International procurement logistics for a manufacturer in the paper industry
The Rentsch GmbH in Berlin is a subsidiary of Amcor, the globally active paper manufacturer. At their location in Berlin, Amcor Rentsch produces approximately 3.5 billion folding boxes per year as a dedicated plant for the neighbouring Philip Morris works. The production takes place on two assembly lines, six days a week, 24 hours a day. This means that Rentsch is one of the most modern paper manufacturing companies for folding boxes in Germany.
The Logistics
Around 80 rolls of paper are required daily for the assembly. The rolls (as raw materials) are obtained from the USA and Sweden and are then transported by ship to Bremerhaven or Lübeck where they are unloaded, buffered by a service providor, so that they can be delivered by lorry to the Berlin works when required (JIT). Internally the two assembly lines are provided with rolls by clamp trucks and the pallets of final products are then removed with fork lift trucks. The logistics task: create space for the production.
viaLog accepted the assignment of optimising the procurement strategy and the internal material flow with the following targets :
Solution: Good ideas rather than high investment
To optimise the procurement logistics a logistics service provider in Berlin was chosen and integrated into the Rentsch logistcs chain. This has increased efficiency, not only in the supply chain. The service provider is also able to take on other functions such as the JIT-delivery of production materials. The paper rolls are delivered to Bremerhaven and Lübeck by ship and from there they are transported in their containers by rail to the service provider in Berlin. The service provider has his premises in the immediate vicinity of Rentsch. There the rolls are unpacked, placed on special loading equipment, stored and delivered by shuttle to Rentsch when required. All of these measures enable a considerable improvement in processes and require only minimal investment.The internal logistics could be noticeably improved.
The usage of a very-narrow-aisle high-bay-storage unit on the first floor can be avoided in future as the service provider now delivers the paper rolls and dyes at short notice. The storage of the finished goods for Philip Morris-Berlin has been concentrated to a storage depot. With the deployment of a driverless vehicle for the transport of the finished goods from the assembly line to the storage depot another production process has been automated. Through these measures space has been created for a third assembly line. This has been positioned between the two existing assembly lines. The production plant in Berlin has therefore been strengthened substantially.
Highlights
The highlights of the project are:
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