The basics of intralogistics

What do ordering a pizza, the weekly grocery shopping and packing a suitcase for a family holiday have in common? They can be compared to important processes in intralogistics. For those unfamiliar with terms such as order picking or distribution, the new STILL white paper provides an introduction to the broad field of intralogistics.

Intralogistics - what exactly is that again? People who work at STILL often hear this question. And it is not just us, but also many other people who work in logistics, and intralogistics in particular. Each of us regularly comes into contact with logistics processes in our everyday lives - usually at the end of a long logistics chain. And yet many people do not know exactly what needs to happen to get a product to the right place at the right time. That is why we have dedicated our latest white paper to this topic.

The core processes of intralogistics

While logistics covers every step of a product's journey from the point of manufacture to the end consumer, intralogistics focuses on all the logistical processes within a company's premises, i.e. within a warehouse, including the outside area. In many cases, goods arrive several times a day and deliveries leave just as frequently. But it is not just a case of 'goods in, goods out'; the processes within the warehouse are much more complex: a product has to be stored, retrieved and prepared for onward transport. Most importantly, it is not just a single product, but many, many of them.

What is more, most warehouses handle a large number of different products that vary in shape, size and weight. As a result, each product in the warehouse goes through several key processes (or core processes) that ensure that everything that comes in leaves the warehouse at the right time and in the right vehicle. To make these complex processes more tangible for logistics newcomers, we explain each core process in the white paper using an everyday example. Terms such as 'sorting' and 'consolidation' become clearer if you imagine a basket of laundry instead of a warehouse the size of a football pitch. The process is the same whether you are sorting laundry or goods.

What is order picking?

However, there is hardly a term related to intralogistics that is typed into a search engine as often as 'order picking' - and laypeople in particular have little idea what it means. Yet most of us become order pickers every time we go shopping in the supermarket. After all, it is a matter of using a list to put together an order from different parts of the warehouse. This is exactly what we do when we enter the supermarket with a shopping list. And just like in the warehouse, we need a way to transport the goods we have collected in the supermarket. What is a basket or trolley in the supermarket becomes a pallet or a STILL vertical order picker in the warehouse.

Just like in the warehouse, our goods in the supermarket come in different shapes, sizes and weights. Some are fragile and need to be handled with care. Others need to be kept refrigerated for as long as possible. That is why many of us try to plan the best route around the supermarket so that we can get past as many products as possible without having to go the same way twice. And ideally, we only pick up the chilled or frozen items towards the end. The order picker's route is planned by the warehouse management system according to a similar principle. The quicker an order is picked, the quicker the next order can be started.

Pizza, Christmas and the ABC

However, picking is only one of the core processes of intralogistics, as products go through many different processes in the warehouse. If you want to know more about what exactly happens in the warehouse, you should definitely take a look at our white paper 'Intralogistics simply explained'. In addition to order picking, sorting and consolidation, we also look at other core processes. The questions we ask are: What does incoming goods have to do with pizza? When does it make sense to sort your shopping according to the ABC? And why do we think of Christmas when it comes to distribution? For answers to these and other questions, click here: STILL white paper 'Intralogistics simply explained'

Contact request

Subscribe to the Newsletter !

Always up to date with STILL: Subscribe to the STILL newsletter and we will inform you regularly about interesting industry topics.