​CLAAS puts new high-bay warehouse into operation

CLAAS has opened the extension to its central Parts Logistics Centre in Hamm. After a planning and construction period lasting over two years the new high-bay warehouse has now been commissioned according to schedule.

–We have extended our storage capacity because our product range is steadily growing and with it the number of the various spare parts, says Head of Logistics Dietmar Düsing.

The decision to extend the logistics centre alongside the A2 autobahn with a new high-bay warehouse was made in summer 2018.
​–The new building covers an area of approx. 11,700 sq. m and is nearly 30m height to accommodate a fully automatic high rack system which now provides enough space for around 58,000 pallets, says project manager Sven Wagner, describing the dimensions of the extension. For the floor more than 360 lorry loads of concrete were delivered. The steel structure used 1,800 tons of steel and more than 400,000 bolts were required.

The conveyor technology used, consisting of an electric overhead track, is also new. Pallets and lattice boxes are placed in the warehouse by nine retrieval machines. The overhead track carries the pallets to four workstations at which a total of up to 320 parts per hour can be picked, a doubling of the previous capacity.

–With this investment we are preparing the CLAAS Parts Logistics Center for further growth of the CLAAS Group. Not only will the expansion create additional warehouse space, it will also allow us to restructure warehouse processes from the bottom up. All of this is done with a focus on fulfilling the high standards of our customers with regard to our spare parts service, explains Dietmar Düsing, Head of Logistics and Member of the Management Board at CLAAS Service and Parts GmbH.

CLAAS employs around 500 people at the Parts Logistics Centre in Hamm together with its logistics partner Stute Logistics (AG & Co.) KG. The investment in the new high-bay warehouse ran to over 20 million euros.