Kärcher Expands and Automates Its Distribution Center with TGW

Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co is the world's market leader for cleaning equipment that sets the benchmark for professional cleaning as well as with consumers. At its Obersontheim distribution center (in Southern Germany), the company delivers spare parts and accessory parts to customers throughout the world. Currently, up to 14,000 order lines per day are processed during peak season and up to 4,500 cartons are conveyed daily. Due to the rapid growth of the business, the site will be extended by over 200,000 sq. ft., drastically increasing the storage capacity.

TGW, a leading material handling equipment and integrated logistics solutions provider, was selected to provide the automation solution, extensive material flow controls, and the system visualization.

Kärcher will install a new pallet storage system and an 8-aisle automated mini-load warehouse with 95,000 storage locations that will supply a new high-performance picking area. The highly dynamic shuttle system for 5,200 order locations will consolidate and sequence the picked order totes and deliver them to the packing area. In order to handle the required performance of up to 2,000 storage and retrieval movements per hour, TGW will be installing its Stingray shuttle system. An extensive tote conveyor system with intelligent empty tote management will connect the storage and picking areas with the packing area.

The expansion and new automation solution at the Kärcher distribution center is slated to go live at the end of 2012.