Production logistics

Strong competition and cost pressures, high customer demand, increasing product customization and short product life cycles pose great challenges for many businesses in manufacturing. Added to this is the challenge of outdated processes and plant structures. The main drivers of change are not only new products and modern machinery, but also changing infrastructure requirements that come with increasing digitization and automation.

Integrated production and logistics assessment leads to sustainable cost reduction

With a holistic lean management approach, 4flow designs production processes based on unique customer requirements, thus creating new business impulses. An integrated evaluation of customers, production, supply chain and suppliers enables 4flow to create transparency along the process chain, identify waste and holistically optimize processes.

Process design based on lean management principles is still brand new. Clear material flow orientation, standardization, transparency, waste avoidance and other lean principles are the cornerstones of process planning. 4flow’s implementation of lean production in combination with lean logistics leads to significant cost savings and clear organizational structures. Production and logistics systems work together as an integrated unit to achieve business goals.

In addition to process design, material flow-oriented layout planning is a significant factor for success. By optimally linking production areas and coordinating logistics processes and areas, businesses can realize lean and seamless plant processes. Missing items and unnecessary inventories can therefore be avoided while the handling costs for production and logistics are significantly reduced.

To successfully solve planning challenges, 4flow uses modern planning software to develop a digital twin of the plant. In this way, logistics, production and assembly areas can be realistically mapped, integrated and optimized.

A digital twin also enables possible future scenarios to be developed. Significant changes in production volume, the integration of new production areas or the insourcing of production volumes, for example, require a redesign or development of the plant layout. 4flow works together with businesses to identify and evaluate the optimal strategy for future plant locations.

Increasing digitization and automation lead the way to the smart factory of the future

In the context of Industry 4.0, production logistics is currently undergoing an innovative transformation – with digitization and the automation of production logistics as the main focus.

From automated warehouse technology and driverless transportation systems to automatic line feeding in production and assembly areas – production logistics offers numerous starting points for automation along the entire chain. This allows businesses to meet continuously increasing and changing requirements. Today’s automation solution layouts are also flexible and scalable as opposed to static. This supports incremental investments based on actual business development.

The targeted use of data enables machines and material flows to be scheduled and optimized autonomously. Establishing this smart infrastructure is a necessary step in the ultimate realization of a smart factory. 4flow works together with customers to develop their individual path towards a smart factory.