Case Study Mobile Workstation
Initial Situation
The EDEKA group of companies in Northern Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia, with headquarters in Rottendorf, is one of seven regional companies in the EDEKA corporate network. It supplies about 1000 retail markets in Northern Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. These markets offer their customers an extensive assortment of food, fresh items and drugstore products. In keeping with their motto “We love food,” they emphasize quality, selection, service and freshness in their retail business.
A high-performance logistics concept is an indispensable prerequisite for the corporate group to be able to send off goods deliveries punctually. To ensure this, EDEKA had for some years already been using roll carts with lead batteries to receive products arriving in incoming goods. As part of continuously streamlining these processes, they were searching for the successor solution or a suitable alternative. Since ACD is also known as a supplier in other areas, they quickly came upon the MAX mobile workstation.
Approach to Solution
To find a suitable solution for Edeka, ACD first had the existing solution and processes involved in it presented in detail. To round out the initial assessment of the situation, the two companies also agreed on the general requirements for the new solution. Based on the criteria that were identified, the recommendation quickly pointed to the MAX 200 mobile workstation, the lean single-column model of the MAX product family.
Other equipment features – beyond the base frame with four sturdy steering castors – include an on-board nine-amp charger, two maintenance-free fleece batteries (12V/50Ah) and a battery controller to indicate the battery voltage. Two customer-specific recommendations were also made: a label roll holder and a RAM mount holder for installing a terminal.
Immediately after this, Edeka received the recommended MAX variant on a rental basis. Additional requests for changes were discussed and implemented during the test phase. After the first successful tests, ACD began production and delivery of a total of 45 mobile workstations type MAX 200. Subsequent requests for adjustments were also successfully implemented and installed after the first mobile workstations had been placed in operation.
Result
After about seven months of planning, production and delivery, EDEKA in Northern Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia has now been using the mobile workstations successfully in incoming goods since the beginning of 2017. The MAX 200 also has a terminal installed on it for receiving incoming goods and booking them directly in the warehouse management system. Markus Meier, responsible for warehouse management/logistics systems at Edeka, is enthusiastic: “The portable workstation provides excellent mobility. The MAX 200 is significantly lighter and less bulky than our previous solution. This gives great mobility and flexibility to employee in incoming goods. The MAX 200 is also significantly sturdier due to the aluminum / metal construction. Future plans call for the use of additional mobile workstations.”
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Andreas Schneider, Warehouse Manager at Goldhafer, is enthusiastic about the solution: “lt meets our needs exactly. The portable workstation provides excellent mobility. lt also has rollers that move very easily. The MAX is a lean vehicle that was customized specifically for us with numerous options, modifications and accessories.”