"The increasing automation of machines and the Internet of Things are leading to a sharp rise in demand for sensors. We also have to respond to this growth in demand in logistics terms", explained Dr Felix Steinebach, one of TWK's three managing directors.
Since the recently erected facility offers 750 m² of floor space, the internationally operating family-owned company is not only doubling its storage area but is also gaining an additional 30% production capacity, which were previously tied up by the stocks stored there. Added to this is more space for testing and optimising production processes. "Another advantage", stated the doctor of physics, "is that we no longer have to send material back and forth between our two locations thanks to the centralisation of the production and storage facilities in Wedel. That reduces transport costs and speeds up internal processes."
However, the festive inauguration of the new building in October 2018 also involved switching from numerical to dynamic stock-keeping. "Our team did a fantastic job", enthused Dr Hannwelm Steinebach, one of the three managing directors. Now, the goods and storage location barcodes are simply scanned by hand at TWK and stored directly in a database. Each square metre can be used flexibly, and the employees can nevertheless see immediately what is currently in stock. Of course, this also means that customers around the globe benefit from shorter reaction and delivery times.