2 minutes - magazine 02 | 2025

Spare part?

Delivered!

The phone rings in the customer service department: a customer urgently needs a sealing ring and a seal. The order is entered into the system and the logistics process begins.

Previously, spare parts were dispatched from an outdated warehouse – limited space, repairs to the building and outdated dispatch processes are now a thing of the past. The new, highly automated spare parts warehouse at the Ehingen site ensures more efficient and faster processing. We talk to Mario Allesch, Head of Spare Parts Logistics and Shipping, about the challenges and solutions.

In the packing centre: Mario Allesch, Head of Spare Parts Logistics and Shipping, in front of the paper padding machines that produce crumpled paper that serves as filling material for parcels.

A dedicated team and streamlined processes are the basis for the best possible service. We have taken a huge step forward with our new spare parts warehouse. We are now working on increasing the availability of spare parts and ensuring improved performance across all process steps in the future. In order to achieve this goal, we opened a 32-metre-high building in Ehingen in April, which offers 18,000 spaces for palletised goods and storage space for 40,000 small parts containers over an area of 10,000 m².

Dynamic logistics process

As soon as the service department generates a spare parts requirement, the warehouse management system (WMS) automatically accesses the relevant storage locations. Orders are put together quickly and error-free using conveyor technology and picking workstations equipped with pick-by-light. Speed is crucial, especially for urgent service requests.

Transparency and high degree of automation

The connection of the WMS to our ERP software ensures consistent transparency from goods receipt to goods issue. The system can prioritise orders in real time and ensures that 600 to 700 consignments leave our plant every day.

The new system brings major benefits. The container warehouse went live smoothly – the pallet warehouse will go live next. Now we need to build up expertise, as the spare parts warehouse is characterised by a high degree of automation and is based on completely new technology.

Pick-by-Light...

...is a paperless picking method based on visual signals. Instead of using picking lists, lights and digital displays are installed at the storage location to show the picker which items are to be picked and in what quantity.