Through this project, Continental has become the first company in the Czech Republic to implement the AutoStore robotic storage system. This is a modern modular storage system that can accommodate any warehouse size, as well as large numbers of small parts, thanks to the use of vertical storage. AutoStore works with pre-programmed robots that move independently along the rails of its structure.
Aimtec deployed its Aimtec DCIx solution to manage the plant’s entire system environment. The Aimtec DCIx platform is connected to Continental’s SAP system and controls warehouse trucks in autonomous mode, as well as vertical lift modules and the fully automated AutoStore system. Without Aimtec DCIx controlling its systems, Continental would need four times the data and four times the maintenance.
“Our systems could function without interconnection. But we vitally needed to have just one system – Aimtec DCIx – and to manage everything from one place so that one person, one team, could control and configure everything, make changes, work on development and so on. Otherwise, we would have needed far more data and maintenance. And, additionally, twice the bandwidth in IT, and a newly built optical network as well. Each system would also have needed its own specialist. That would be very inefficient,” explains Jiří Černý, the Supply Chain Director for Continental’s Brandýs nad Labem plant.
Besides the increased efficiency, Continental also saves considerable space. The company is saving 2,000 m2 out of a storage area of 5,400 m2, which is now available for production. The deployment of this new technology is another significant step for Continental towards full digitalisation of its Brandýs nad Labem plant.
“This project was particularly attractive for us because we were the first in the Czech Republic to integrate the AutoStore solution into a comprehensive system environment. Thanks to our Aimtec DCIx solution, Continental now has a control centre that monitors and manages operations in real-time,” notes Aimtec’s Supply Chain Solutions Director Rostislav Schwob. “We are pleased to see that our long-standing partner Continental has earned the elogistics Award for this achievement. Aimtec’s customers benefit from our extensive experience in digitalisation, system integration and automation. We help them adapt quickly to constant market changes, and we enable fast, flexible and efficient workflows.”
Media contact:
Schwartz Public Relations
Sebastian Weinstock
T.: +49 89 211 8 72
E.: aimtec@schwartzpr.de
About AKJ Automotive
Since its founding in 1985, AKJ Automotive has specialised in strategies and solutions focused on modernising and optimising key processes and supplier relationships related to the automotive industry and its suppliers. It is regarded as an experience-exchange platform among the three sets of parties in the automotive value chain (auto manufacturers, suppliers and logistics service providers), and it provides a framework for open discussion of cooperation issues that arise among them.