Method and devices for automatically supplying material to a processing machine

A method for supplying paper rolls to a web-fed rotary printing press including:

• providing a paper roll supply system for said web-fed rotary printing press;
• providing a paper roll storage facility, in said paper roll supply system, for storing paper rolls;
• providing a paper roll transport system in said paper roll supply system;
• providing a material flow system for said web-fed rotary printing press;
• providing a coordination level in said material flow system and being in communication with said paper roll storage facility;
• providing a planning level in said material flow system and being in communication with said coordination level;
• receiving stock data regarding paper rolls available from said paper roll storage facility in said coordination level of said material flow system;
• providing a product planning system for said web-fed rotary printing press and having production-relevant planning data regarding pending and planned productions of said web-fed rotary printing press;
• providing a press management system having actual production data for said web-fed rotary printing press;
• transmitting said actual production data for said web-fed rotary printing press from said press management system, said stock data from said coordination level and said planning data from said product planning system to said planning level of said material flow system;
• developing a supply strategy, for use of said paper rolls stored in said roll storage facility, in said planning level of said material flow system using said actual production data from said press management system, said planning data from said product planning system and said stock data from said coordination level;
• using said supply strategy developed in said planning level for instructing said coordination level for preparing said paper rolls in said paper roll storage facility of said roll supply system for use in said web-fed rotary printing press;
• and
• using said paper roll transport system for supplying said paper rolls prepared in said paper roll storage facility in accordance with said supply strategy developed in said planning level to said web-fed rotary printing press.