Since 2005, the European market leader for detailed 1:16 scale plastic model toys has more than doubled its turnover. This growth is partly due to increased demand at home and abroad, but also to the construction of a new 15 million euro logistics center in Fürth, which went into operation in 2012. There, finished goods are stored on pallets in a seven-storey high-bay warehouse with 15,000 storage spaces, from where they are taken directly to the picking zone or to a four-storey picking platform for picking small quantities. As every pallet at BRUDER must be traceable throughout the entire process from packaging to delivery to the customer, every single Euro and one-way pallet is marked with four identical barcode labels - one on each side, as the pallets are sometimes transported lengthways and crossways. "The control of our material flow in order picking and warehousing is fully automated via our warehouse management system," explains Stefan Henn, Logistics Planner at Bruder Spielwaren GmbH & Co. "Forklifts and drivers with mobile terminals are also integrated into the system." In the off-season, around 600 pallets are stored and retrieved every day, and as many as 1,400 at peak times.

20,000^m2 of storage space as areplenishment warehouse
At Bruder, production runs evenly throughout the year, but sales fluctuate significantly: from the middle of the year onwards, they increase increasingly, reaching their peak in the fall and continuing until the Christmas business. To keep finished goods in stock for the peak season, BRUDER has rented a warehouse in Veitsbronn with 20,000^m2 of storage space as a replenishment warehouse for the dispatch warehouse. Finished goods produced for stock, a total of 400 different items, as well as semi-finished goods for production are stored here. Daily truck shuttle runs supply production and dispatch in Fürth-Burgfarnbach.

© ONK

Flexible marking of the block storage facility
The block storage facility has around 440 storage locations, which are marked with hanging signs from ONK. "Unlike floor markings, which are subject to heavy wear and tear due to constant forklift truck movements and high maneuvering volumes, the barcodes on the signs can be read permanently without errors," says Henn. "As the hall is rented, we were unable to drill the signs into the ceiling and therefore opted for the ONK solution, but above all because the system is extremely flexible. Changes to the storage locations can be implemented relatively easily using the perforated strips and magnets." To attach the signs, the ONK team first attached highly adhesive neodymium magnets to the ceiling, to whose eyelets a height-adjustable knotted chain is attached using a wire clasp. A perforated strip is attached to the lower end of the chain, to which the sign is attached with a wire clip.

The 42 cm wide and 30 cm high signs at a height of five and a half meters are bent at a 90-degree angle. This makes them easier to read from the ground. © ONK

Beveled signs for better legibility
The signs, which hang at a height of five and a half meters, are scanned using a long-range scanner. ONK printed the 440 signs according to BRUDER's specifications: with block storage coordinates in plain text and barcode 39. "So that our employees can quickly find their way around, the sign and font size were also crucial for us. We were able to define these individually at ONK." ONK also bent the signs at a 90-degree angle to make them easier to read from the ground. This means they do not hang vertically above the ground and can be read from a distance. "We have already had very good experiences with ONK in the past," says Henn. "The current marking of our block storage facility had a very tight time frame. Nevertheless, we were able to complete it on time thanks to ONK's prompt scheduling, delivery and installation."

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