19.1 kilometres of shelving for new goods distribution centre

• Jungheinrich delivers multi-slot racks, compartmentalised racking systems and vehicles

• Company serves as a one-stop shop for planning and implementation

Automotive manufacturer Opel just recently opened its European distribution centre for spare parts logistics in the Langendreer district of Bochum. More than 11 million Opel drivers throughout Europe are now being supplied with spare parts from the warehouse, which is about 12 football pitches in size. The heart of the warehouse is a Jungheinrich racking system with a total length of over 19.1 kilometres. Multi-slot racks and multi-level compartmentalised racks for storing palletized goods and a wide range of small parts have been installed.

“Our 60 years of experience have taught us that racks are the most basic system component in the warehouse. Without them, there is no warehouse. As a result, we at Jungheinrich invest a great deal of time and energy in providing our customers with the right shelving systems. In Bochum we were able to draw on our many years of experience in the automotive industry to design a tailored shelving system for Opel. To this end, we worked together in partnership right from the very start to plan the storage facility," explains Ralph Matenia, the responsible project manager at Jungheinrich.

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Jungheinrich has been building racks for 60 years. Today, the company is one of the world's leading suppliers of shelving systems for warehouses of all kinds. Its portfolio includes pallet storage racks, containers, trays and cartons all the way to long goods. As one of the world's largest materials handling equipment manufacturers, Jungheinrich is in possession of wide-ranging expertise on the requirements placed on stacker-operated racks. Jungheinrich leverages the experience it has gained from planning, overseeing and commissioning many thousands of warehouses worldwide to find the right storage solution for every customer. The specific customer benefit is always at the forefront. The 200,000 square meter warehouse in Bochum/Langendreer is designed for operation with reach trucks, guaranteeing a high degree of flexibility and high availability. Jungheinrich ETM 216 reach trucks have a lifting height of 8,720 mm. By hooking them up to Opel's warehouse management system (WMS), the vehicles are able to position their forks automatically and correctly at the right height to approach all pallet slots. A special feature is the use of type EZS 350 order picking tractors, enabling Opel to pick the orders of several customers on several levels in a single tour.