Hermes Fulfilment upgrades high-bay warehouse
The first of a total of 61 new stacker cranes was installed in the high-bay warehouse at Hermes Fulfilment in Haldesleben, Germany, with the help of a 60-metre heavy-duty crane.
THE 27-metre-tall steel giant, weighing around twelve tonnes, was lifted into the building in two parts through a roof opening measuring roughly ten sq m. Hermes Fulfilment is investing a mid-double-digit million sum in this new technology. The phased replacement of the stacker cranes is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028.
The Haldensleben distribution centre specialises in handling small-volume items. The high-bay warehouse has capacity for 1.2 million cartons of new stock.
Much of the heavy-duty equipment, is now 31 years old and has completed millions of journeys. The result: material fatigue. “The risk of failure is increasing. Electronic spare parts won’t be available for much longer. To ensure we can continue using the high-bay warehouse in the future, we’ve decided to completely replace the stacker cranes in nine construction phases. TÜV also recommended reinvestment following on-site inspections,” explains Barbara Schröder. She works in logistics planning at Hermes Fulfilment and is heading up the Goliath 61 project, named after the scale and number of the new stacker cranes.
To date, 39 stacker cranes have been in use, switching aisles with the help of eight transfer shuttles. In future, each of the 61 aisles will be served by its own dedicated crane – eliminating the need for transfers. The new stacker cranes from Swiss manufacturer Stöcklin will be significantly more agile and powerful. Weighing four tonnes less than their predecessors, they can travel through the racking aisles at speeds of up to four metres per second.
