Endress+Hauser is strengthening its logistics capabilities in Europe with business partner Hellmann Worldwide Logistics planning on opening up operation on a modern, high-performance logistics center on behalf of the group in Wörrstadt, Germany near Frankfurt Airport. The hub is scheduled to be completed and in operation by mid-2021. The new location will replace the current logistics center in Nieder-Olm, Germany.
To fulfill customer orders and ensure customer satisfaction, a reliable logistics system is a crucial link in the chain says Endress+Hauser. "In order to reliably supply customers around the world with measurement and automation technology despite the pandemic, our logistics hub in Nieder-Olm served as a solid foundation," said Oliver Blum, corporate director of supply chain. "Although 100 percent availability was crucial, having the flexibility to keep thousands of measurement instruments from being delivered to customers that were in lockdown was particularly important."
This experience served as confirmation of the successful cooperation with Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, which was recently renewed with a new contract. The partners also want to put a larger logistics center in Wörrstadt into operation only a few kilometers from the current location. The new hub, situated at the junction of the A63 highway and state road B420 in Hessen, will feature more than 18,000 square meters of logistics space and can handle eight times the volume of the old facility.
"With Hellmann, we’re pleased to have a partner on our side that can flexibly and reliably support our growth in the future,” said Blum.
Today the center in Nieder-Olm, which is certified for air cargo security, manages daily deliveries from 16 shuttle trucks from all Endress+Hauser European production sites. At the logistics center, the various products are bundled into a single order and shipped to national and international end customers.
Hellmann also manages replenishments for the Endress+Hauser product centers outside of Europe, which includes packaging and preparing the orders for shipment via air cargo and loading container ships. The new logistics hub in Wörrstadt will also bundle inbound orders from overseas locations and distribute them to the European production sites via the existing shuttle connections.
The space at the new location will also primarily be used for cross docking logistics, which involves products that are normally shipped directly from the manufacturer to the customer instead of being warehoused. It uses this concept at its other logistics centers in France, India, Italy and the U.S.
The construction activities are already well underway in Wörrstadt. The partners officially kicked off construction of the new logistics center with a ground-breaking ceremony. The project developer is Panattoni, a subsidiary of a worldwide real-estate company that specializes in logistics and industrial properties. LIST Bau Bielefeld is the prime contractor.
