HÄFELE Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary: New Distribution Center Opens

HÄFELE is celebrating its 100th anniversary! Having grown as a family-owned business since 1923, HÄFELE has long since become a multinational player that sells its approximately 150,000 products in more than 150 countries: furniture and architectural hardware, lighting, and electronic locking systems. HÄFELE has approximately 8,000 employees, 38 subsidiaries, and generates annual revenue of about 1.8 billion euros. To mark the company’s anniversary, its logistics center at its headquarters in Nagold, Baden-Württemberg, has been given a fresh new look: With io serving as the general planner, it was expanded to include a new, highly automated high-bay warehouse.

The expansion is part of HÄFELE’s European strategy

Construction was completed in the middle of last year. The expansion of the distribution center is part of the company’s so-called European strategy. Its core focus is on optimized logistics that keep pace with the company’s growth and enable it to offer better service. As part of this initiative, an additional distribution center was already built in Hanover in 2019. As part of the exclusive “General Planning // plus” service package, io supported and co-organized the entire project from the very beginning. The expansion of the existing high-bay warehouse was the next milestone in the comprehensive modernization of the logistics center in Nagold.

“The project kicked off in 2018,” recalls Simon Löwisch, project manager and senior consultant at io. “With approximately 15,000 new storage locations, the distribution center now has more than 100,000 locations.” 
The challenge of the project was to develop an overall concept for the site that took existing structures into account. In addition to the new construction and expansions, existing processes were therefore adapted and the existing logistics technology was integrated into the overall concept. The new high-bay warehouse stands out for its state-of-the-art warehousing technology—and for its contemporary sustainability concept. “We developed it based on three pillars: economy, ecology, and social responsibility. Workplace design also plays a role,” Löwisch explains. “Everything in the new warehouse is designed according to ergonomic principles.” In addition to order picking based on the ‘goods-to-person’ principle, this also includes modern technologies such as put-to-light, ProGlove scanners, and a high-performance electric conveyor system. “All of these measures were implemented while operations continued,” Löwisch continues. HÄFELE was able to maintain its full delivery capacity at all times—and, accordingly, ship around 6,000 packages daily from Nagold.

Sophisticated Migration Plan for Extensive Measures

As part of the General Planning // plus project, the IT infrastructure was also adapted. For example, a new template was created to facilitate a uniform transition to SAP MFS. “We drafted the requirements specification for this and oversaw the measures from conception through the bidding process,” Löwisch explains. Extensive measures like these naturally require a sophisticated migration plan. “It addresses the question: How do I get from the current state to the target state? All departments were involved in its development. It was continually refined and monitored on an ongoing basis.” As is often the case when all measures must be coordinated—and additional hurdles must be overcome simultaneously. In addition to the new construction, it was ultimately necessary to upgrade the existing buildings both logistically and structurally, which resulted in numerous individual measures.

“In practice, this meant clearing out areas, relocating goods, and remodeling warehouses so that the new conveyor systems could be installed—all with minimal disruption to avoid halting ongoing operations,” said Löwisch. The new stacker cranes were also integrated into the normal daily workflow—using two mobile cranes, the larger of which has a span of over 40 meters. For each aisle, the chassis—weighing several metric tons—was first lowered through specially created roof openings. Then the pre-assembled masts—each measuring 22 meters—were lowered into place from above. Anchoring and bolting them in place was done in no time at all: each took only about 40 minutes.

Of course, the pandemic also made its presence felt during the project: The pandemic and the restrictions imposed coincided with the planning and construction phases. “As a result, a lot had to be coordinated via digital channels—and from one day to the next,” reports Löwisch. “In addition, during the pandemic, key raw materials and electronic components were no longer available, while prices skyrocketed at the same time.” Nevertheless, the project was completed within budget and on schedule—thanks in part to robust overall planning. The project kicked off in 2018.