Hermes Fulfilment Expands Capacity with External Warehouse in Freystadt

Hermes Fulfilment is expanding its capacities at the Ansbach logistics center with a new external warehouse in Freystadt as of October 1, 2021. The logistics property, covering 20,200 square meters, is located in the southern part of the Nuremberg metropolitan region in the district of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate, and features 18,900 square meters of hall space as well as approximately 1,300 square meters of office and social areas. The rental of additional space became necessary due to the rapid volume growth at the main warehouse in Ansbach.

(Hamburg/Ansbach) “Since we started operations at the Ansbach logistics center in 2020, volumes have continuously increased, especially due to the boom in online retail,” says Volker Weidemann, Managing Director of Hermes Fulfilment Ansbach GmbH. The site specializes in the logistical handling of large-volume products weighing more than 31.5 kilograms. This primarily includes furniture, large electrical appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators, as well as upholstered furniture and other bulky goods.

The operators of the 76,000 square meter logistics center in Ansbach are Hermes Fulfilment and Hermes Einrichtungs Service (HES). Volker Weidemann: “While we have been able to increase the original capacity on our existing space by optimizing it to an additional 10,000 cubic meters, reaching a total of 50,000 cubic meters, we have now hit the limit due to the ongoing strong volume development from our customers. We needed additional space, which we found in Freystadt.”

Storage of Large-Volume Products

The new warehouse meets all the structural requirements for storing Hermes Fulfilment’s large-volume product range. Additionally, it has good and close connectivity to the logistics center in Ansbach, which is only 78 kilometers away from Freystadt. Volker Weidemann: “The location provides us with an additional storage capacity of approximately 25,000 cubic meters and has the advantage that we can ensure the same service to the end customers of Otto. Especially during peak times of online retail, such as Black Friday, the new location can effectively compensate for emerging volume fluctuations.” Around 3,000 customer orders are expected to be processed there daily in the future.

Processes in Freystadt Analogous to Ansbach

The logistical processes in Freystadt will be carried out similarly to those at the main warehouse in Ansbach. They include goods receipt, a special goods inspection based on quality criteria, storage, and the picking of customer orders, including the corresponding loading. The ready-to-ship goods will then be transported to the HES hub in Ansbach, integrated into the existing network, and delivered to end customers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. “We use special tools that allow us to transparently manage the inflow of goods to our two warehouses, considering various criteria such as items, reach, or sales forecasts,” explains Volker Weidemann. In the goods dispatch area, the daily work call is managed through the Ansbach main warehouse. Volker Weidemann: “The required workload results from incoming customer orders and is specifically distributed to the warehouses by the control center of the main warehouse. This way, we always meet the agreed service levels.”

Lease for Five Years

With the commissioning of the external warehouse in Freystadt, which has been leased for an initial period of five years, Hermes Fulfilment is creating around 30 new jobs. However, this may not be the end. Volker Weidemann: “Based on the growth in large-item logistics, further space will also be necessary in the future. Therefore, we are generally still looking for qualified logistics personnel – both from the commercial and administrative sectors.”

Photo: © Hermes Fulfilment