inconso

www.inconso.com

Journal

02/13

Same output in
just one shift

Greiner Bio-One starts new

logistics center with SAP LES

Efficient logistics for

onboard equipment
Stute controls logistics
center for LSG Sky Chefs

BADER comes
out big

BADER optimizes its

warehouse logistics

Full Managed IT Services

How businesses can outsource complete process chains with
inconso Full Managed Services

Greiner Bio-One starts up a new

logistics center. It took less than
15 months from the groundbreaking ceremony to the go-live also
thanks to the SAP LES introduced
by inconso everything is going
very smoothly.

Topics

Swiss Automotive Group............................................................. 4

ContiTech ................................................................................... 4
BADER ....................................................................................... 5
IGS Logistics Group ................................................................... 5

12

Since November 2011, the

LSG Sky Chefs logistics
center in Gro Gerau has
been run by STUTE Logistics
GmbH. inconsoWMS S is used
as the system for warehouse
management and control.

Shipping & Dispatch inconsoSDS .............................................. 5

Full-Managed IT Services by inconso ........................................ 6
Stute controls Logistics Center for LSG Sky Chefs..................... 8
Greiner Bio-One starts up with SAP LES ................................. 12

How businesses can outsource

complete process chains with the
inconso Full Managed Services:
from the application support up to
the process management.

/2/

inconso

BADER optimizes its warehouse

logistics
and
implements
inconsoWMS X. The E-Fulfillment
components of inconsoWMS X will
be used.

Whether global or regional:

Full concentration on your
core business
Bertram Salzinger
CEO of inconso AG
Ongoing world economic changes and global megatrends
have a big impact on the framework conditions and increase
the complexity of logistics like almost no other industry. The
observance of increasing delivery sequences via different
distribution channels with more and more involved partners,
increasing transport costs, higher time pressure and new
environmental perspectives influence the international
network control. Without intelligent IT solutions that
provide for transparency, flexibility and optimized logistics
processes across different countries and warehouses, a
Global Logistics would be inconceivable.
On the other hand, this extensive network control only works
once the local level is perfectly organized. Every single hub
of the logistics network through to the regional warehouses
or distribution centers must be optimized and controlled
in its processes. Meeting the logistics service demands
requires a consistent organization and monitoring. In brief:
Even the local intralogistics depends crucially upon the IT
system. Full Managed Services for logistics IT makes the
user`s life easier in all issues concerning the IT operations
for the logistics control, via process control and monitoring
and through to the uniform supervision of the compliance
with the Service Level Agreements.

of their logistics demands on the intralogistics and

extralogistics levels without distracting the attention for the
operation and monitoring of the IT systems.
The combination of more powerful software solutions and
a strong service partner represents the ideal basis for an
internationally stable logistics network, which masters all
the globalization challenges from the distribution center
through to the extensive network control.
Read in the current inconso Journal how inconso lays this
foundation. Stute Logistics GmbH in Gro-Gerau manages
the warehouse logistics of LSG Sky Chefs and receives
up to 750,000 load carriers a year from trucks and sea
containers thanks to the inconsoWMS S. Thanks to the
optimized logistics control with SAP LES, Greiner Bio-One
in Lower Austria can now save a complete shift in the new
logistics center. Find out how inconso provided for more
efficiency, transparency and for the compliance with the
industry specific demands.
Enjoy your reading!

The advantages are clear: users hand over the tasks that
do not fall within their main duties. In this way, they can
concentrate fully on the essential tasks: The management

inconso

/3/

Swiss Automotive Group optimizes logistics network

Growth, internationalization and high demands on delivery
quality made it necessary inconso has implemented a new
warehouse management system at the Swiss Automotive
Group (SAG). In order to meet the future needs of the company,
the SAG has decided to use inconsoSCE and inconsoWMS X.
SAG Logistics AG is responsible for all logistics demands
and the logistics execution within SAG. The distribution and
reallocation of goods to the single warehouses is focused
on the demand of delivering 95% of all customer orders
within two hours. Due to the growth rate and the company
internationalization, the warehouse management system used
so far had reached its limits.
This changeover should enable to cut down on future costs
by streamlining the work processes through the optimization
of resources and personnel and by shortening the processing
times.

Power for new logistics

processes at ContiTech

In the processing center of ContiTech in

Hannover, customer-specific products for
the industrial application market are
manufactured and logistics services such
as the creating and affixing of labels and
imprints or the assigning of certificates are
completed. The coverage of the production
processes in this processing center with
SAP PP (production planning), as well as its
integration with the logistics system based
on SAP LES, were both carried out by
inconso AG. In addition, inconso integrated
the production disposal and the customerspecific goods issue into the SAP LES.

Source: ContiTech

Source: SAG Logistics AG

During a reorganization of logistics processes at the

Hannover site, the Power Transmission Group of
ContiTech AG has introduced and successfully brought
into operation new additional processes and radio data
transmission functions. The European leading supplier
of software solutions for logistics, inconso AG, was
entrusted with the introduction of SAP LES in the manual
warehouse for the supply and disposal of the production.
Among other things, inconso integrated the production
planning software SAP PP with SAP LES in
the connected processing center.

/4/

inconso

BADER logistics
comes out big with
inconso
BADER optimizes its warehouse logistics
and implements inconsoWMSX.
Increasing
sales
and
extended
assortments have prompted the
renowned mail order company to
create a new logistics concept and
implement a modern and flexible
warehouse management system for
controlling and optimizing the logistics
processes. Decisive for the order
placement was the comprehensive
mail order logistics know-how of
inconso AG. Correspondingly, the E-Fulfillment
components of inconsoWMS X will be used.

Source: BADER

The IGS Logistics Group invests in a

new Warehouse Management System
At the end of an intensive and thorough selection process for a new
Warehouse Management System for the control and optimization
of all warehouse and handling processes, the IGS Logistics Group
has chosen inconsoWMS S of inconso AG. This system meets all the
demands of the IGS Group in an extensive way and its successful
use in logistics businesses all over Europe are impressive. In this
project and for the first time, the photo module is used and makes it
possible to document transport damages via the handheld scanner
in the goods receiving or during regular loading in the goods issue.
In addition, this module also enables a user to digitally record signed
delivery notices and to assign them to the orders in the WMS.

At the company headquarters in Pforzheim,

BADER operates two large warehouse
locations with a total of ca. 200,000 locations
for more than 100,000 products. From one of
the locations, the distribution of hanging and
packed fashion products, jewelry, hardware and
large format goods takes place. The second
location is responsible for the processing of
returns. With inconsoWMS X, the traditional
mail order company has more transparency
and efficiency in its logistics processes.

Smooth shipment processing with inconsoSDS

The Add-on of the inconso Logistics Suite, inconsoSDS (Shipping & Dispatch
System), enables the complete shipment processing for many different carriers.
Thanks to inconsoSDS, it is also possible to set up new clients within a short time
and to easily add new carriers. The basic functions are carrier specific routing, the
creation of shipping labels, the automated printing of delivery lists, the (electronic)
notification for the carriers and main data administration.
Additional functionalities are the determination of the shipping mode and freight
costs, data analysis for the collection of KPIs and statistics, manual dispatch
processing, reprinting of labels, control routines for the release or cancellation of
packages and track & trace functions.

inconso
Source: Fotolia Kurhan

/5/

INCONSO FULL MANAGED

IT SERVICES
How businesses can outsource complete process chains with the inconso Full
Managed Services: from the application support up to the process management
Wherever logistics processes are controlled by software and operated by users, issues or problems can arise. Whether helpdesk,
network assistance or application support a comprehensive support can help quickly handle those problems and ensure a
smooth process flow as far as possible. Nevertheless, commissioning several special service providers for different tasks can
make it more difficult to assign the respective responsibilities. The ideal solution would be a partner taking care of the complete
support and, if needed, also including a data center, a 24/7 hotline and an end-user device support. With its service offer Full
Managed Services, inconso AG meets these needs perfectly.

The outsourcing of single

processes, work or business
areas to an external service
provider has become part of
everyday business since at least
the mid-1990s. While in the past,
mainly just single tasks were
outsourced, for example, using
a call center or a data center; a
new trend has emerged lately.
Whether it is in the industry,
Wilfried Pfuhl,
online or retail, construction
Member of the Board,
sector, finance or administration
inconso AG
the same principle can be
applied to the most diverse sector: when processes are
outsourced, it is more often the whole related process
chains are involved and not just isolated domains. In
this context, the outsourcing of computing services, data
storage and processing in the form of cloud computing
represents just the tip of the iceberg.
//// End-to-End as classic example
For this evolution, the perfect example is the running of a
web shop: if you want to sell your goods on the internet, it
may seem logical to entrust a provider with the shipment
process including the storing-in and the order picking.
The returns would be processed by the provider as well.
To supplement these services with the operation of the
e-commerce platform is the ideal additional services of a
logistics provider. In this way, it is possible to reduce the
otherwise necessary interfaces and detours between the
ordering process, the logistics flows and the final shipment
of goods. Such global requests for processing of end-toend services have long since become part of the daily life
of logistics providers.

/6/

//// Support and services from a single source

Within the area of IT services for logistics, the service can
even take a step further. The service must not be limited only
to a successful software introduction in a logistics site and
to the following application maintenance. The outsourcing
of complete process chains even during running operations
represents a significant relief for the customer. By doing so,
responsibility conflicts can be avoided, as everything comes
from a single source.
What services are meant here? The introduction of a new
logistics software in the most cases requires new hardware
along with high availability server systems and stationary
equipment such as industry PCs or label printers, mobile
equipment in the form of hand scanners or RFID solutions
is also needed. It is necessary not only to set these devices
up, but also to train the employees and to have support of
the logistics terminal devices in case of breakdowns or user
issues. This also includes the network assistance, as well as
the application support up to the 3rd level support.
//// Full Managed Services
For the trend, inconso has a complete, fitted package of all IT
services, which are necessary to run a warehouse with its Full
Managed Services offering. This covers not only the mere
operation of the software, but begins even before that. The
fundamental engineering services of the inconso consultants
and the design of the whole solution are a part of it as well.
Starting with the IT architectural consulting, the process and
technical specifications that are tailored to the customer
specific business processes, via the complete solution design
and through to the first test runs of the system and the change
management, inconso covers all the demands and provide a
comprehensive and optimized result for the customer. In this

inconso

//// Modularization
Following the principle of the inconso Logistics Suite where
single warehouse or transport controlling modules could be
combined, service modules can also be put together. The
support of logistics terminal devices, the network assistance
or the Application Process Management can be added in a
flexible way even during running operations.
//// Economy of scale effect through bundling

//// Vulnerability assessment

The processing of helpdesk inquiries with the OTRS ticket
system leads in the long run to a systematic and continuous
improvement of the whole system. In case of recurring
errors, inconso can carry out an analysis of the issues and
study the root causes in this way in order to eliminate them.
In addition, the operation of the systems and networks
is monitored by means of a monitoring tool this also
allows error sources to be quickly identified. Thanks to
the appropriate tools, inconso contributes to a continuous
improvement of the process. The service employees can
take preventive actions in order to optimize the process
quality and to ensure normal operations and processing.
//// Strong team
Furthermore, right from the beginning, it is possible to enter
into dynamic service level agreements with inconso. These
can be adapted according to the current demands. For
example, should a 24/7 support unexpectedly be required due
to seasonal reasons, the IT service provider can provide the
required capacities in a short time. Even an adjustment during
running operations is possible. With an extensive service
organization of more than 100 employees, the best foundation
already exists. Today, inconso already generates around 30
percent of its total turnover thanks to its comprehensive range
services.
Trend: upward! Services
ofFull
Managed

inconso

WLAN

LAN

SAP Basis

Oracle

Unix

The advantages resulting from the Full Managed Service are

much more than this: Errors and malfunctions are quickly and
efficiently fixed by the inconso Service Team thanks to its high
level of expertise. The inquiries come first to the customer service
center and from there, the problem is immediately
identified
inconso
and
the
competent
Customer Service Center
inconso internal support
notified. No wrangling over
responsibilities, no passing
inconso Logistics Suite
1st Level Support
the buck between the
different service providers.
Quality requirements for
the service can be agreed
Application
Support
and tracked in a detailed
and understandable way
by means of the Service
2nd Level
Level Agreements. Further,
economy of scale effects
arise from the sound
logistics competence and
3rd Level
RZ / SaaS
Cloud
Cloud
experience of inconso AG.
Services
The inquiries of several
Services
customers are processed
in the service center.
inconso Full Managed Services

Service Management

During the solution design, all the services required are

individually arranged: What resources are already at the
customer`s disposal? Where is the help of a service provider
necessary? Different analysis approaches are necessary to
answer these questions. With requirements and subsequent
potential analysis as well as feasibility studies, the entire
existing system, service and availability requirements and the
existing staff and organizational resources are considered and
the possible service additions determined. The Application
Process Management, meaning the content monitoring of
logistics process chains, as well as the Service Management
both belong to the service package of inconso AG.

Application Process Management

//// Design of the service solution

Thanks to this bundling, the costs to the individual decrease

even though the experts know-how is necessary for a qualified
assistance. This also leads to a constant improvement of the
system in terms of quality: Problems are not only fixed, but
they are also solved in a way that prevents them from arising
again in the future.

Logistics user
equipment support

way, all IT relevant activities concerning the whole logistics

process chain can be outsourced without subsequently
needing further internal employees for the IT assistance.

/7/

STUTE CONTROLS THE LOGISTICS

CENTER FOR LSG SKY CHEFS
inconsoWMS S provides efficient warehouse logistics
for onboard equipment

From its logistics site in Gro Gerau (close to Frankfurt/Main), LSG Sky Chefs Catering Logistics GmbH (LCL)
provides the necessary onboard equipment to more than 3000 airline customers at the airports of 50 countries.
Since November 2011, this logistics center has been run by the Bremen logistics provider STUTE Logistics GmbH,
a subsidiary of Khne + Nagel. inconsoWMS S is used as the system for warehouse management and control.

With its circa 2,000 employees on 40 national

sites, STUTE Logistics GmbH belongs to the
European market leaders in customer oriented
logistics services. Within the Khne + Nagel
organization, STUTE is the competence center for
customer oriented contract logistics solutions.
According to the mode of delivery, the onboard
equipment is shipped by trucks from the Gro
Gerau logistics site directly to the consignee,
forwarded by sea containers via an appropriate
harbor or sent by air freight via the Frankfurt airport
to the other airports all over the world.

/8/

inconso

In addition, a 2,000 square meters outdoor

warehouse is run in Kelsterbach for LSG Sky Chefs
Catering Logistics GmbH (LCL).
LCL belongs to LSG Sky Chefs, the largest provider
of onboard services to aircrafts worldwide. This
includes catering, board service equipment and its
associated logistics, onboard sales as well as the
onboard service management and further airport
services. LSG Sky Chefs caters to more than 300
airlines from around 200 companies in 53 countries
and produces 490 million airline meals a year.

//// Enormous quantities

Daily, up to three prepared sea
containers leave the goods receiving
and, on average, up to twenty trucks
deliver goods to companies in the
Frankfurt area and to many European
airports. One thing is clear: the
quantities to be handled are enormous.
The warehouse filling degree is
constantly moving towards the upper
capacity limits.

Source: STUTE Logistics GmbH

Every year, about 750,000 load carriers

from trucks and sea containers
packed on pallets and loose cross
the goods receiving area. Just as many
of them leave the warehouse, ready for
the next transport and shipment on all
transportation modes, by land, sea and
air. The whole warehouse inventory is
turned over about seven times a year.
The demands of the airline customers
and accordingly of the LCL are
relatively extensive. The service of
STUTE Logistics GmbH, together with
the software solution and the knowhow of inconso AG, can meet these
demands in a complete and satisfactory
way.

//// A lot of space for drinks

and non-food
The Gro Gerau logistics center
provides space for about 3,500 inflight
equipment articles on 12,000 square
meters and 21,000 shelving locations.
This includes drinks, all non-food
supplies like tableware and cutlery, as
well as seasonal articles and technical
equipment. Every day around 1,000
packs are order-picked and prepared
for the worldwide shipment. The
warehouse has a non-automated
shelf warehouse with wide aisle pallet
racks.

inconso

Warehouse operations are very

demanding in terms of the functionalities
of the Warehouse Management
Software, including customs and
control
warehousing,
dangerous
goods, multi-order picking, timecontrolled
operation
of
shuttle
transports and the close integration
with the SAP system of LSG Sky Chefs.
Clear predefined cut off times must be
observed. The wide article range
requires further special features in the
warehouse control. The order-picking
of goods sometimes occurs at piece
level: even single dishes find their way
onto the pallets. These are consolidated
according to the order. With only a few
adjustments by inconso, all these
demands can be outlined via the
standard solution inconsoWMS S.
//// Software as a Service
The implementation through STUTE
was carried out in the main computer
center in Bremen, the site was thus
supported from there with Software as

/9/

a Service(SaaS). In the future, further

customer systems or sites can be
autonomously implemented by STUTE
in the future and controlled in this way
by inconsoWMS S. Thanks to its high
degree of modularity, the Warehouse
Management System can easily and
flexibly be adapted to the increasing
demands according to the particular
features of the warehouse.
//// Connection to SAP
In addition, during the integration time,
inconso took over the connection to
the SAP system of LSG Sky Chefs. In
this way, the standard interface could
be taken over as well. With
DataWizard, a tool for the conversion
of electronic data, the available data
could be easily transferred into the
target system and the interface

required only small adjustments by

inconso.

//// Sensitive goods need

sensitive handling

Since the start-up of the operations in

two-shift operation on 365 days, STUTE
has been responsible for goods
receiving, storing-in, order processing
and order-picking, as well as for
packaging and shipment preparation of
LCL. Beside the operative goods
receiving and goods issue processes,
the service range also includes
administrative processes. In this context,
Export Accompanying Documents
(EADs),
electronic
Administrative
Documents (e-ADs) and T1 documents
are issued for the export via ZARA. In
addition to the registration of T1
documents, the completion of EVDs for
non-taxed goods during the storing-in in
the customs and control warehouse is
also carried out in the goods receiving.

Sensitive goods, like for example

drinks, are managed with best before
data, remaining validity times and lots.
Since delivery and freight times must
be observed and they can sometimes
be very long, the FIFO principle is used
during the storage. Due to the high
weight, for example, of drink pallets
and the high warehouse fill ratio, it is
extremely important that the warehouse
control monitors the authorized field
loads and selects the suitable
warehouse locations during the storingin in the pallet shelves in order to
balance the load on the different
locations.
The quality assurance is also carried
out in the logistics center. The
employees check the goods by
inspection lots. Should a delivery be
incorrect or damaged, the goods can
then be blocked before they are further
transported. Quality assurance can
hold back a whole lot. In this context,
the LCL employees rely on the
Warehouse Management Software
inconsoWMS S by using its functions.
//// Extensive know-how

Source: STUTE Logistics GmbH

/ 10 /

inconso

Decisive for the the selection of the

inconsoWMS S as the warehouse
management and control software in
Gro Gerau were the wide range of
services and the extensive know-how
of the inconso employees. One year
after this successful implementation,
STUTE can show a very low error rate
in the system and more efficient
logistics processes.

INDIVIDUAL PROCESSES FOR

SPECIAL DEMANDS
Interview with Holger Rieth, IT division manager at
STUTE Logistics GmbH
inconso AG: Mr. Rieth, STUTE runs
numerous logistics sites for various
customers. How would you briefly
describe the particular challenges in
Gro Gerau?
Holger Rieth: The main challenge
is the enormous quantities that
must be handled in the Gro
Gerau logistics center. Due to
the high warehouse fill ratio, the
Warehouse Management System
must guarantee highly efficient
store-in and store-out processes.
This task can be facilitated by a
complex picking optimization via
shuttle trains. In order to ensure
the optimization of the routes and in
light of the need to take into account
the expiration dates, the suitable
warehouse location must be always
assigned to the forklift. In addition,
of course, also the directives of
the German Federal Aviation
Administration must always be
taken into account this makes the
difference between the warehouse
in Gro Gerau and the majority of
the other STUTE logistics sites.

inconso
Source: STUTE Logistics GmbH

inconso AG: And is inconsoWMS

S the right system to meet these
demands?
Holger Rieth: For us, the
software provides many significant
advantages.
Thanks
to
its
modularized structure, it could
be perfectly adapted to meet our
demands. As a result, the processes
could be individually configured and
exactly adjusted to the warehouse
management
environment
of
the LSG Sky Chefs Catering
Logistics GmbH (LCL). Also, the
particular features deriving from the
exceptional assortment of goods
are completely taken into account
from the batch tracing through
to the best before date tracking.
Moreover, the aim was to comply as
much as possible with the given the
standard.

/ 11 /

GREINER BIO-ONE: SAME OUTPUT

IN JUST ONE SHIFT
Greiner Bio-One starts up a new logistics center with SAP LES and inconso Add-ons
State of the art conveyor and software technology, further growth orientation and high architectural standards are the core
features of the new logistics center of the medical devices manufacturer Greiner Bio-One (GBO) at its headquarter in Kremsmnster
(Lower Austria). It took less than 15 months from the groundbreaking ceremony to the go-live and running operations begin
also thanks to the SAP LES introduced by inconso everything is going very smoothly.

In two large segments Preanalytics

and BioScience, Greiner Bio-One
produces and distributes more than
2,500 articles for use in clinics,
laboratories and doctors practices. The
enterprise is present in more than 100
countries with its circa 1,700 employees,
20 locations and numerous sales
partners. The decision to build a new
center in Kremsmnster has already
proved worthwhile for GBO under many
aspects. Indeed, the targets set
efficiency
and
process
quality
improvement, introduction of more
efficient instruments to control and plan
logistics processes, as well as extended
management controlling options were
already achieved right after the start-up
phase. A clear example: the new
warehouse produces the same output
as before with just one shift instead of
two. Since that time, GBO has not
needed temporary workers.
In this way, the logistics at GBO has
taken a large step forward. Kremsmnster
is the location of the largest production
plant of the Preanalytics division. The
adjacent high-bay warehouse, built in
1992 and having 6,200 pallet locations,
served the production supply and, at the
same time, the distribution of finished
goods for this segment. Since the
company recorded a double-digit growth
over several years, the capacity of the
old warehouse reached its limits faster
than originally planned. The logistics
threatened to become a bottleneck.

/ 12 /

inconso
Source: Greiner Bio-One

Source: Greiner Bio-One

A planned logistics control would hardly

still be feasible at a capacity utilization
above 90 %.
As a result, a renovation or an extension
of the existing warehouse did not come
into question since these measures
would have further obstructed the
operations. Moreover, the quick
decision to build a new warehouse
made it possible to separate the
different functions. Gnter Altenburg,
as Head of Materials Management and
Purchasing responsible for this
investment project, underlines: The
construction of a new complex of
buildings brought us many benefits.
The old warehouse should further
ensure the production supply and the
new one should exclusively serve the
distribution. By doing so, we were able
to develop the processes in both areas
in a much more efficient way.
//// Careful selection
An important aspect was the selection
of the suitable warehouse management
system. Matthias Waas, Head of
Transport and Distribution Logistics,
was responsible for the subproject
Conveyor Technology and Software.
The great attention we paid at that time
to the selection of the logistics software
with inconso has proved well
worthwhile. We were thus able to
address the priorities of the different
systems and in this way, we were given

a clear basis to make a decision.

Thanks to the inconso Add-ons, SAP
LES could meet all the demands and
had the best costs/benefits ratio for us.
//// Go-Live with absolute precision
Until shortly before the start of
construction, the warehouse layout
was further improved and the last
optimizations were carried out together
with inconso. The first groundbreaking
ceremony took place in June 2010. In
winter 2011, the relocation was planned
for the following August and, thanks to
the great engagement of all participants,
the schedule was perfectly met. The
4,200 pallets were relocated into the
brand-new logistics center within only
four days. Already four days after the
go-live, Matthias Waas could announce
the implementation was complete. The
backlog due to relocation was
processed and the distribution center
showed full performance.
Its core is a 2,000 m large high-bay
warehouse with 5,630 pallet locations.
In each of the four aisles with doubledeep storage, a stacker crane achieves
up to 32 double cycles per hour. Two
cross transfer carriages enable a
smooth storing-in and storing-out.
The goods receiving and the goods
issue are located in the adjacent area
and the picking on a surface of about
2,000 m.

inconso

One of the three goods receiving tracks

is reserved for the shipments coming
from the company MediScan located
nearby and which takes over the
sterilization of products within the
Group. About 150 pallets a day are
collected from there and directly from
the production. In addition, deliveries
also come from other sites of the group
as well as external retail goods such as
needles for blood drawing products that
are not produced by the GBO itself.
Of the three order-picking locations
each equipped with a lifting device and
three Pick-to-Light locations, one
location is intended for the domestic
market shipment. Altogether 70% of
the outgoing shipments, which is by far
the major part, are full pallets. However,
in Austria itself, particular customers
like doctors practices or pharmacies
are also supplied with small quantities.
The necessary piece picking takes
place in the manual carton warehouse
with 1,000 locations. The smallest
shipping unit is the carton with 50 blood
sampling tubes, a product of which
GBO manufactures over a billion
pieces a year. The small quantities that
are picked with wagons having
containers for several orders are
packed at a packing station and then
assembled to pallets. These are
transported directly to the goods issue
via two automatic lifters, as domestic
shipments are picked up by set freight
forwarders on a daily basis.

/ 13 /

By contrast, GBO supplies only large

customers, meaning its own branches
or trade partners, at the international
level. Entire trucks or full containers are
correspondingly loaded. They go from
the HBW to the shipping area exactly
as they were collected or they are
consolidated in the picking according to
the orders. The order-picked pallets
that are not destined for Austria are
temporarily stored in the HBW until the
truck docks at the goods issue gate.
From the HBW, they are then
transported to the goods issue, where
an automatic label applicator provides
the correct shipping labels. The tours
are staged on 16 gravity roller conveyors
with nine pallets each and the goods
are automatically booked from the
interim storage.

eliminate a lot of process steps

particularly in the picking and to
dramatically reduce the booking efforts.
Instead of first being moved backed to
the HBW after each picking operation,
pallets can now be sent to several
stations in a row during picking by using
reservation strategies.

//// Lower error rate

In order to meet all these demands in

an efficient way, inconso developed a
complex system of rules and exceptions.
With a simultaneous workload and
performance optimization and a strict
adherence to the FEFO principle (First
Expire First Out), the system is now
also able to face the most difficult tasks
in a quick and automatic way: During
the evaluation of best before dates, the
transport route is adjusted to the

The SAP LES solution, together with

the inconso Add-ons, contributed
significantly to the increase in efficiency
and improvement of the quality of
logistics. The higher availability of
goods has a positive effect not only on
the supplier`s reliability, but it also
helped reduce the error rate noticeably.
The full automation made it possible to

The system supports the highly

sensitive batch tracing, which is of
fundamental importance for the
manufacturer of medical products.
Indeed, it is not only each product that
has its batch with a particular best
before date, but also the individually
supplied components must be recorded
with their own batch number and best
before date. In this way, the legally
required traceability is guaranteed.

//// More independence for GBO

Thanks to the available SAP know-how,
GBO is able to carry out optimizations
in SAP LES by itself. The infrastructure
for a possible addition of a Transport
Management System is ready. The
conveyor technology visualization,
which was set up by inconso, allows for
the immediate visibility of the root
causes of faults. In this way, they can
be solved in the most cases directly on
the computer.
With the inconso simulation system, the
whole
warehouse
was
already
reproduced one-to-one in advance on
the computer. In the planning phase,
this made it possible to simulate
alternatives and optimize the transport
routes. The tests were carried out in the
implementation phase and they
contributed significantly to a smooth
implementation. Today, this is used as a
training tool and to plan further
improvements.
Indeed, logistics optimization never
stops. The logistics center is growth
oriented, the capacity can be scaled
and ramped up at any time. Thanks to
the planned roll-out of the SAP ERP all
over the world, the comprehensive
global inventory data will then also be
made available, which, for example, will
further facilitate the completion of the
annual financial statements. In the
medium term, the agenda plans to
supplement the logistics software with a
Transport Management and Dispatching
System and thus to extend the logistics
control beyond the four walls of the
distribution center of Kremsmnster.

Source: Greiner Bio-One

/ 14 /

remaining shelf life, which, for example,

plays an important role in the maritime
transport to East Asia. And each
customer order is given exactly those
batches that meet all demands of the
customer as well as those of the sales
division.

inconso

Unexpected potentials discovered

Interview with Matthias Waas, Head of Transport and Distribution Logistics at
Greiner Bio-One

inconso: Mr. Waas, what are the

challenges facing the distribution
logistics in your company?
Matthias Waas: Two aspects are of
fundamental importance for me: First,
as manufacturers of medical products,
we are obliged to guarantee a highly
differentiated batch management. And
second, our company is growing very
fast and worldwide. This was also the
reason why we decided to build a new
logistics center.
inconso: How would you evaluate the
results of this project?
Matthias Waas: We have fully
achieved our goals. Today, we work
in a much more efficient way. You
can also tell from the fact that we are
now obtaining the same output with
only one shift whereas before with
two. Everything is going much better
and very smoothly. Besides, we have
internally run through a lot of valuable
training processes on different levels,
during the planning, during the
projects, during the implementation
and now during operations. Some
processes, which were thought to
be optimized, could be redesigned
resulting in unexpected potential.
This gives us greater security and
possibilities for action for the future.

Source: Greiner Bio-One

inconso: The move of the distribution

logistics from the old to the newly built
warehouse occurred on time and very
quickly. However, didnt you also have
some complex issues to address?
Matthias Waas: In particular at the
beginning, the technical challenges
of the conveyor technology combined
with the software were underestimated.
In that context, the inconso Add-on
for the material flow control system
was a decisively helpful component
and inconso carried out an important
fine-tuning on the interface to the
technology control, which first enabled
the high-performance.

inconso

inconso: How do you rate your

cooperation with inconso?
Matthias Waas: We have really
appreciated the engagement of all
employees! Whether on-site or on the
phone, every employee worked 100%
towards the success of the project.
Even in the most hectic phases, the
inconso team has kept calm and has
always worked to find a solution. It was
also encouraging to see how inconso
addressed, and still addresses, the
different issues in a process oriented
way. The employees had understood
the logistics processes of the different
customers and turned this experience
into innovative ideas and proposals,
which were then essential for the
success of the whole project.

/ 15 /

Source:BADER Versand

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inconso AG, Bad Nauheim
Editorial Address:
inconso AG, Marketing & Communication,
Dieselstrae 1-7, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
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