Optimization of transport routes
Kärcher sees reducing and compensating for climate-damaging emissions as an important milestone on its journey to becoming a climate-neutral company. Kärcher’s production has already been CO2-neutral since 2021. Next in line is their supply chain.
Kärcher decided to consolidate external warehouse stocks into the existing central warehouse in its quest for optimization of transportation routes and the associated reduction of CO2 emissions. This meant expanding the existing high-bay warehouse to provide sufficient extra storage capacity in the central warehouse.
Expanding storage capacity benefits the environment
More than three million delivery note items (spare parts and accessories) are shipped from the central warehouse to destinations all over the world every year, and other global logistics services are also managed there. The high-bay warehouse expansion will triple the existing storage capacity in the spare part and accessories high-bay warehouse to ensure safe and fast movement of goods and replenishment for order picking.
Key Facts
Client
Kärcher is the world’s leading supplier of cleaning technology. The family-owned company employs 15,330 people in 80 countries and over 150 subsidiaries. More than 50,000 service centers in all countries ensure seamless customer service worldwide.
The challenge
- Long supply routes from the external warehouse
- Lack of parts availability
- Coordinating individual trades of steel construction, materials handling technology and stacker cranes
- Reducing CO2 emissions in the supply chain
Solutions
- Double-deep high-bay warehouse for compact storage
- Expansion of central warehouse storage capacities
- io as central project management partner
- Saving on transport routes between external and central warehouse
Order volumes are going to grow and we need to be prepared for that. The high-bay warehouse expansion will eliminate the need for additional transportation between warehouses in the future. This saves around 11,000 kilometers a year – a significant benefit for the environment. With io’s experienced consultants at our side, we could carry out the expansion within the planned budget and time frame.
Implementation within 11 months
io’s support enabled Kärcher to complete the expansion of the Global Parts Center in Obersontheim in only 19 months, starting in April 2021 and successfully commissioning the facility in December 2022. io was responsible for detailed planning, tendering and implementation.
The basic project concept was to integrate the new high-bay warehouse into the existing logistics setup. An electric overhead conveyor with eight vehicles connects the picking workstations and supplies the high-bay warehouse.
Parts availability was a particular challenge during the project. Multinational crises meant that parts were not always readily available, so new ways had to be found to solve this problem. Close communication with the suppliers and Kärcher's involvement in the procurement process provided the required alternative solutions.
Fully operational new service center
At the end of 2023, Kärcher opened its new central service center in Ahorn, in the northeastern part of Baden-Württemberg, where appliances from ten European countries are being repaired. The center comprises an area of over 10,000 square meters, and thanks to its modern IT infrastructure, high degree of automation and flexible workstation modules repair processes have become more efficient. They can now be adapted to seasonal demands and administrative tasks have been reduced significantly. In addition, the building also meets the KfW 40 energy efficiency standard.
Key Facts
The challenge
- Implementing the service center as a greenfield project
- Reducing internal forklift traffic
- Relocating complete plant without disruption to the operational repair business
The solution
- Detailed relocation planning and control for equipment and inventories
- High degree of automation for forklift-free repair areas
- Implementation and commissioning support provided by io as central partner
- Highly automated new service center to ensure on-time order processing
io appointed planning partner
io was involved in the project as a logistics planner, giving support during implementation, relocation and commissioning. io also played a key role in the final acceptance of the center in February 2024. The combination of ergonomic workstations and automated processes aims both to increase service quality and improve the working environment for employees. The strategic location of the site and the flexibility for expansion makes it scalable for future growth.
High-bay warehouse for production supply
At the beginning of 2025, Kärcher brought a new fully automated high-bay warehouse into operation at the Bühlertal site. The state-of-the-art structure is a key component of the company’s logistics process optimization at its worldwide largest production facility. io was at Kärcher's side as a partner throughout the entire project – from the initial concept idea in September 2021 through detailed planning and tendering to implementation and acceptance.
This high-bay warehouse is an exemplar for io’s excellent planning and implementation expertise. We optimize logistics processes with state-of-the-art technology and sustainable designs, helping companies to strengthen their competitive edge.
Key Facts
The challenge
- Long supply routes from the external warehouse to the production site
- Coordinating individual trades: steel construction, conveyor technology, electric floor conveyor and storage and retrieval machines
- Reducing CO2 emissions in the supply chain
The solution
- Compact storage thanks to a double-deep high-bay warehouse
- Expanding storage capacity at the production site
- io as central project management partner
- Reducing transportation routes between external warehouse and production site
Technical data
The new high-bay warehouse is over 120 meters long, 38 meters wide and 28 meters tall and comprises 15 storage levels. Highly automated storage and retrieval is carried out by five stacker cranes. A 190-meter pallet conveyor system and a 130-meter electric floor conveyor ensure efficient material flow, with a peak performance of up to 180 load carriers per hour. Eight electric floor conveyors in all ensure smooth operation.
Focus on sustainable and long-term cooperation
One of the project’s key aims was to reduce transportation routes between external warehouses and the plant. Kärcher saves around 150 tons of CO2 per year by integrating the storage capacities at the Bühlertal site. The total investment was 16 million euros. io and Kärcher are thus continuing their long-standing and highly successful cooperation – following in the footsteps of joint projects such as the high-bay warehouse at the Global Parts Center in Obersontheim and the new Service Center in Ahorn.
A sincere thank you to everyone involved, especially to our project team and io for the cooperative partnership we have enjoyed over the last few years.
