Application | Factory Storage

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INSTALLATION-READY CABLES FOR COMPACT STORAGE TOWERS

Compact and practical, Logimat storage towers from SSI Schäfer are a hit among customers. Global market leader LAPP provides power chains for electrical cabling that are delivered fully assembled and ready for installation according to customer needs. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

although LAPP products like cables and connectors were installed in the early models. But back then, these were assembled by SSI Schäfer’s own staff. For the redesign, the company initially planned to purchase LAPP’s ÖLFLEX ® cable sets and drag chains separately and then assemble them onsite. But given the ever-increasing workload, SSI Schäfer chose instead to adopt a different approach and handed over the entire assembly and fitting to the LAPP connection specialists who offered customized, installation-ready power chains in the ÖLFLEX CONNECT ® CHAIN series. SUPPLIER AND CUSTOMER IN ONE Since 2018, LAPP has been delivering power chains from its factory in the Czech town of Otrokovice that already contain connectors and cables in the correct lengths. For SSI Schäfer, all that remains is to install the chains and fit the connectors. LAPP engineers were guided by the needs of the customer. The average delivery time for a fully assembled chain at LAPP is approximately three weeks — delivery time could be up to twelve weeks without LAPP’s complete solution. LAPP produces the finished cable sets in advance to allow a Logimat to be ready on time. This requires all components to be in stock. “We produce the entire electrical installation as a cable assembly and deliver a versatile system solution for various machine designs”, says René Sedlák, Managing Director of LAPP in the Czech Republic and responsible for the ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT CHAIN program. “This kind of joint development allowed us to offer a customized solution that responds precisely to the customer’s needs”.

In modern factories, space is at a premium. As companies grow and upgrade their manufacturing facilities, there is often little remaining space between production lines and assembly areas. Storage bears the brunt of this. Where do you put all the tools, measuring devices, components and thousands of other things that are needed every day in the assembly and testing areas? SSI Schäfer, a provider of intralogistical products and systems based in the Siegerland region of western Germany, has come up with an ingenious solution: if you can’t expand the storage space outwards, simply build upwards. Most factory halls are very high and offer a huge amount of unused space under the ceiling. It was this that gave birth to the Logimat system around ten years ago. REDESIGN WITH SUPPORT FROM LAPP It is always possible to improve a good product; SSI Schäfer began redesigning its Logimat system in 2014. The central aim was to save time in assembly. This was because high demand for the product led to a massive increase in production output, leaving the company struggling to keep up. “Customers have become more impatient. Instead of twelve weeks between order and delivery, it now takes just four. Having the world market leader for integrated connection solutions alongside us in LAPP is a big help”, says Robert Selzer, Managing Director of SSI Schäfer in Hranice, Czech Republic. SSI Schäfer has been working with LAPP since 2005, purchasing many LAPP products for its logistics solutions. Logimat was a latecomer here,

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LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK LAPP’s complete system solutions business is growing fast. Under the name of ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT, the company is now bundling all global pre-assembly activities for customers, including consultation. A key element of this strategy is ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT CHAIN, a range of complete energy chain systems. The company has further expanded its international network for the production of pre-assembled cable solutions. At the plant in Otrokovice in the Czech Republic, LAPP produces connection systems for customers from all over Europe, from simple solutions to complete cable chains. The facility is another piece of LAPP’s international production network, which includes plants in Europe, Asia and the USA. Alongside its production facilities, LAPP set up three competence centers in order to support its system solutions activities on all continents. These are located at LAPP Asia Pacific in Singapore, LAPP USA in New Jersey, and the European competence center based in Stuttgart. Alongside these competence centers and the production facility in Otrokovice, LAPP also has sites in Desio (Italy), Nyköping (Sweden), Shanghai (China) and Bangalore (India) that serve national markets. All LAPP national subsidiaries also act as direct points of contact for customers. Customers benefit from customized solutions with maximum quality thanks to the optimum interaction of all components and expert on- site consultation from LAPP engineers. “Nobody knows LAPP products as well as we do”, explains Georg Stawowy, Member of the Board and CTO of LAPP Holding AG. “And we do this on a global level, with local contacts boasting local market knowledge.”

As it happens, LAPP is not only a supplier to SSI Schäfer, but also a customer. The factory in Otrokovice purchased a Logimat tower for its own storage needs. “We bought our own tower to store loose material, so that we can offer our customers even better and faster service. This investment has helped us save up to 70% of our warehouse space”, says Sedlák. FOR MILLIONS OF MOVEMENT CYCLES The chains used in the Logimat contain ÖLFLEX ® servo cables and UNITRONIC ® data cables. A total of five cable types are installed, all in the highly flexible versions for moving applications. These are specially designed for the millions of movement cycles inside a cable chain. The largest Logimat towers measure nearly 80 feet (24 m) high. Here, the power chain covers a distance of around twelve metres. Before delivery, LAPP puts the chain through its paces to ensure consistently high quality. End users who do not have special expertise in connection technology cannot guarantee the same level of testing. “We visit SSI Schäfer almost every week and work well together with their technical division”, says Pavla Borovianova, Product Manager at LAPP in the Czech Republic. One important customer requirement and an argument in favor of LAPP is the need for all components to be UL certified. The Logimat towers are delivered all over the world, including to North America where there are different norms and standards. As a manufacturer of cables and connection solutions, LAPP’s strategy is to certify as many of its components as possible for all markets. This reduces complexity and the number of parts, as a system’s destination no longer matters when it comes to fitting components. For power chains in particular, there are significant differences between Europe and North America. In the American market, for example, every cable in a chain must be enclosed in a separate section to minimize electrostatic charge and prevent fires.

A LOOK AT LOGIMAT Schäfer’s Logimat system is based on storage lifts measuring up to 80 feet (24 m) high for order picking, which means the enclosed cable chain must cover a distance of about 40 feet (12 m). Their height and width can be adjusted according to customer needs. Inside the towers are row upon row of drawers that can be removed and lowered to ground level using electric motors. This means that the drawer with the required component can be delivered to the dispense hatch in just a few seconds.

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LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539