Initial situation
Scalable growth - without risk to the supply chain
Hela is not a start-up. For over 100 years, the family business has stood for quality, variety and taste. However, this has become a challenge.
At the Ahrensburg site, tens of thousands of article variants have to be moved every day - for retailers as well as for end customers in over 65 countries. At the same time, the B2C business is growing, the order structure is becoming more fragmented and delivery times are getting shorter.
The existing logistics system was simply no longer up to the task.
Limited storage capacity, an ageing high-bay warehouse and increasing manual effort put Hela under pressure. Standing still was not an option - operations had to continue in full during the conversion and new build.
In short:
More volume, more variants, more speed - but without risking the ability to deliver.
Solution
Logistics that adapts to the business - not the other way around
Hela deliberately decided against a piecemeal approach and in favor of a fundamental relaunch of logistics. Together with Unitechnik, they did not simply plan technology, but first developed a strategy.
The approach was pragmatic and bold:
- New construction and retrofit in parallel, instead of "either or"
- Commissioning the new logistics system independently of ongoing operations
- Gradual replacement of the old processes, without interrupting deliveries
Unitechnik took on end-to-end system responsibility:
from the logistics layout to automation and IT integration.
In concrete terms:
- a new high-bay warehouse with around 8,400 pallet spaces
- a container shuttle system for almost 39,000 containers
- a centralized picking hall with goods-to-man principle
- Automated packaging, labeling and shipping processes
- complete control via the UniWare warehouse management system, seamlessly connected to SAP
Important in the project:
The solution was designed so that it can grow with Hela - not only for today's requirements, but also for future market and sales models.
Benefit
More delivery reliability, more flexibility, less dependency
The result is not a technical system - but a tangible business advantage for Hela.
Today, the company can
- use significantly more storage capacity in the same space
- serve retailers and end customers in parallel from one logistics system
- process orders faster, more reliably and with more variants
- reduce physically demanding tasks and actively counter the shortage of skilled workers
- Transparently control material movements in real time
Crucially,
Hela remained fully capable of delivering during all construction phases. No damage to its image, no delivery interruptions, no compromises with customers.
Or, as Hela itself puts it:
"We are ideally equipped for future challenges."
(Markus Laue, Head of Logistics and Project Management)
The new logistics system is therefore no longer a cost factor, but a competitive lever - especially in the growing online business.
Technology and key figures
- UniWare warehouse management system (WMS) with integrated modules for material flow control system (MFS) and system visualization (VISU)
- Host interface with customer ERP
- Automated pallet warehouse:
3-aisle; 2-deep; 8,400 storage locations;
approx. 26 m high and 81 m long; silo system - Automated small parts warehouse:
2-aisle; 3-deep; 38,760 storage locations;
44 shuttle vehicles - North-south conveyor system connects the new logistics building with production and runs through the high-bay warehouse
- Retrofit of the existing high-bay warehouse (4 aisles, 5,000 storage locations) and connection to the new conveyor system