Your shop floor needs a GPS: Adherence to deadlines is achieved between machines

When it comes to logistics, many people first think of trucks, route planning, and ramps. However, the real pacemaker for your adherence to delivery dates lies between the production stages, precisely where materials are moved within the plant. Those who leave internal transport to gut feelings or Excel pay the price with waiting times and missed deadlines. Modern plants therefore closely link intralogistics to their MES and control transport in an event-driven and prioritized manner.

The blind spot: congestion occurs between extrusion, QA, and stranding

The machines are ready, but the drum is missing. QA is free, but the material is in the wrong aisle. Forklifts are zigzagging because priorities are unclear. The pattern is the same everywhere: local optimization at the expense of overall flow. The solution is not another Excel list, but a planning authority that knows orders, inventories, and restrictions—and reacts in real time.

What changes when transportation becomes part of your MES

Digital transport orders are generated automatically based on production progress. They contain the source, destination, drum/reel ID, dimensions, and preferred handling method (forklift, crane, AGV, hand truck). Status changes, early completion notifications, or delays? The order adapts itself—without any intervention.

This includes user-friendly processing on vehicle terminals (with barcode scanners) and mobile recording of all movements – from removal and relocation to installation in the next work step. The result: less searching, fewer detours, and shorter waiting times.

Automated intralogistics systems (e.g., AGVs, conveyor technology, robots) can be connected directly. The MES coordinates material movements in real time and visualizes them. Real-time transparency improves inventory accuracy and reduces manual recording effort.

Control your shop floor as if using a navigation system: ADVARIS not only knows where material is located, but also where it needs to be next – and how to get it there most efficiently.

Prioritizing, replanning, and managing in practice

Many plants rely on experienced drivers to handle “the right” transports first. In reality, however, delays occur in urgent orders, bottleneck supplies, and customer-critical orders when priorities are not transparent across the company. Digital, rule-based queues make the order clear—and visible to everyone.

At the same time, planning in shift meetings reaches its limits because peak loads shift hourly. An MES with Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) that responds to feedback, storage space occupancy, WIP limits, and bottlenecks continuously replans—without additional effort for the workforce.

More buffer space alone does not solve any problems. Without dedicated storage location logic, it only fills up in an even more uncoordinated manner. Automatic storage location allocation with clear occupancy rules prevents overflows and misdeliveries and supports a stable flow from the coil to the finished cable reel in the truck.

This is how ADVARIS orchestrates the flow of materials

ADVARIS Cable Solution combines ERP, PDM, and MES—including advanced planning and scheduling for detailed planning and shop floor control (SFC) for transparency in the manufacturing process. Transport orders are generated on an event-driven basis, processed on vehicle terminals, and reported back accurately. Conveyor technology (e.g., AGVs) can be controlled and incorporated into planning. KPIs and dashboards make progress, bottlenecks, and exceptions visible.

• Automated transport orders for defined events (e.g., setup starts → provide raw materials)
• Vehicle terminals for forklifts, including scanning and confirmation
• Bin location and buffer area management with complete history
• Integration of automated systems (AGVs, conveyor systems, robots)
• Scenario-enabled detailed planning with WIP limits, bottlenecks, and setup logic

Conclusion

Internal transport is not a “secondary process.” Linking transport to MES turns your intralogistics into a competitive advantage: timely supply at bottlenecks, less WIP, fewer disruptions, and a measurable increase in throughput.

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