CLAAS
From supplier to assembly line – BITO large-volume containers SL 86 make best use of storage space and ensure a smooth flow of goods at CLAAS Saulgau GmbH
Our customer
At CLAAS in Bad Saulgau, machines for forage harvesting and attachments for the JAGUAR forage harvester are developed, tested and manufactured. The key component of the JAGUAR forest harvester is manufactured at the southernmost CLAAS production site in Germany. In addition to a state-of-the-art production facility, the Bad Saulgau site is home to one of the world's most modern test centres for forage harvesting technology and the CLAAS Group's centre of excellence for tractor implement automation technology. Around 750 people are employed at the CLAAS Bad Saulgau site, out of a total of around 11,900 employees across the CLAAS Group. The machines are manufactured in parallel on different assembly lines. All parts required for production must be provided at the workstations along the lines. Only a small buffer storage area is located between the goods receiving area and the assembly area.
Initial situation and customer requirements
- The product portfolio and the range of parts have multiplied over the years,
- while space for organising replenishment had become increasingly scarce.
- The varied range of often very heavy components had to be stored in a more space-saving way along the assembly lines.
- CLAAS Saulgau had been looking for a cost-effective solution to provide more parts in terms of quantity and diversity in the assembly area.
Some impressions of our customer solution
Project brief
The BITO Solution
Large-volume containers
» The agricultural machinery manufacturer now uses BITO SL86 large-volume containers sized 800 x 600 mm to store their varied range of very heavy components.
Optimum use of space
» With half the size of a conventional pallet, two 800 x 600 mm SL containers can be stored on the footprint of one mesh box pallet.
Maximum capacity utilisation
» SL 86 large volume containers can be stacked on top of each other, allowing more boxes to be placed in the same space.
Large storage volume
» The generous internal volume allows significantly more components to be stored in the same space than was previously possible.
On-site application and key features of our storage solution
- Made from robust material, the BITO SL 86 is designed for heavy loads, ideal for storing components weighing up to 500 kg from in-house production as well as purchased parts.
- The plastic sides ensure that valuable, sensitive and partially painted steel parts are not damaged during storage and transport.
- The closed, smooth sides also prevent parts from falling out or sticking out and being damaged, while a lid provides all-round protection for the goods.
- The high-quality plastic material is easy to clean.
- BITO SL 86 containers can be opened at the front across the full width of the box, allowing easy access to the components despite the limited space available in the CLAAS warehouse.
Customer benefits
In what way has the BITO solution helped our customer to realise their full potential?
- The storage capacity for part variants on the assembly line has been doubled the easy way.
- The use of BITO SL 86 large volume containers saves many times the costs of a structural extension of the assembly area.
- The flow of goods at CLAAS Saulgau is controlled exclusively through containers, and the approximately 4,000 BITO SL 86s in use are now an important means of transport in the entire factory traffic.
- Empty containers can be easily stacked to save space – they are returned to suppliers for delivering components and materials and therefore make a valuable contribution to the distribution cycle.
Using BITO SL 86 large-volume containers has provided us with many times more storage space to help us cope with the continuously growing number of different parts that must be supplied along our assembly lines. Instead of one mesh box pallet, there is now room for two BITO large-volume containers in the same space. This saved us a lot of money that we otherwise would have had to invest in expanding our production facility in order to gain storage capacity. In addition, the large-volume container meets all our requirements – it is very robust and can carry our heavy parts weighing up to 500kg, it has a large volume despite a small footprint, it is easy to keep clean and our steel parts are optimally protected.
