ZF Transforms Parts Kitting with the OPEX® Perfect Pick® HD, Putting the Brakes on its Manual Processes

Partnering with OPEX enabled ZF to reduce parts picking time using goods-to-person automation.

The Background

ZF Group is a global technology company that manufactures and supplies advanced mobility products and systems for commercial vehicles, passenger cars, and industrial technologies. ZF operates in 30 countries with 161 production locations and 161,600 employees. One of ZF’s specialized facilities manufactures hydraulic brake valves for off-highway equipment, primarily involving agriculture, construction, mining, and forestry. Operating as a high-mix, low-volume facility, ZF’s hydraulic brake operation needs to produce a wide variety of products in small quantities. Some parts could be used only once a year, while other parts were needed 5,000 times per year as products are made to order. Each order required components assembled into a kit to manufacture the final product.

The Challenge

Before implementing the OPEX® Perfect Pick® HD goods-to-person system, ZF’s facility operated similarly to a grocery store where parts were kept in aisles throughout the warehouse. This process was labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring workers to navigate the facility, retrieve parts from various locations, including high shelves, and transport components via cart to the assembly lines. The manual picking process created bottlenecks in ZF’s manufacturing workflow, extending lead times and limiting the company’s ability to respond quickly to customer demands. Workers faced physical strain from constantly bending, lifting, and climbing to access inventory stored at different heights throughout the warehouse.

Key Challenges

Parts Picking was a Manual Process

Products Had Extended Lead Times Due to Manual Process

The Parts-Picking Area Experienced High Employee Turnover

The Solution

ZF discovered OPEX through a recommendation that the OPEX Perfect Pick HD (high-density) solution would be a great fit for the parts picking aspect of the production process. Perfect Pick HD utilizes vertical racking with self-charging iBOT® robots that navigate the system, retrieving and putting away totes. After evaluating two other solutions, the ZF team visited an existing OPEX customer to see the system in action, which solidified the decision to partner with OPEX in mid-2024. At the customer site during the demonstration, the ZF team was able to use the machine hands-on by picking orders, watching the system catch any errors and maintain accuracy in real-time.

The OPEX Perfect Pick HD system’s installation went smoothly in the ZF facility, with the physical assembly of the machine completed in two weeks. Perfect Pick HD features a built-in pick-to-light function, powered by OPEX Cortex® Equipment Control Software (ECS), which guides operators to pick items by lighting up slots or cells within a tote. ZF chose to integrate the Perfect Pick HD system with LightGuide, an AI-enabled augmented reality software. The integration with LightGuide takes guided picking a step further, illuminating the bins on a cart near the system where staff will place specified items that are part of an order kit. LightGuide utilizes no external wires, instead relying on a projector to illuminate the appropriate areas of the cart. These functionalities eliminate double-handling, streamlining the process while minimizing errors. The warehouse is no longer an open door where any parts can be grabbed – the system safeguards items and directs operators to the specific items needed, significantly improving inventory accuracy year-round.

Perfect Pick HD eliminated the need for ZF’s original “grocery store” style aisle structure. Employees are no longer required to manually search for and pick parts, except for specialized, larger items that could still be placed in the cart with the rest of the order kit. The new system reduced parts picking and kitting times, significantly increasing ZF’s overall throughput and reducing lead times.

Training staff on the Perfect Pick HD was straightforward and efficient, enabling them to get up and running quickly. Warehousing staff who work with the machine enjoy the new technology and are able to accomplish more than before. The system has also made the department a safer working environment by reducing repetitive strain and minimizing the need to access high shelving, which, even with the proper safeguards, can pose fall risks.

Key Results

Reduction in Parts Picking and Kitting Time

Increased Throughput and Faster Lead Times

Improved Storage and Inventory Accuracy

Reduced physical strain and improved safety

This is the piece of technology thats changed the way we do things more than anything else I’ve worked on. The Perfect Pick now brings all the material directly to you, and we don’t have to wander around retrieving all the components. It significantly reduced the time needed to kit an order.”

Aaron Schlumpberger

Operations Manager, ZF

The Future

The time savings achieved through Perfect Pick HD has enabled ZF to increase throughput and reduce lead times in the manufacturing process – something that was previously challenging due to their high-mix, low-volume environment. The new system has also solved ZF’s challenges in its hydraulic brake facility with high labor turnover and mitigated any setbacks from future labor shortages. ZF is looking to continuously improve how the Perfect Pick HD is utilized in this facility by introducing a multi-cart system that will make parts kitting even faster.

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