The project involves replacing 61 stacker cranes and the material flow software system with new, state-of-the-art solutions.

Hermes Fulfilment GmbH, part of the Otto Group, manages the entire shipping process for the group’s retail companies and their platform partners. The company handles warehousing, packaging, and returns processing for a product range of approximately one million items. Each year, Hermes Fulfilment processes around 500 million articles.

At the Haldensleben location, Hermes Fulfilment operates a dispatch center for small-volume items, including receiving, replenishment warehousing, picking, packaging, and dispatching. The facility can handle up to 170 million items annually. Two high-bay warehouses, with a combined storage capacity of over 1.2 million cartons, serve as reserve and replenishment storage for order picking.

These plants have been in operation since the end of 1994 and have since been expanded in several construction phases. Currently, 39 stacker cranes operate in 61 aisles, moving between them via eight shuttle cars. However, due to the aging equipment, signs of material fatigue, and control and electrical issues, Stöcklin Logistik AG is implementing a future-oriented modernization to ensure long-term availability, efficiency, and sustainability in operations.

The modernization includes replacing the existing system in several stages with a 61-aisle MASTer stacker crane solution, which eliminates the need for shuttle cars. The specially adapted MASTer stacker cranes, equipped with triple load handling devices (LAMs), allow three cartons to be stored or retrieved in double cycles. During the conversion phase, the shuttle cars will still be used for transporting materials and removing old equipment through four roof hatches, while also bringing in the new systems. Stöcklin will also customize the cross-layers as part of the transition.

The focus on sustainability is ensured by the new software control system and scalable technology. Energy consumption will be significantly reduced thanks to energy-saving motors, efficient energy optimization in the control of main axis motors, and the energy recovery capabilities of the new stacker cranes. This will guarantee high availability and operational efficiency.

Barbara Schröder, Senior Project Manager from Logistics Planning and Consulting at Hermes Fulfilment: „Stöcklin responded to our requirements in great detail and convincingly during the offer phase and presented a very good solution design. We are looking forward to the joint implementation.”