Expansion work is again ongoing at the German edgings specialist, Ostermann. A new logistics centre with 5000m2 of floor space, is scheduled to open here in the summer of 2017.
The new complex comprises a 2400m2 warehouse facility, as well as a new two-storey dispatch centre with about 2500m2 of floor space. The construction project represents an investment of more than €10m.
More space for more growth
The permanently growing range of furniture edgings, and the continuous development of new markets mean that the current logistical processes – based on an exclusively manual picking operation – are at the limits of their capacity.
“During our peak-time between 3-4pm, up to 15 forklifts are all operating at the same time in the picking operation alone,” says Dagmar Daxenberger, head of the Ostermann Group. “
As you can imagine, it can appear something like a beehive at these times. This is why we decided that our new building would be based on a new, cutting-edge logistics concept – ‘goods-to-person’. This means that a fully automated process delivers goods to the employees, who then prepare them for delivery.”
Because Ostermann sells furniture edgings from lengths starting at just 1m, the rest of the opened edging rolls are put back into storage via a fully automatic process.
Numbers of storage bays doubled
An area of 2400m2 will be home to a 14m-high furniture edgings warehouse facility. This means that Ostermann is doubling the number of storage bays in Bocholt. The outgoing goods are then processed and packed in the new dispatch centre. So the approximately 5000 m2 of usable area is used for commercial as well as industrial purposes. New loading doors will also ensure that the goods-in and goods-out processes run smoothly.
Furniture edgings for the whole of Europe
Whereas Ostermann’s subsidiary sites in England, Italy and France each have their own on-site warehouse facilities, the other markets in Europe are supplied from Germany.
“Only very recently, we upgraded our new Ostermann Online Shop with additional languages for our markets in the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Slovakia. We anticipate that this will result in continuously increasing numbers of net sales”, says Dagmar Daxenberger.
“The construction of this new logistics centre means that Ostermann is superbly prepared to meet the challenges that the coming years will bring.” The managing director laughs charmingly: “But then, I did say just that, when our high-bay warehouse was opened in 2012. And now, we are already busy building again.”
