Newsblog

GGP Media has stood for high-quality print and digital publications since 1891. The company is part of the Bertelsmann Group and is one of the leading full-service providers in the print and digital printing industry. The company produces over 1 million print products every day at its headquarters in Pößneck. In view of the shortage of skilled workers and rising costs, GGP Media decided in March 2024 to use an driverless transport system, which has been in 24-hour operation ever since. An interim report:

AGVs as a solution for skills shortages and increased efficiency

Previously, material transport in production was carried out manually, which led to a bottleneck when several forklift drivers retired: "We had increasing problems finding skilled workers and therefore had to look for future-proof alternatives," reports Matthias Stumpf, Head of Intralogistics at GGP Media. "Rising wage costs and the shortage of skilled workers made the use of an AGV increasingly attractive in order to find a reliable and efficient solution without additional personnel costs." This led to contact with ek robotics, a Hamburg-based manufacturer and system integrator of automated guided vehicles. The aim was to automate the transport processes between the printing presses and the high-bay warehouse. 

Tailor-made solution for use at GGP Media

To meet the requirements of GGP Media, ek robotics developed a concept with three driverless transport vehicles from the modular VARIO MOVE series. These vehicles are equipped with shortened forks and counterweights to pick up the finished goods on Euro pallets and transport them safely to the transfer stations of the high-bay warehouse. The vehicles navigate through the production areas, some of which have narrow routes that are difficult to see. The transport orders are automatically triggered by occupancy detectors at the pick-up stations. The warehouse management system determines a suitable storage location, while the automated guided vehicles (AGV) deliver the loads of up to 1,000 kg to the defined transfer points. From there, they are further processed by a manual storage and retrieval machine.

Material flow simulation as a basis for planning 

A material flow simulation was carried out before the AGV was implemented. This provided important insights into the optimum number of vehicles and potential bottlenecks in the layout.  Critical areas were also identified where additional measures, such as the use of magnetic points to support laser navigation, might be necessary. The simulation also helped to minimize potential blockages and disruptions in the interaction between the automated and manual transports. 

Positive response to the automation project

The project was presented within the Bertelsmann Group and met with broad acceptance. Automation was accepted by the employees - including the forklift drivers, who were kept on until they retired. "The rumor that automation automatically leads to job cuts has not been confirmed in our company," says Matthias Stumpf. To honor the integration of the technology, the three VARIO MOVE vehicles now bear the names of the retired forklift drivers: Axel, BeLo and Diethelm. 

Conclusion: Automation to optimize logistics processes

The automation project at GGP Media shows that AGVs are an efficient and future-proof solution for overcoming challenges in intralogistics. Even with complex, tightly timed processes and limited space, the integration of automated guided vehicles offers an efficient way to improve the material flow. GGP Media's experience shows that automated systems not only lead to an increase in costs and efficiency, but can also be easily integrated into existing working environments.