MSC Technologies, 76297 Stutensee, Germany

Booking in SAP without middleware via SOAP interface on the Hänel Rotomat® controller

MSC Technologies, with headquarters in Stutensee, Germany, is a leading maker of embedded systems based on computer-on-modules (COMs), as well as displays and touch systems. The company operates its own manufacturing facilities in Europe.

It operates 12 Hänel Rotomat® storage systems which are integrated over two floors. The production building was designed so that the 24 retrieval points for incoming goods on the ground floor could be linked up with the production area located on the first floor. All access points are equipped with automatic sliding doors to ensure smooth and safe order picking on both floors of the building.

SAP dialogs directly on the intelligent Hänel MP 14 N-HostWeb controller

The entire manufacturing process at MSC Technologies is organized on the basis of SAP. All storage positions are recorded and managed in the ERP system. This overarching storage position management is based on organized chaos and designed according to the FIFO principle. 

The SAP dialogs are displayed directly on the Hänel MP 14 N control unit. System operators can seamlessly communicate with the ERP system via the SOAP interface. Modern browser technology transforms the storage system control unit into an SAP terminal. 

All warehouse transactions are booked in SAP in real time – without the need for additional middleware. This ensures that the current inventory quantities recorded in the ERP system are available for appended processes.

The Hänel Rotomat® – the link between incoming goods and production processes 

Incoming goods are recorded at the SAP terminal and assigned a barcode. Then the new items are scanned to create a putaway order in SAP. 

This job order is started on the storage system. SAP determines and assigns the storage position, and the Hänel Rotomat® immediately brings the appropriate carrier to the access point. The user scans the new item and then puts it on the lift carrier. After confirmation on the digital picking display, SAP allocates the storage position to the scanned item.

Pick lists for items needed at the production lines are also generated in SAP. These pick jobs are started with the Hänel controller. The Rotomat® –with its optimized routing – brings items to the access point efficiently.

The Hänel compartment and sub-level indicators show precisely where requested items are located on the container to ensure error-free retrieval. The digital picking display provides additional information such as item and batch numbers directly at the retrieval point.

The system operator scans the item barcode so that it can be communicated to SAP. If all of the data matches up, the digital picking display gives the green light. Once the trans-action is confirmed, the position is booked in SAP and the next item is brought to the access point for retrieval. Some of the orders at MSC Technologies have more than 1,000 item positions.

Thanks to parallel picking with several storage lifts, even these huge orders can be processed rather quickly. 

Optimal ESD protection in Hänel Rotomat® systems for SMD storage

The Hänel lifts are used to store very large quantities of diverse SMD components. The antistatic finish of the Hänel Rotomat® ESD storage system provides optimal protection against electrostatic damage – this is critical when it comes to sensitive electronic devices. The SMD components are mainly kept on reels which are used for automated pick-and-place manufacturing machines. Reels are mounted on special ESD containers with separators that allow for up to 35 storage positions per container.

More than 40,000 storage positions within a footprint of just 82 m2

Hänel Rotomat® lift systems are ideal for the compact storage of diverse small items. At MSC Technologies, for example, the 12 Hänel Rotomat® systems can store more than 40,000 defined items within a minimum of space.

The total footprint is about 82 m2 – and the lift systems have a height of 8 m – so that a storage volume of some 600 m3 is provided by the Hänel systems. The Rotomat® principle ensures that items are brought directly to the access point for quick and ergonomic retrieval.

Space savings, cost reduction and the direct interface to SAP were the main factors in this customer’s decision to invest in Hänel Rotomat® storage systems. What’s more, MSC Technologies provides computer-on-modules (COMs) that are manufactured for Hänel high-performance controllers.

"Space, cost and SAP interface – those were the three key factors that influenced our decision in favor of Hänel. We were able to store sensitive electronic components directly in the production area on two floors and thus save space and money. The interface to our SAP WMS rounds off the solution and gives us much faster access to items in storage."

Etem Memis,
Manager Trade Compliance & Logistics, Avnet Integrated