Works-internal machinery relocation of almost 300 machines and plants

Complex project successfully completed thanks to good communication: The company Murrelektronik GmbH in Stollberg, Saxony had a challenging job for the SCHOLPP installation team from Chemnitz. A total of 292 machines, production plants and workstations needed to be relocated to a new hall at the factory premises. The challenging nature of the job was due to the fact that this all needed to be done during ongoing production. The client also specified that the downtime should be limited to just one day per machine. This required an exceptionally well-planned logistics solution as well as the intelligent deployment of staff and technology.

Murrelektronik is a medium-sized family company with over 3,000 employees. The company group has its headquarters in Oppenweiler, Baden-Württemberg. Murrelektronik has sites all over the world and is a globally active company. It supplies products and solutions for automation technology as well as for electrical and electronic machine and system installation. The Stollberg site in Saxony was having an extension built. All of the production and logistics processes needed to be optimized as part of a restructuring and reorganization of the production systems. SCHOLPP in Chemnitz, just 15 kilometers from the client, was commissioned to carry out the relocation of machinery, workstations and plants within the site.

Variety as a logistical challenge

SCHOLPP has completed smaller projects for Murrelektronik in the past over the course of their collaboration. This time, the transport list included a total of 292 machines and production plants, together with the associated workstations. There was a great deal of variety with regard to the types of plants: Cut-to-length lines for cables, automatic placement machines, automatic crimping and assembly machines, cable unreeling racks, laser and printing systems for labels, logistics workstations, soldering workstations, assembly workstations, injection molding machines, overmolding machines, packaging workstations and packaging systems, including the associated conveyor systems. The individual components weighed up to 5 metric tons, with maximum dimensions of 3.5 meters in length x 1.6 meters in width and 3.0 meters in height.

Timing and communication the keys to success

In terms of the timings for the project, it was important to discuss the exact procedures to be followed during production operation in advance. This led to the identification of five project steps, each with a timeframe of one week. All of the project phases were carried out in parallel with ongoing production. Before the start of each project step, the teams defined exactly which machines needed to be relocated within the factory and within exactly what timeframe. Based on this planning, the SCHOLPP project management team was able to precisely organize the necessary staffing – up to 14 fitters in parallel – as well as the necessary technology. The technology used for this project included forklifts (2.5 to 8.0 metric tons), scissor lifts, a loading crane, heavy-duty trolleys, lift trucks and aluminum gantries as well as the associated installation equipment.

The project covered planning, dismantling, lateral transport, positioning, reinstallation and electrical installation, which took a lot of effort due to the number of machines involved. Over the course of the relocation, new machines delivered by the various manufacturers were also unloaded, brought in and positioned by the SCHOLPP team. SCHOLPP needed to remain on top of the large number of machines needing to be moved every day, and to stick unfailingly to the tight time frame planned in for each project step. Murrelektronik had specified that the production downtime for each machine or workplace must not exceed one day. Thanks to its many years of experience, the team of fitters, mechanics and electricians from the Chemnitz SCHOLPP site was able to ensure that this ambitious project was completed as planned.

Because the production relocation covered multiple floors both in the old building and the new building, the successful execution of the project was a true logistical feat. Overall, spatial conditions were relatively tight, which called for increased coordination from the on-site SCHOLPP installation managers. Thanks to the good communication and constant contact between SCHOLPP and the client Murrelektronik during the project, everything went smoothly.