As a rapidly growing, independent Swiss company with worldwide operations in the business areas of polymer materials and fine chemicals, EMS-CHEMIE AG needed another high-bay warehouse (HRL 4) for pallet conveyor and warehouse logistics at its Domat/Ems site – and quickly.
At the end of 2020, Stöcklin Logistik AG was commissioned as general contractor for the highest high-bay warehouse (45 meters) in Switzerland.
“We always consider the overall system and were able to benefit from experience gained previously in the realization of other high-bay warehouses at this location and our knowledge of the maintenance and service readiness for high-bay warehouses, which we took over in 2012. With our production at the site in Laufen and the short distances in our new Technology Center at the same location, we were able to realize this marathon project at sprint speed,”
explained Raphael Weber, responsible project manager at Stöcklin Logistik AG.
The core elements of Stöcklin’s system solution for pallet storage are the two modularly designed MASTer-2042 + stacker cranes for fully automated handling of industrial pallets up to a height of 45 meters, a pallet transport system, and pallet racks. Additional anti-oscillation software compensates for dangerous oscillations at such a great height and ensures stability. Thanks to intelligent project planning, the number of lifting stations and labeling machines was reduced, which resulted not only in a significant cost reduction, but also in larger open spaces and more room for handling by forklifts and logistics personnel.
Throughout the entire course of the project, Stöcklin Logistik AG together with EMS-CHEMIE AG synergistically coordinated the well-thought-out planning, production, project coordination and implementation and bundled competencies and strengths. This made it possible to achieve a perfect interaction of technology, mechanics, and electrical components as well as hardware and software.
In the record time of only 11 months, Stöcklin Logistik AG fully implemented the prestigious project for EMS-CHEMIE AG in Domat/Ems. Shortly before Christmas 2021, the turnkey plant was handed over on time, and those responsible at EMS-CHEMIE AG were delighted with the speed, professionalism, and flexibility of implementation in spite of the pandemic conditions. This tough project sprint, under pandemic conditions, succeeded mainly because of the regional focus.
“We benefited greatly from the fact that we could manufacture almost everything directly at our headquarters in Laufen (complete with sheet metal processing) and were independent of external suppliers. This meant that corona-related supply bottlenecks, for example in steel construction, could be coordinated and resolved quickly and dedicatedly from a single source. The short distances within Switzerland also gave us important time advantages, and what’s more, we were able to respond flexibly to additional requests within feasible limits,”
concluded Stöcklin project manager Raphael Weber.
“With the new high-bay warehouse, we are realizing the rapid expansion of our shipping and storage capacity so that we can continue to supply the global markets quickly and flexibly. The project represents the beginning of a considerable expansion investment at the Domat/Ems site over the next five years, because we feel it is important that major commissions go to businesses also based in the region,”
explained Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, CEO of EMS-CHEMIE AG, at the groundbreaking ceremony in March 2021.
