New Distribution Centre has Latest Automation

Ground was recently broken for a new distribution centre where Dematic is set to supply the latest warehouse automation technology to parent company KION Group at its site in Kahl am Main near Aschaffenburg, Germany.

When completed in roughly two years, brands within KION Group will use the facility for delivering spare parts across Europe. The goal is to ensure more efficient customer deliveries. Dematic is scheduled to install a highly dynamic Dematic Multishuttle® with 110,000 storage locations and 150 shuttles to handle automatic storage and retrieval. In addition, US-headquartered company is building a 6-aisle, scalable high-bay warehouse with a silo design and almost 24,000 pallet spaces. Fellow KION Group brand, Linde Material Handling, will supply several autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

“This new, highly automated spare parts warehouse is a flagship project for both Dematic and the entire KION Group and a prime example of our combined strengths in terms of our own technologies within KION,” explains Andrea Campora, Senior Vice President at Dematic EMEA, adding, “Dematic and Linde plan to share the site when it is ready. It will result in a closer integration with employees from different areas benefiting from each other’s expertise.” While Dematic is a specialist in the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) segment at KION, Linde has expertise in the Industrial Trucks & Services (ITS) segment.

In addition to more efficient processes, the new spare parts warehouse offers other benefits. “The logistics centre allows us to expand our production capacities, makes us less dependent on external supply chains, and lays the foundation for growing our business in German-speaking regions and beyond,” says Campora.

The new facility is also anticipated to create a near 100% spare parts availability. Dematic is expecting higher customer satisfaction through faster deliveries. Thanks to the environmentally friendly construction and a photovoltaic system, the CO2 savings also help to make the site as climate neutral as possible.

The new warehouse’s multishuttle is capable of handling different container type sizes to automatically store and retrieve goods. Items that are too large for totes and that cannot be stored in the multishuttle are packed onto pallets and stored in one of the six high-bay warehouse aisles. A special feature of the facility is that the multishuttle will be installed on a steel structure approximately five meters high. Picking workstations, packing stations, and other operational areas will be located under this massive platform. Smooth and automated material flow will be ensured by electric floor conveyors and modular conveyor systems from Dematic along with AMRs from Linde MH.

“The increased level of service allows the system to process orders that arrive by 4 pm on the same day,” Campora explains, adding, “These orders can then be in transit or already on-site the following day.”

The project once again underlines the close cooperation and comprehensive solution expertise under the umbrella of the KION Group. The ground-breaking ceremony took place at the end of February, and completion and joint move-in are projected for early 2025.

“Completion of this project is a milestone naturally internally for KION’s strategic goals, but the positive impact of this new facility will be felt by all of our customers and that is the way it should be – for the benefit of our customers,” sums up Campora.

Dematic designs, builds, and supports intelligent automated solutions empowering and sustaining the future of commerce for its customers in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution. With research and development engineering centres, manufacturing facilities, and service centres located in more than 35 countries, the Dematic global network of over 11,000 employees has helped achieve approximately 8,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions.