DB Schenker’s Berlin distribution center spans 80,000 square meters and processes 12,000+ orders daily for automotive parts and consumer electronics. The center relies on 35 AS/RS cranes, 50 conveyors, and 20 pick-and-place robots to handle high-volume order fulfillment. The legacy PLC systems presented critical operational challenges:
- Slow System Coordination: The legacy PLCs had a processing speed of 0.6 ms per instruction, unable to synchronize real-time data between AS/RS, conveyors, and robots. This led to a 3-4 second lag in equipment coordination, resulting in conveyor jams and robot idle time—increasing order fulfillment time to 2.5 hours per order during peak periods.
- Limited Scalability for Peak Demand: The old systems couldn’t handle the increased data volume during peak seasons (e.g., Black Friday, Christmas), causing system slowdowns and order backlogs. During the 2029 Black Friday weekend, the center experienced a backlog of 3,500 orders, leading to delayed deliveries and customer complaints.
- Poor Fault Detection and Recovery: The legacy PLCs lacked advanced diagnostic capabilities, making it difficult to identify the root cause of equipment failures. This resulted in 8-10 hours of unplanned downtime monthly, with each hour of downtime costing €15,000 in lost productivity.
- Incompatibility with Modern Warehouse Management Systems (WMS): The old PLCs couldn’t integrate seamlessly with DB Schenker’s new cloud-based WMS, requiring manual data entry between systems. This increased labor costs by €280,000 annually and introduced the risk of data entry errors (2.3% error rate).
“Efficient coordination between automated warehouse equipment is critical for meeting customer demand, especially during peak seasons,” said Thomas Müller, DB Schenker Berlin Warehouse Operations Manager. “Our legacy PLC systems were too slow and inflexible to keep up with our automated operations, leading to costly bottlenecks and delays. We needed a high-performance PLC solution that could synchronize our equipment in real time, scale with peak demand, and integrate with our cloud-based WMS.”
ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1: Real-Time Coordination for Automated Warehouses
After evaluating solutions from Siemens and Omron, DB Schenker selected the ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 PLC module for its ultra-fast processing speed, high scalability, advanced diagnostic capabilities, and seamless WMS integration. Key features addressing DB Schenker’s pain points include:
- Ultra-Fast Real-Time Coordination: The ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 features a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with a processing speed of 0.1 ms per instruction—6x faster than the legacy systems. This enables real-time synchronization between AS/RS, conveyors, and robots, reducing equipment coordination lag to <0.5 seconds and eliminating conveyor jams and robot idle time.
- High Scalability for Peak Demand: With 2 GB of RAM and support for up to 1,000 I/O points, the module easily handles increased data volume during peak seasons. It can process up to 50,000 order lines per hour—more than double the legacy systems’ capacity—eliminating order backlogs.
- Advanced Diagnostic and Predictive Maintenance: The module provides real-time status monitoring of all warehouse equipment, with detailed fault alerts for motor failures, sensor issues, and communication errors. Its predictive maintenance algorithms analyze equipment performance data to identify potential failures before they occur, reducing unplanned downtime by 85%.
- Seamless WMS Integration: Supporting cloud-based communication protocols and open APIs, the PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 integrates seamlessly with DB Schenker’s cloud-based WMS. This eliminates manual data entry, reducing labor costs and data entry errors to 0.1%.
- Rugged Design for Warehouse Environments: With an IP20-rated enclosure and operating temperature range of -10°C to 60°C, the module withstands the dust, vibration, and temperature fluctuations of warehouse environments. Its redundant communication ports ensure uninterrupted operation even if one port fails.
Results: Faster Fulfillment, Higher Throughput, Lower Costs
Five months after deploying the ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 PLC module, DB Schenker’s Berlin distribution center achieved significant operational improvements:
| Metric |
Before ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 |
After ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 |
Improvement |
| Order Fulfillment Time (Peak Period) |
2.5 Hours/Order |
1.375 Hours/Order |
45% Reduction |
| Warehouse Throughput |
25,000 Order Lines/Hour |
38,000 Order Lines/Hour |
52% Increase |
| Monthly Unplanned Downtime |
8-10 Hours |
1-1.5 Hours |
85% Reduction |
| Annual Labor Costs (Data Entry) |
€280,000 |
€56,000 |
80% Reduction |
| Data Entry Error Rate |
2.3% |
0.1% |
96% Reduction |
“The ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 module has revolutionized our warehouse operations,” Müller said. “During the 2030 Black Friday weekend, we processed 30% more orders than the previous year with no backlogs and a 99.9% on-time delivery rate. The module’s predictive maintenance capabilities have also eliminated the costly downtime we previously experienced, boosting our overall efficiency.”
Ralf Schmidt, ABB’s European Logistics Automation Product Manager, commented: “Automated warehouses require PLC solutions that can handle high data volumes, synchronize multiple equipment types in real time, and scale with peak demand. The ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 PLC module delivers these capabilities, helping logistics providers improve order fulfillment speed, increase throughput, and enhance customer satisfaction.”
DB Schenker plans to deploy the ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 PLC module across 22 additional distribution centers in Europe and Asia by 2034, targeting a 40% group-wide reduction in order fulfillment time and a 50% increase in warehouse throughput.
Ludwigshafen, Germany – September 2030 – BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, has achieved a 92% improvement in process stability and a 40% reduction in unplanned downtime at its Ludwigshafen chemical complex after deploying the ABB PM866K01 3BSE050198R1 PLC module. The upgrade, completed in Q2 2030, replaced the complex’s outdated PLC systems, which struggled with slow data processing and poor compatibility with modern process sensors—leading to inconsistent production quality and frequent process interruptions in the production of high-purity polyethylene.
