Digitised Material Flow and Warehouse Management

In a continuously interconnected value-added chain, a digitalised material flow and automated warehouse management play a central role. Here, the positioning of products and material is necessary for more transparency and flexibility. Products can be positioned along their entire path through production and the production progress can be documented in real time, available via an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application. In combination with automated intralogistics, including, for example, the use of AGVs and their positioning for control or optimization as well as collision avoidance via heat maps, a more efficient material supply system can be developed. Thus, all production steps are supplied with the right materials and components at the right time. By mapping the entire material flow and warehouse stock in a digital inventory management system, orders and transport tasks can also be better planned. Thereby, storage costs and production capacity utilisation can be optimsed

5G provides the necessary performance features, especially low latency and the ability to network thousands of devices within a production environment. However, 5G can become a key factor in implementation, especially with its positioning capabilities. Depending on the application, the planned positioning accuracy of 3GPP Release 16 (3 meters) can already offer great added value in this area, with gradual improvement to less than 1 meter (Release 17) and down to the decimeter-level (Release 18). In the future, 5G has the potential to implement applications with high accuracy requirements, such as 3D positioning of pallets and materials.