Krone opened a new warehouse in Spelle yesterday based on the Efficiency Transport (ET) warehouse strategy. Logistics and supply chain management are closely interlinked to make the entire flow of materials and information as efficient as possible. With KRONE Parts, Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG is setting new European standards, shaping their processes highly efficiently and implementing a visionary and ecologically exemplary logistics concept.
KRONE stands for excellent service and fast supply of spare parts. In particular because capital-intensive, high-performance machines must be ready for use again quickly in case of an emergency, especially if harvest windows are short.
KRONE Parts therefore relies on the most innovative warehouse technology on an impressive area of 72,000 m² as well as an enormous and wide-ranging assortment of over 65,000 different articles. This further boosts speed and efficiency. A true milestone for KRONE customer when it comes to reliable service and availability of parts in short order.
In addition to customer satisfaction, the new warehouse is also the solution to other urgent future requirements of the agricultural sector. Krone is meeting challenges such as the skilled labour shortage and the need to cut costs while simultaneously boosting efficiency with ultra-modern automation, warehouse and logistics solutions.
45 million euro as an investment in future-proof technologies
“With KRONE Parts we are investing 45 million euro in future-proof warehouse and logistics technologies while underscoring our clear commitment to the Spelle location. This means Krone is ideally equipped to face the skilled labour shortage and stand behind our highest standards of service and efficiency,” explains Bernard Krone.
“KRONE Parts enables even faster resupply of parts and optimises our inventories, leading to a significant improvement in the supply chain”, adds Heiner Brüning, Managing Director of Service & Parts. “With KRONE Parts we are further reinforcing our leadership position as a provider with absolute service excellence.”
KRONE Parts relies on an innovative and versatile logistics concept that combines different storage systems:
High-bay storage with under pallet carrier system
The impressive high-bay storage system has space for 21,600 euro pallets and covers an area of 3588 m2.
25 metres in height – comparable with an eight-storey building – and 155 metres in length, it is the core component of the warehouse. Three rack aisles with ultramodern rack storage and retrieval devices that can reach speeds of up to 3 m/second ensure an efficient flow of goods. It is noteworthy that 21 % of all dispatched articles come from this area.
An innovative under pallet carrier system with ten autonomous transport units connects high-bay storage with the order picking areas, thereby optimising the internal flow of goods.
AutoStore system – storage for small parts
The AutoStore system is a perfect example of modern storage technology. With a capacity of 51,000 containers (41,000 in the first expansion stage) and an area of 1320 m2 – about as large as five tennis courts – it forms the backbone of small parts storage. Fifteen robots, four ports for incoming goods and five for outgoing goods ensure fast and flexible processing. An astonishing 72 % of dispatched articles come from this system.
Cold hall as warehouse for large parts
A 8652 m² cold hall is available for storage of bulky large parts, supplemented by incoming and outgoing goods measuring 7865 m² and an outside space of about 6000 m².
Textbook example of efficient and sustainable logistics
The overall warehouse capacity of KRONE Parts is equivalent to 2100 lorry loads. Lined up in a row, these would stretch for 55 kilometres, the distance from the warehouse in Spelle to Osnabrück. The warehouse also meets the requirements of the development bank KfW 40 energy efficiency standard and uses photovoltaic modules on a surface of 8000 m2. This combination of capacity, efficiency and sustainability makes the KRONE Parts warehouse a prime example of modern logistics.
