Mobile rooms in production planning and warehouse planning

Spaces are an integral part of any production planning and warehouse planning. Taking into account continuous changes, flexible spaces that adapt to different conditions are particularly in demand. This editorial deals with mobile room systems, the use of which should already be considered when planning production and storage facilities.

Rooms provide protection by separating them from disruptive or harmful environmental influences. They also take on the task of concentrating various functions in a defined location and making them usable. This could be an abstract definition of the term “spaces”. One thing is certain: rooms are an important part of any production planning and warehouse planning. This in turn depends on dynamic factors or variables such as market dynamics, technological developments, legal requirements and, last but not least, changing employee needs.

The main objective of this planning is to ensure a technically flawless and economically efficient flow of production and storage processes with optimal working conditions for the people working in the hall under changing conditions and sub-targets. In summary, this planning pursues four main objectives: ensuring a favorable, i.e. smooth, trouble-free and flexible flow of production and logistics, realizing ergonomically favorable, low-fatigue, safe and motivating working conditions, optimal utilization of space and area, and flexibility of buildings, plants and equipment.

Everything in flux

Anyone who imagines a production and storage facility to be something static is mistaken. Modern industrial construction includes highly effective production planning and logistics facilities, which are characterized by great complexity and which are rather subject to constant optimization and restructuring measures.

Experts estimate that production and logistics areas are completely reorganized on average every one and a half years. This is the only way to maintain competitiveness and profitability. Modern construction planning sets the course here and ensures the necessary flexibility. In doing so, it avoids rigid, invariant structures or structures that can only be changed with considerable effort and disruptive potential. This is demonstrated by a hall layout that can be adapted to all necessary changes, such as the use of new high racks or the redesign of production lines, and reduces change-related downtime. Thus, the routes for conveyors and people are calculated in the same way as intermediate storage for tools and material. Both adapt precisely to any necessary changes.

Lean Management

The goal of production and warehouse planning, which is now mostly oriented towards the paradigm of “lean management“, demands that the waste of time and other resources be eliminated or minimized as far as at all possible. Sophisticated MTM (MethodsTimeMeasurement) analyses are used to record work processes down to the second, set planned and target times and vary them as required. A continuous improvement process (CIP), which ideally also involves the employees concerned, helps to identify further potential for improvement, reduce redundancies and identify and eliminate bottlenecks – also with foresight.

The principles of “lean management” or lean production are not without controversy. However, the goal of organizing workflows as efficiently as possible will also make sense where production is customized and work processes can be correspondingly less condensed.

Arrange flexible spaces efficiently

Modern industrial construction is now mostly created on the computer. Long before the first employee enters the building, his colleagues have already done their work in the virtual hall. In the process, all conceivable arrangement variants of warehouses, machines, systems and rooms are run through until an optimum oriented to the undisturbed flow results. Sophisticated 2D and 3D software allows planning of the future construction with millimeter precision and, moreover, unlimited combination and variation of its elements in two or three dimensions, including consideration of safety standards, connections or interfering edges. Manufacturers of machines, racking systems and room systems provide the data required for this purpose. So nothing is left to chance.

Human factor

No matter how rationally and efficiently production processes can be organized, the needs of the employees performing or supervising them must always be taken into account. These are already addressed in part by workplace ordinances and the like. However, other aspects, such as feel-good factors or motivators, must also be appreciated, even if such psychological aspects are not always easy and clear to evaluate.

Progressive production planning and warehouse planning, which always has the whole picture in mind, will therefore include both the ergonomic design of the workstations themselves and the associated ecosystem with opportunities for rest and retreat, and look for positive incentives that emanate, for example, from an appealing design and/or color scheme.

Modular all-rounder

In modern production and storage facilities, rooms are not an end in themselves, but important components of a functionally arranged whole. Prefabricated modular or flexible spaces also address the need for flexibility by being individually sized and equipped and can be made available quickly. Another requirement relates to the ease with which forklift trucks or overhead cranes can be used, which largely eliminates the need for time-consuming dismantling and reassembly and their disruptive effects.

Possible applications for flexible spaces are almost unlimited and range from recreation and meeting rooms, sanitary facilities and control stands to flexible enclosures for machinery and equipment or for the protection of sensitive or particularly valuable materials or tools. With a high-quality finish, they retain their value for many years and thus contribute to flexible organization without significant wear and tear. For deployment planning, CAD and ERP software as well as suitable interfaces are available from the manufacturer, with which 3D visualization is also readily possible.

Mobile room systems can be easily moved using forklifts or overhead cranes, largely eliminating the need for costly dismantling and reassembly and their disruptive effects.