RFID tracking of components for Stuttgart 21 project
Gersthofen (DE), April 04, 2024. seele is supplying 27 light eyes and 3 gridshells for the large-scale project Stuttgart 21. The parts for these structures are being produced in the plants in Gersthofen in southern Germany and Plzeň in the Czech Republic. Some components will be transported directly to the construction site, others will be stored temporarily near the site. To coordinate everything, seele has devised an automated inventory management system.
The seele RFID system
The digital system is based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, which uses radio waves to exchange data between a transponder and a reader device. Sebastian Lippert, virtual construction engineer at seele, was a driving force behind the implementation of RFID tracking. His aim was to map construction progress digitally in real-time. The outcome is now a fully digital logistics concept that helps all those involved in the project.
To implement the tracking, seele attaches a passive transponder in the form of a foil label with a titanium inlay to every package. The company has also set up 6 RFID gates - one each at the exit gates at the production plants in Gersthofen and Plzeň, one at the temporary storage and 3 at the construction site - to detect these labels automatically. In addition, seele has equipped staff on the building field with portable reader devices.
A component on the road
Prior to being loaded onto a truck at a seele plant, every packaging unit, e.g. a box with metal sections for a light eye, is provided with an RFID label. The packing list holds available information about the precise number of items and the exact component designations. The transponder does not require a separate power supply, has a range of up to 12m and can be recycled. As soon as a truck leaves the plant, the reader device on the gate automatically scans all the labels and sends a status update to seele’s ERP system. That marks the start of each component’s journey. If the truck travels to the temporary storage first, then the entry gate there registers that the box of sections has arrived and sends this data to the ERP system. The box of parts makes a stopover here. When it is transported to the construction site later, the RFID label is once again detected so that the change of location is recorded in the system.
Upon arrival at the main construction site for the Stuttgart 21 project, there are 3 access gates equipped to note the arrival of the box. The seele staff on site who unload the truck can scan the label once again with a portable reader device. Once the box has reached its final destination, i.e. has been unloaded at its designated storage place and unpacked, the RFID label is placed in a special container at the digital terminal on site, which is also fitted with a reader device. Once the site crew have erected the metal sections, a final status update is sent to seele’s ERP system. That system has an interface with a digital model of the light eye on which the components are now shown as installed.
Digitisation initiative at seele
RFID goods tracking not only eliminates the sometimes time-consuming search for components. It also records the progress of work on site for every single part needed for Stuttgart’s new main station. This measure therefore represents an important milestone in the digital transformation at seele. “From design office to production, all departments are working with the same 3D model that encompasses all the data. And now, with RFID tracking, we have been able to incorporate logistics and installation in the model as well. That eases the situation enormously for seele and offers our client, Deutsche Bahn, tremendous advantages,” says Andreas Hafner, Managing Director of seele GmbH.
© seele
