picker from one storage location to the next, as well as directing which items and how many to pick. The system also verifies serial numbers and lot IDs in barcodes and datamatrix codes. We’re also applying our VISION technology to our existing solutions – including the OSR Shuttle™ workstations and the central belt (A-frame) autopicker – in order to improve picking accuracy.
WLN – Are you working on any large or interesting projects at the moment?
There are two that spring to mind – one in Germany and one in Austria. In Filderstadt, Germany, KNAPP is supplying an OSR Shuttle™ system – even larger than the Hermes one – for Hugo Boss, which will go live next year. With 400,000 storage locations, this will be the largest storage system of its kind in the world.
In Austria, we have been working with our customer, SPAR, to develop a brand-new solution for use in its new distribution centre in Vienna. Known as Pick-it-Easy Move, this solution enables ergonomic and efficient goods-to-person picking of fast-moving products directly from pallets into roll cages. The system features a moving shuttle with integral operator platform, which moves automatically between a dozen target locations – six on each side – featuring roll cages on lifts.
WLN – Is there anything new in your software offering?
KNAPP continues to invest heavily in its software solutions, with hundreds of the new staff taken on recently being involved in software development. Very recently, KNAPP expanded its co-operation with SALT Solutions of Würzburg, Germany, to provide end-to-end SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management) solutions. This collaboration is carried out through a common subsidiary, KNAPP IT Solutions GmbH, which employs some 200 SAP logistics experts and is one of the leading international suppliers of SAP EWM for manual, semi- and fully automatic warehouses.
WLN – How important is your service division?
With proactive maintenance essential to ensure both maximum system availability and minimum handling costs, customer support is a key part of our offer. We provide rapid and professional maintenance, repair and upgrade services to both contract and non-contract customers for KNAPP systems and also for equipment of other manufacture. Our services include planned maintenance, emergency repairs, spare parts management and resident engineers – we now have five client sites in the UK with on-site KNAPP support teams. We also provide hotline support, start-up or transitional support, IT support, consultancy, modernisation, training and additional services such as portable appliance testing, equipment inspections, thermal imaging surveys and compressed air leak detection.
WLN – How is technology impacting your customer support services?
KNAPP’s KiSoft Web Eye harnesses the power of the Internet to facilitate logistics system repairs and maintenance. It’s a video-based troubleshooting system, which is available as an addition to any KNAPP service contract. KiSoft Web Eye allows live, bi-directional video and voice transmission to help identify and resolve service issues at the customer’s site. Wearing the fully mobile kit, a client employee or a KNAPP engineer can transmit live images and sound using WLAN technology from the actual location of any problem to KNAPP’s Customer Service experts at our headquarters in Graz, Austria.
WLN – What are the most important industry sectors for KNAPP?
KNAPP built its success and global presence on projects for the pharmaceutical wholesale industry but the composition of our sales revenue has been changing gradually over the past decade, with the retail, fashion, cosmetics, entertainment media, eyecare, tools and office supplies sectors all becoming more important. Today, retail – including both food and non-food – is the fastest-growing sector for KNAPP in the UK. The need for the retail industry to focus on B2C translates into a need for higher flexibility and accuracy in logistics – which is precisely KNAPP’s expertise.
WLN – How important is the UK in KNAPP’s global operations?
The UK is one of the three most important markets for KNAPP, not only in Europe but worldwide. While KNAPP has been a strong player in Europe, the USA and South America for some time, Eastern Europe is becoming increasingly important to the group, along with Australia and Asia.
Tel: 01844 202149
email: sales.uk@knapp.com
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