MTU Aero Engines AG centralizes in-plant logistics with INFORM software
MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany's leading engine manufacturer. MTU components are used in one third of the world's commercial aircraft. The company develops, manufactures and maintains engines for commercial and military aviation as well as stationary industrial gas turbines.
MTU has been using the intralogistics management system SYNCROTESS to optimize its multi-stage transport chains in plant logistics since 1993. Today, the system handles 560,000 transport orders a year, and the trend is rising, mainly due to the increased production volume and greater complexity in logistics.
High delivery reliability
"With the innovations, internal delivery reliability was increased from 89% in 2020 to 93% in 2022, despite greater complexity and increased volumes."
Florian Wohlgemuth, Project Manager Logistics Planning, MTU Aero Engines AG
For decades, the intralogistics management system SYNCROTESS has served as the single source of truth for in-house transportation at MTU Aero Engines AG (MTU) in Munich. In order to meet changing logistics requirements and introduce new functionalities, MTU decided to upgrade the system to the latest product version 10 as part of an internal modernization project.
Real-time planning
As a central logistics system, SYNCROTESS dynamically calculates optimized handling sequences for forklifts, electric trolleys, trailer transports, and other means of transport in real time. At MTU, around 30 vehicles operate simultaneously. The optimization assigns the orders to vehicles in such a way that their processing is optimally synchronized with reported order priorities, deadlines, loading capacities, and short distances, as well as achieving a good and evenly distributed workload throughout the day. The Intralogistics Management System maps multi-stage transport chains, such as cross-hall warehouse and yard transports or site-to-site transports within the internal supply chain.
Intralogistics set up for the future
Transport volumes at MTU have increased dramatically in recent years. Various drivers have led to this: an increased production volume, but also the expansion of algorithmic planning to various external locations, for example, as well as the mapping of new transport processes.
Forklift drivers receive transport orders from SYNCROTESS via WIFI on modern, mobile end devices with increased usability. The "Site-Logistics" app developed by INFORM shows drivers which order they should drive next. The app is particularly helpful for new employees, as they can use a map created with Open Street Map to view start and destination positions, the transport network, and sensible, feasible routes. The scanning processes have also been simplified by the app.
Next, MTU tested the control of driverless transport systems (AGVs) from various manufacturers in the indoor and outdoor areas of the plant using the INFORM system. The vision is an optimized mixed operation of human-controlled forklifts and AGVs, whose transport sequences are planned in an integrated system.
GOALS ACHIEVED
- Continuous traceability of the material
- Increase in internal delivery reliability from 89% to 93%
- Further reduction of empty runs
- Visualization of all transport processes including the internal goods delivery service
In 2021, SYNCROSUPPLY INFORM's cloud-based solution for time slot and yard management was implemented to reduce truck throughput times and increase transparency of inbound traffic.
You can request the complete success study about MTU using this contact form.