BERNER Group donates three raised beds and a herb snail to Waldenburg's Kleeblatt kindergarten
More usable space, faster goods turnover: Berner Group modernises logistics and puts new high-bay warehouse into operation
The Berner Group has implemented the next important building block in its European logistics offensive: A new fully automated high-bay warehouse has now gone into operation in Braunau am Inn. The B2B trading company invested a total of almost six million euros in this major project as well as in further conversion and expansion measures at its Austrian subsidiary. The expansion has increased the logistics capacity of the site by around 1,000 m² of floor space and 5,500 additional pallet storage spaces.
"We are proud that we managed a precision landing despite the generally difficult raw material and supply situation on the world market," says Robert Kühl, who as Chief Supply Chain Officer is responsible for the logistics division at the Berner Group. "The modernisation was implemented completely and without delays within the budget plan." The work was carried out in several stages over the past months during ongoing business. Spread over 1,000 m² of floor space, the newly constructed high-bay warehouse offers BERNER 5,500 additional pallet storage spaces. This has increased the logistics capacity of the B2B specialist in Austria by 50% in one fell swoop.
"Thanks to full automation including order picking and other targeted improvements such as a more direct connection to the other sections of the logistics centre, the throughput time of the products has been reduced by about 50 per cent, so that we can now store and retrieve almost twice as many pallets per hour," reports Robert Kühl. The distances travelled in internal transport have also been significantly reduced. Kühl: "We want to build up a super-fast delivery network in order to be able to supply customers ideally on the same day they order, i.e. intraday. That's why we're turning every screw to speed up the processes." Especially since the location in Braunau is also used as a central warehouse for the Eastern European market.
The package of measures in Braunau also includes the expansion of the aftersales department for faster returns/complaints processing, the renewal of the fire alarm systems and the expansion of the WLAN network for the complete digitalisation of logistics (including the use of handheld terminals for goods receipt, stock transfer and inventory). New car parking spaces were also created for employees and a charging infrastructure for electric cars was installed at the company headquarters. For a long time now, the company has been focusing on acting in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner and continuously improving its own carbon footprint. To this end, BERNER recently received eco-certification in accordance with the international environmental management standard ISO 14001:2015.
Mayor pleased about investment
"BERNER is an important company for the city," emphasises Braunau's mayor Johannes Waidbacher. "We are therefore particularly pleased that BERNER is investing in the location for the long term with the expanded logistics centre." The building complex, now 20,000 m² in size, was last expanded on a larger scale in 2012. A100 logistics team currently guarantees that around 5,500 parcel shipments with a total weight of 60 tonnes leave the company premises every day to provide professional craftsmen with everything they need for their business success - from classic accessories and consumables to smart chemical "All In One" products to powerful power tools or the right protective clothing.
European logistics offensive continues
"The conversion and expansion measures now undertaken will once again significantly strengthen our position as the leading B2B specialist in the region Central North, which, in addition to Austria, includes the markets of Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway," says Robert Kühl. "We will continue to invest in 2022 and will consistently push ahead with our group-wide logistics offensive," announces the manager. In the course of its major European projects, the Berner Group has already invested 60 million euros in the past two years. In addition to Braunau, the warehouse logistics were also extensively modernised in Kerkrade (headquarters BENELUX countries, European central and import warehouse), at the headquarters in Künzelsau (BERNER Germany), at Caramba Chemie in Duisburg as well as at the traditional company BTI Befestigungstechnik in Ingelfingen.
The Berner Group
The Berner Group is a family-run European commercial enterprise. Our vision is: “We keep the world together and moving.” This means we are the central B2B trading partner for all materials in the maintenance, repair, and production segments for our customers in the building, mobility, and industry sectors. With more than four channels we create an integrated omni-channel purchasing experience for our customers. In the steel and C materials as well as chemicals segments we are also an innovative manufacturer. We are represented in over 23 countries for our customers with more than 200,000 items and 8,200 employees.