OPERATE · In depth

Container and handling equipment

Inbound containers and in-plant handling equipment – from the part in CAD to series release, under our own responsibility.

← Back to OPERATE

The container decides what condition the part arrives in – and whether it is in the operator's hand at the point of use before anyone has to look for it.

This is the field we have worked in longest. Inbound containers and in-plant handling equipment are not catalogue items: every part makes its own demands on protection, access, fill level and ergonomics, and every supply process comes with its own constraints. We engineer the equipment to match – and we are accountable for the whole chain, from assessing the part in CAD to series release.

Two disciplines

The way into the plant, and the way through it

Inbound containers

Planning, development and delivery

From the supplier into the plant

The container a bought-in part arrives in determines transport effort, the quantity tied up in the loop, and the condition of the part on arrival. We plan it against the constraints of the supply process, design it, and take it through tendering, sample acceptance and tooling release into series production.

Supply process, variants and loop quantity
Fill level and one part number per container
Transport trials under real conditions
Tooling release and samples from production tooling

In-plant handling equipment

Development, planning and delivery

Inside the plant, up to the point of use

The equipment that moves, stores and presents a part between goods-in and the point of use. Here, access, ergonomics and line-side footprint decide whether the takt runs calmly – and whether the part can be handled automatically at all.

Assessment of the part in CAD for shape and condition
Material selection to suit the part
Requirements specification and tendering
Acceptance with every interface partner

Constraints

What a piece of equipment has to be measured against

Before anything is designed, the question is whether the required constraints can be met at all. We check them against the part – and later demonstrate them on the sample.

Fill level: How many parts fit in the container without compromising protection or access? The fill level drives transport effort and the quantity tied up in the loop.
One part number per container: A single part number per container – the basis for mix-up safety and for clean booking at goods-in.
Random access: Every part reachable without restacking. Without it, a simple pick turns into a search.
Ergonomics: Pick height, weight, grip: equipment is handled for a whole shift, not demonstrated once.
Line-side footprint: The equipment has to fit where the part is needed – not just onto the trailer.
Automated loading and unloading: Where handling is automated, the geometry of the equipment decides whether the system can pick it up at all.
Poka-yoke: If it is the wrong way round, it must not fit. Mix-up safety is solved in the design, not in a work instruction.
Variants: One container for several part revisions – or several containers? That decision belongs at the start, not in the ramp-up.

The chain

From assessing the part to series release

Five phases we take on as one package rather than supporting piecemeal. Everything between the part and series production is ours: a named contact, agreed dates, and an outcome that is formally accepted.

Assessment and constraints

It starts with the part, not with the container.

Assessment of the part in CAD for shape and condition.
A check of whether the required constraints can be met at all.
Demand assessment: volumes, takt, variants, loop quantity.
Selection of suitable materials to suit the part.
Alignment with the process partners who own the supply process.

Concept and design

This is where the equipment takes shape – in CATIA V5, through to the manufacturing bill of materials.

A 3D concept in CATIA V5, presented and talked through.
A concept sheet with a detailed description and a 2D drawing – reviewable by everyone, not only in CAD.
A requirements specification as the binding basis for tendering and acceptance.
Variants, and poka-yoke features solved in the design.
Design maturity taken through to the manufacturing bill of materials.

Design

CATIA V5 – from concept to manufacturing bill of materials

We do the design ourselves. The concept is built as a 3D model in CATIA V5 and taken to the maturity a container supplier can manufacture from – including the 2D drawing and the manufacturing bill of materials. Manufacturing happens at the supplier; tendering, review and release happen with us.

Tendering and award

The specification goes to market – and the quotes go under review.

Selection of suitable container suppliers for the tendering process.
Review of the quotes for accuracy and completeness.
Detailed alignment with the container suppliers.
Review and release of design drafts.
Agreement and tracking of delivery dates.

Sample and acceptance

Before series production there is the sample – and before that, the meeting where everyone is at the table.

Organising and running the sample container review with every interface partner.
On-site acceptance at the point of use, and a transport trial under real conditions.
Detailed documentation of the findings, including the improvements proposed.
Alignment of the findings with the container supplier.
Review and release of the final design data, tooling release, samples from production tooling.

Ramp-up and operation

Equipment is only handed over once the department is actually working with it.

Delivery date tracking through to arrival, documented.
Organising delivery and handover to the responsible department.
Deliveries matched to the ramp-up, not to series volumes.
System upkeep – every document and every exchange filed, electronically signed.
Findings fed back into best practice for the next piece of equipment.

What you get

Deliverables that are formally accepted

What is agreed is the outcome, not the effort. This is what exists at the end – something you can check, not just read about.

3D concept in CATIA V5: The design data set your container supplier can work from.
Concept sheet and 2D drawing: A detailed description for review – including with everyone who never opens CAD.
Requirements specification: The binding requirement that the tender and the acceptance are both measured against.
Manufacturing bill of materials: Every part of the equipment named, dimensioned and available to buy.
Acceptance documentation: Sample container review, on-site acceptance and transport trial – findings documented and agreed with the supplier.
A complete record: Documents and correspondence held in the system, electronically signed – still traceable years later.

Questions & answers

Questions about container and handling equipment

What does HecknerGroup's equipment engineering cover?

HecknerGroup engineers inbound containers and in-plant handling equipment across the whole chain: assessing the part in CAD, checking whether the required constraints can be met, concept and design in CATIA V5 through to the manufacturing bill of materials, the requirements specification, tendering and selection of container suppliers, review and release of design drafts, the sample container review with every interface partner, on-site acceptance and transport trials, tooling release, samples from production tooling, deliveries matched to the ramp-up, and system upkeep. It is taken on as a work package under an outcome-based contract, with the outcome agreed in advance.

Does HecknerGroup design containers and equipment in-house?

Yes. The design is produced in-house as a 3D model in CATIA V5 and taken to the maturity a container supplier can manufacture from – including the concept sheet, the 2D drawing and the manufacturing bill of materials. Manufacturing happens at the container supplier; tendering, review of the quotes and release of the design data are HecknerGroup's responsibility.

What constraints is an inbound container planned against?

Before anything is designed, HecknerGroup checks whether the required constraints can be met on the part at all. The main ones are fill level, one part number per container, random access, ergonomics, the line-side footprint at the point of use, suitability for automated loading and unloading, mix-up safety on the poka-yoke principle, and the question of variants – one container for several part revisions, or several containers. The constraints are then demonstrated at the sample container review and in the transport trial.

Does HecknerGroup also handle sample acceptance and tooling release?

Yes. HecknerGroup organises and runs the sample container review with every interface partner, carries out on-site acceptance at the point of use, accompanies the transport trial, documents the findings including the improvements proposed, agrees them with the container supplier and releases the final design data. Tooling release and the assessment of samples from production tooling are part of that.

Do you have a part with no equipment for it yet?

Send us the data set and your constraints – we will tell you whether they hold.

Get in touch +49 871 96 69 09 99