What is intralogistics?

Intralogistics in industry (defined by VDMA 2004) generally describes the entire process in a company that has to do with the connection and interaction of the internal systems for material flow, driverless transport systems, logistics, production and goods transport on the company premises.

The planning of solutions, the automation of conveyor technology in the warehouse, material flow, the optimization of control systems and machines, as well as the implementation of projects are among the tasks of intralogistics.

On the other hand, the use and development of equipment in the fields of software, warehouse management, warehouse management systems, networking, robots, plant engineering.

Intralogistics and the people

Not only technology, material flow and transport of products are considered a challenge in intralogistics, but also the flow of information and internal organisation of employees. From goods receipt to goods issue, the processes and technologies must be operated correctly. It is imperative that the processes in intralogistics offer advantages for the people and their performance in their daily work. Not only the equipment is important.

Intralogistics and automation

The degree of automation and the information flow of logistics processes in intralogistics play a decisive role in efficiency and running costs. The cooperation of the individual concepts in the flow of goods, digitalization, control and scalability determine the efficiency and cost reduction of the warehouse operation.

Intralogistics and technology

The use of automated driverless transport robots in high-bay warehouses, forklifts and industrial trucks are decisive factors in the internal flow of materials, services provided by the warehouse systems and order picking. The picking systems efficiently support the pickers in the internal order processing. Logistics solutions such as Pick-to-Light, Voice Picking, Pick-by-Point, Pick-by-Frame, etc. control the flow of information, serve to optimize the warehouse and support management.

Interfaces of intralogistics

Coordinating the interfaces between the assembly line and the warehouse technology sometimes requires a high level of development and effort due to different requirements in intralogistics. This is where a clear differentiation of the information systems in the individual applications in the material flow helps. The distribution centers use different components, sensor technology and software solutions as one manufacturing factory. The speed must be right.

Conclusion

The fields of application of intralogistics are therefore very versatile. It is not only about storage, but also about the internal company control of all processes related to the movement of goods. Setting up a correct intralogistics system takes several years and is never finished.