Logistics consulting: Sustainable supply chain and logistics solutions for your company
Logistics consulting focuses on the development of sustainable strategies for the economically and ecologically optimized supply of production facilities, transshipment points and ultimately multi-channel customers. Digitalization and automation technologies and systems lead to more efficient intralogistics operations, and transparent network structures result in stable supply chains both on the regional and the global level.
Productivity, cost efficiency, flexibility, sustainability, rising service levels, among other topics, are becoming increasingly important. Addressing these issues requires foresight and an insight into current trends and innovations. io supports you in methodically solving all these challenges throughout the entire project, from strategic planning to successful implementation.
The added value of our logistics consulting and planning
How we work
Concept planning
- Data analysis and verification
- Selection and dimensioning of warehouse and picking systems
- Selection of economic, intralogistic transports
- Layout designs for warehouse and functional areas
- Decision papers based on investments, operating costs, and personnel
- Management presentations and 3D visualizations
- Tool support
Detailed planning and tender processes
- Detailed planning of all equipment
- Detailed layout of warehouse and functional areas
- Simulation of material flows
- Relocation and migration planning
- Creation of tendering documents
- Supplier selection
- Evaluation of tenders
- Contract award support
- Budget and cost monitoring
- Tool support
Core competencies in supply chain & logistics
Supply chain strategy ×
Logistical processes need to be seen as an integral factor in achieving strategic corporate goals. We work alongside you to develop individual supply chain strategies to maximize returns on your investment decisions and to properly integrate the different interests and requirements of your processes.
Our planning disciplines
- Network design: Determining the optimal warehouse network structure (number, locations, function, products)
- Supply chain excellence / optimization: Analyzing existing business processes in the supply chain; forecast to replenish
- Supply chain sustainability: Developing sustainability strategy/roadmap in logistics (transports, locations, processes) including benchmarking
- Inventory optimization: Analyzing the current inventory situation; identifying potential for optimization; developing an implementation strategy
- Strategic make-or-buy: Analysis, economic benefits, outsourcing, execution, service provider tendering, implementation
- Supply chain digitalization: Supply chain control tower; transparency in the supply chain through networking and digitalization; developing a digitalization strategy/roadmap in the supply chain including benchmarking
Warehouse design ×
Planning, converting or expanding logistics centers begins with an analysis of requirements. We define the needs on the basis of targeted data evaluation, and then plan the respective logistics and process areas, tuned to your products and processes, from the inside out. This involves us comparing different technical alternatives, evaluating the right level of digitalization and automation, and benchmarking this against best-practice solutions, to find a solution that is a perfect fit for you.
Our planning disciplines
- Business analytics: Determining basics and requirements for logistic solutions
- Concept design: Concept planning and consideration of variants as the basis for further planning
- 3D planning / VR: Planning and 3D visualizing in all project steps, efficient decision support and project presentation
- Implementation: Managing the contract award and specification phases, ensuring defects are rectified, changing requests, handling schedules, tests and acceptances
- Ramp-up / transition planning: Ramp-up of the technical plant, including personnel and processes
- Lead consulting: Logistics planning embedded in Lead Consulting // plus services, interface-intensive automation projects, high-bay warehouse / automatic small parts storage / shuttle specifics
Robotics ×
Competitive production and intralogistics are nowadays unthinkable without automation solutions. The use of automated transport systems, such as automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, etc., is on a constant rise.
They represent an efficient method of implementing intelligent, software-supported transport, picking and storage strategies. Integration and networking with other automation solutions offer further optimization potential, from loading and unloading, to picking, palletizing and packaging systems, and collaborative robots.
We are not tied or biased toward any individual manufacturer, and are thus able to explore the contemporary technology and system landscapes to identify the potential for automation solutions for your business.
Our planning disciplines
- Driverless transport systems (DTS): Determining the best possible level of automation and maturity based on process analysis, in order to develop holistic, customer-specific transport strategies for automating internal transports
- Automated guided vehicles (AGV): Reduction of ongoing operational costs, e.g. through the use of autonomous narrow-aisle trucks, consultancy support in the selection of systems, and cost-benefit analysis
- Autonomous mobile robots (AMR): Development of future-oriented logistics concepts for implementing advanced storage, picking and transport strategies in production and intralogistics using highly autonomous transport robots
- Automated depalletizing: Consultancy support and clarification of technical feasibility with regard to efficient system solutions for depalletizing different pack types either by piece or layer, taking into account specific requirements such as weights, variance of pack types and ambient conditions
- Automated picking systems: Conceptual design of integrated system solutions such as the use of collaborative robots for the implementation of semi or fully automated process chains in logistics areas
- Automated palletizing: Supporting the customer in selecting appropriate articulated arm and different gantry robot systems as well as layer palletizers (including gripper systems, high-performance cameras or software solutions for packing pattern calculation)
Automation consulting ×
A transport, storage or picking system used in logistics only achieves full efficiency and productivity when the technologies used are innovatively and intelligently combined into a flexible, sustainable and comprehensive system that thoroughly supports the logistics processes. We offer independent advice on the use of innovative technologies, taking into account their limitations and alternatives, and combine them to create new individual best practice solutions tailored to the client’s specific requirements.
Our planning disciplines
- AutoStore: System description, references, services (planning, awarding, implementation, ramp-up)
- Shuttle systems: System description, references, services (planning, awarding, implementation, ramp-up)
- High bay warehouses: System description, references, services (planning, awarding, implementation, ramp-up)
- Sorting & picking: Example system descriptions of different approaches, references, services (planning, awarding, implementation, ramp-up)
- Efficient storage: Manual systems (shelf storage systems, narrow-aisle storage, ...)
- Featured technology: Presenting emerging technologies (especially new technologies such as Rocket-Shuttle, Magazino, ...) with advantages/disadvantages, use cases, boundaries, limits
