IN Brief:
- Canon Production Printing has installed 12 SSI LOGIMAT vertical lift modules at its Venlo manufacturing operation.
- The warehouse footprint has fallen from up to 2,000m² to around 450m² while storage capacity has more than doubled.
- Picking performance reached 117 picks per hour within a year, with 154 picks per hour targeted as the system is optimised.
Canon Production Printing has rebuilt its parts warehouse in Venlo around 12 vertical lift modules, compressing storage into a much smaller footprint while linking picking directly to its SAP production environment.
Canon Production Printing introduced the system after growth and the launch of the varioPRESS iV7 and Colorado XL printer platforms increased the number and variety of components moving through the site. The existing shelving warehouse, known internally as the “Supermarket”, was no longer considered scalable as inventory expanded and additional production lines required more floor space.
SSI Schäfer was selected as the intralogistics partner after Canon assessed six or seven suppliers. The evaluation went beyond equipment price and included kitting requirements, front- and rear-side access, ergonomics, service support, and the ability to integrate warehouse movements with Canon’s assembly logic. Project teams visited reference sites in the Netherlands and Germany, while future operators took part in trials using Canon’s own boxes, components, and kitting carts.
The resulting installation uses 12 SSI LOGIMAT vertical lift modules, each 11.8 metres high. Picking takes place from the front while replenishment can be completed from the rear, allowing stock to be loaded without stopping operators working on production orders. LogiGate safety doors, LogiPointer laser guidance, LogiTilt tray tilting, and touchscreen controls are intended to reduce searching, reaching, and unnecessary handling.
The space reduction is substantial. Canon says the former warehouse occupied up to 2,000m², while the new arrangement requires around 450m². Storage capacity has more than doubled, giving the manufacturer additional room for components while releasing floor area for production rather than extending conventional shelving across the building.
Picking output has also increased. The previous operation achieved between 60 and 96 picks per hour, while the automated system reached 117 picks per hour within its first year. Canon is targeting 154 picks per hour as the process is further optimised, making the improvement measurable in throughput rather than simply storage density.
The SAP integration is central to the design. Venlo had previously used a heavily customised SAP ECC environment, and the warehouse project was used to move closer to a standardised system. Picking orders generated in SAP are converted into lift commands in real time, avoiding a separate warehouse application between production planning and the equipment that presents parts to operators.
That architecture is important because the lifts feed assembly directly. A high-density storage system can save space, but production still depends on the correct component being presented in the correct sequence and at the required time. By keeping the lifts inside the same information flow as the wider assembly process, Canon has reduced the number of interfaces at which stock status or picking instructions can diverge.
Reliability requirements are correspondingly higher. The installation is not an isolated finished-goods warehouse that can tolerate a prolonged outage without affecting production. Canon keeps spare parts on site, has trained first-line support personnel, and uses remote support and service-level agreements covering both hardware and software. A fault that stops component supply would otherwise be felt quickly on the assembly lines.
The physical design also reduces travel and manual reaching. Instead of walking through shelving aisles to collect parts, operators work at the lift openings while trays are brought to them. Tilting trays and laser guidance are intended to make individual picks easier to identify and handle, which becomes more important as the component mix broadens and order sequences become more complex.
Canon has also used the project as a template for wider standardisation. The revised SAP environment has already been introduced at its German operation, and the Poing plant has ordered a similar warehouse setup. A common interface gives the company a way to extend the approach without recreating a different software and equipment architecture at every manufacturing site.
The 12 lifts have changed how components are stored, picked, replenished, and fed into assembly, while the SAP connection ties those movements to the production system rather than treating the warehouse as a separate operation. Venlo now has more storage capacity in less space, with the parts flow rebuilt around production requirements rather than the geometry of conventional shelving.
