Rhenus is a global logistics service provider, and a family owned company. We operate in more than 70 countries, in 1330 sites. We have 41,000 employees and achieved last year 8.2 billion in turnover. Today we are on the Rhenus site, in Hörselgau, Germany. Here we implemented an AutoStore system with 240,000 bin locations at the site of about 8000m². Before implementing AutoStore, we had a conventional operation on multiple levels. Meaning that the operators had to walk or drive long distances, to fulfill their put away or picking tasks. They walked up to 16 kilometers a day, and in the end, that conventional set up reached its limits, as Thalia is a strong, growing customer. Thalia is a leading book retailer, within the market of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We operate in more than 500 stores, in these three markets, and in e-commerce business. Rhenus, a significant player in the logistics market within Europe, is a long lasting partner of Thalia. With the automation in Hörselgau, we created a scalable solution for our long time partner, Thalia. We designed a wonderful warehouse that is scalable and evolves with the ambitious growth targets of our customer. It is a very easy and robust solution which we can easily scale. We doubled productivity, reduced our employee training times by 75%. We increased our throughput, optimized our service level, towards Thalia, and reduced our cycle times. For Rhenus, we are always looking to create a meaningful value. So this means, especially in the warehousing sector, with innovation, we try to improve processes reduce lead times and speed up the efficiency in our warehouses. This is one of the AutoStore systems with the highest throughput, worldwide. I'm so excited to be here at the Rhenus site. This is one of the most impressive systems AutoStore has installed. Implemented worldwide, together with our partner Kardex, and Rhenus. And of course with the support of Thalia. Higher productivity combined with shorter training times enables us to ramp up and scale up faster for peak season. And our staff is very happy with the ergonomic workstations. AutoStore is a central component in our future warehouse approach. Our partnership with Thalia is a prime example of what co-innovation could look like. We try to improve the scalability, the resilience and the speed of the supply chain of our customer. The AutoStore system is a central component in our future warehouse approach. There we combine standardized technology in a customer tailored solution. Where we are able to fulfill customer needs, not only for books, but for many other goods.
Rhenus is a leading global logistics provider operating across 1,330 sites in more than 70 countries, with extensive experience in warehousing and managing complex supply chains. For over 20 years, Rhenus has been working closely with Thalia, the leading omni-channel bookseller in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Thalia faced increasing demands for improved speed and efficiency from its extensive retail network and growing e-commerce channel. In collaboration with Rhenus, Thalia was looking for a solution that could scale with its business.
The AutoStore system significantly improved Thalia's productivity and fulfillment capacity.
Rhenus implemented an AutoStore automated storage and fulfillment system, empowered by AutoStore partner Kardex, for Thalia’s requirements at its Hörselgau site in Germany. The automated high-density system significantly improved their productivity and fulfillment capacity.
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The Challenge: Keeping Up With Growing Demand
Rhenus’ existing manual processes struggled to keep up with the demands that came from serving Thalia’s hundreds of physical stores and meeting rising e-commerce demand. The company needed to improve order accuracy, reduce processing times, and utilize warehouse space more efficiently. Rhenus also wanted enough flexibility to accommodate future growth. Training new employees for peak seasons also presented significant time and resource challenges.
Rhenus needed to improve order accuracy, reduce processing times, and utilize warehouse space more efficiently.
The Solution: AutoStore’s Automated Warehousing
AutoStore's system provided Rhenus with high-density storage and autonomous Robots for efficient order retrieval. Within a footprint of only 8,000 m² (86,112ft2), the system houses 530 R5 Robots, 94 CarouselPorts (Workstations), 240,000 storage Bins, and a 2.5 km conveyor system. All components are seamlessly integrated with Rhenus's warehouse management system.
The system operates through a grid-based approach. Goods are stored in stacked Bins within an aluminum framework called the Grid. Robots move across the top of the Grid, retrieving Bins as needed by lifting them to the surface. These Robots then deliver the Bins to designated workstations, where items are picked or replenished.
The goods are delivered by robots to designated workstations, where items are picked or replenished.
Key Benefits: Productivity, Speed, and Scalability
The automated system delivered substantial improvements in warehouse operations, enabling them to handle significantly more orders without expanding their workforce or warehouse footprint. Order accuracy and reliability have improved.
- 100% productivity increase enabling higher order volumes
- 75% faster training for new staff
- Space optimization with 240,000 Bins in 8,000m2 (86,112ft2)
- Reduced errors through automated processes
- Scalable design for future expansion
Simon Ölscher, Senior Sales Manager at Kardex, celebrates the success: “This is really one of the AutoStore systems with the highest throughput worldwide.”
Set For Growth
Rhenus’ investment in AutoStore has created a solid foundation for continued growth with Rhenus’ Managing Director of Warehousing Solutions Germany, René Rudolph, stating, “The AutoStore system is a central component of our future warehousing approach.” The system's adaptable design can accommodate new store openings, seasonal demand fluctuations, and evolving e-commerce requirements.
Project Specifications
- Implementation type: Brownfield
- Robots: 530 R5 Robots, 1 Bin ResQ Robot
- Workstations (Ports): 94 CarouselPorts
- Bins: 240,000 Bins
- Integrated technology: KCC Software; IPA Picking Assistant; 2.5km Conveyor System
Integration partner: Kardex