Method for the demand-controlled supply to and disposal away from at least two production stations of the tobacco processing industry with full and/or empty transport units

A method for a demand-controlled supply to and disposal away from at least two production stations associated with an overhead storage and transport system including:

• a rail network having a rail;
• self-propelled transport vehicles and transport units being moved on the rail by the self-propelled transport vehicles;
• a storage system including a central store comprising at least one storage shelf;
• and a material flow control, the method comprising:
• a) requesting a full or empty transport unit which is available within the storage and transport system, by a transfer unit of an associated production station initiating a transport task, said transfer unit forming a linking member between the storage and transport system and the associated production station, with a material flow control;
• b) assigning the transport task by the material flow control to the transport vehicle having the requested full or empty transport unit;
• c) moving the transport vehicle with the full or empty transport unit in a transport plane on the rail network from a start position of the transport vehicle as far as the transfer unit of the production station initiating the transport task, said production station being located in a production plane below the transport plane;
• d) transferring the full or empty transport unit from the transport vehicle to the transfer unit in a transfer position;
• and
• e) lowering the full or empty transport unit via a lift arrangement from the transport plane into a transfer plane located below the transport plane,
• wherein steps d) and e) are selectively carried out in reverse sequence and the transport vehicle is released for a next transport task after the transfer of the full or empty transport unit to the transfer unit.