Present on the market since 1991, Auto-Gum Sp. z o.o. Sp.k. is one of the largest distributors of tires, batteries, and car rims in Poland.
The company sells over 700,000 tires and more than 45,000 batteries annually, both domestically and abroad. It also provides maintenance services for all types of vehicles – passenger cars, trucks, industrial and agricultural vehicles, etc. Auto-Gum operates a well-developed online ordering system and a logistics system based on its own transport fleet as well as freight forwarding services.
The high quality of services offered by Auto-Gum is ensured by a wide range of products from top Polish and international manufacturers, extensive experience, modern solutions, and professional consulting. For the past 16 years, the company has been a co-creator of the Polish Tire Warehouses (Polskie Składy Oponiarskie).
As a dynamically growing company, Auto-Gum faced the challenge of improving its logistics processes. The constantly increasing number of customer orders and rapid development created the need to expand its warehouse space for storing and handling goods. As a result, in 2017, the company decided to invest in a new, large warehouse located in Kokotów near Kraków.
The next step in enhancing its operations was to establish a network infrastructure as a foundation for communication and process management within the company. Auto-Gum chose SKK to carry out this task. The decision was driven by SKK’s experience in building networks in diverse – and often challenging industrial – environments, as well as strong recommendations.
Implementation goal
Construction of a network system in the new warehouse
Benefits of implementation:
High communication security
High performance and network stability
Ease of system management
Work comfort
Increased company efficiency
Increased company efficiency
After thoroughly analyzing the client’s needs and requirements and reviewing the plans for the new warehouse, SKK engineers prepared a network design. A very important factor taken into account was the type of goods to be stored—namely, car tires. The distribution center in Kokotów is a high-bay warehouse with designated bins used for storing tires. The number of filled bins stacked vertically may vary.
Tires are a material that significantly dampens radio waves, which poses a challenge when planning the network. To ensure proper operation, it was necessary to account for both fully and partially stocked warehouse conditions. Based on experience, simulations, and radio wave propagation measurements, SKK specialists selected the appropriate types and quantities of network devices and arranged them accordingly as part of the project.
SKK Networks carried out all design and installation work with great diligence. Moreover, they responded openly to our needs and did not strictly adhere to the scope of implementation—for example, during the relocation of our server room, where we could count on professional advice. We are pleased to have chosen a partner who is close to their clients’ concerns. Therefore, we plan to continue our cooperation on future solutions offered by SKK Networks.
SKK Networks Activities
In the LAN infrastructure, distribution points were used and connected with fiber optics in a ring topology. These points were equipped with additional active and passive equipment. The chosen devices and methodology aim to provide full network coverage across the entire warehouse area and to enhance its reliability—should any network component fail, the continuity of network operations will not be disrupted. From the distribution points, Ethernet links were run to optimally placed access points.
The WLAN solution is based on Cisco technology, using access points that are centrally managed and monitored via a controller. The installed access points, part of Cisco’s latest series, are designed for demanding environments. They operate on the 802.11ac wireless standard, ensuring high performance and quality for mobile device operations.
The use of a physical wireless controller ensures a high level of network security, while the addition of a backup controller—which automatically takes over in the event of a failure—guarantees complete system stability. The devices respond autonomously to changing conditions in the airwaves by adjusting transmission power or operating channels in real time, making the network easy to manage and virtually maintenance-free. This is a highly flexible solution that can easily be expanded by adding additional access points if needed.
Results
In addition to the installation and proper configuration of the entire network system, network segmentation was carried out. This further improves both the security and bandwidth of the network.
At the final stage, post-implementation testing was conducted to confirm the system’s correct operation, and key users were trained. The Cisco equipment is covered by an extended 3-year manufacturer’s warranty, and SKK provides technical support services for the implemented solution.
