Krone has opened a modern new parts warehouse in Spelle, Germany, 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. The new warehouse stores more than 65,000 articles.
Krone pays high attention 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 when it comes to reliable service and availability of parts in short order.
With the new warehouse, Krone is meeting challenges such as the skilled labor shortage and the need to cut costs while simultaneously boosting efficiency with ultra-modern automation, warehouse and logistics solutions.
45 million euro investment
“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 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 optimizes 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 position as provider with absolute service excellence.”
Krone Parts relies on a versatile logistics concept that combines different storage systems:
High-bay storage with under pallet carrier system
The high-bay storage system has space for 21,600 euro pallets and covers an area of 3588 m2.
25 meters in height – comparable with an eight-storey building – and 155 meters 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.
An innovative under pallet carrier system with ten autonomous transport units connects high-bay storage with the order picking areas, thereby optimizing the internal flow of goods.
AutoStore system, storage for small parts
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, the AutoStore 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.
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 kilometers, the distance from the warehouse in Spelle to Osnabrück in Germany. 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.
