Manufacturer increases capacity by 900% with AutoStore

As Europe accelerated its transition to sustainable heating solutions, iDM Group, Austria's leading heat pump manufacturer, faced a challenge: They needed to scale production tenfold to meet surging market demand. With over 400 employees and a reputation for innovation in heating, cooling, and hot water solutions, iDM needed to transform its logistics operations to support their growth.

Working with implementation partner Hörmann Intralogistics, AutoStore formed the core of a new logistics hub that combined an innovative small-parts warehouse with a high-bay pallet warehouse. The solution addressed iDM's critical needs: dramatically increasing performance capacity, providing complete transparency of stock levels, and creating an efficient material flow. The transformation eliminated production bottlenecks while establishing a scalable foundation for iDM's ambitious growth targets.

The Challenge: Managing 10x Production Growth in a Single Logistics Hub

In 2019, iDM's logistics operations had become a bottleneck in their production flow. The company needed to scale from 3,000 to 30,000 units annually, but their existing system couldn't support this massive growth. Managing inventory levels was becoming increasingly complex, with no clear visibility of stock levels across their operation. The company needed a new approach to material flow and inventory management that could support their ambitious production targets while maintaining efficiency in their logistics hub.

The Solution: High-Density Storage and Integrated Operations

The AutoStore system manages 16,000 Bins across seven Grid levels, maximizing storage density within a 1,052 m² (11,326 ft²) footprint. The integrated solution enables smooth material flow and efficient order fulfillment, supporting the facility's increased production capacity.

{{quote}}

Key features

• Efficient high-density storage: AutoStore's seven-level, 1,052 m² (11,326 ft²) Grid maximizes space use, organizing 16,000 Bins within the available footprint while enabling easy access to all stored items.
• Enhanced picking operations: The system features one CarouselPort for storage and four ConveyorPorts for accurate order fulfillment, optimizing both inbound and outbound processes.
• Connected systems: Flexible configuration allows seamless integration with existing conveyor systems and warehouse technologies. This creates a cohesive material flow throughout the facility and synchronizes production and distribution.

The AutoStore system ensures iDM can efficiently manage their expanded production capacity while maintaining smooth operations across their logistics hub.

Key Benefits: Increased Capacity and Operational Excellence

The AutoStore implementation at iDM delivered significant improvements across production capacity, storage efficiency, and picking operations, enabling the company to meet growing market demand while optimizing their logistics operations.

• 10x throughput increase: The system enabled iDM to scale production from 3,000 to 30,000 units annually, achieving the tenfold increase needed to meet market demand. Integrated operations ensure smooth material flow and synchronized production and distribution.
• Optimized space use: Maximizing vertical storage has freed up valuable floor space, allowing for better resource allocation and facility organization.  
• Accelerated fulfillment and reduced errors: Faster, more accurate order processing minimizes delays and improves customer satisfaction, ensuring a smoother end-to-end supply chain.  

A Future of Growth Built on Automation

The successful implementation at iDM Group demonstrates how AutoStore, empowered by Hörmann Intralogistics, can transform warehouse operations to support dramatic business growth. As Christoph Bacher, Managing Director of iDM Energiesysteme GmbH notes, "The project was a complete success." With the new system in place, iDM is well-positioned to meet Europe's growing demand for sustainable heating solutions.

Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Brownfield (existing site)
• Robots: 9 R5 Robots
• Workstations (Ports): 1 CarouselPort, 4 ConveyorPorts
• Bins: 16,000 Bins
• Grid size: 1,052 m² (11,326 ft²)
• Integrated technology: High-bay warehouse, conveyor systems, lifting aids
• Warehouse Management System: HiLIS AS
• Integration partner: Hörmann Intralogistics

‍