Arvato Supply Chain Solutions Expands Location in Hanover

Arvato Supply Chain Solutions is growing and expanding its capacities in Hanover to handle the online business for a sports equipment manufacturer and a client from the beauty and cosmetics industry. To this end, the international supply chain management and e-commerce service provider will take over the entire area of a new logistics center, which will be built at the Hanover Fair location and will cover around 47,000 square meters.

(Gütersloh/Hanover) The new logistics center will take over the complete e-commerce logistics for the B2C business of both clients. This includes storage, order picking, packaging, distribution, and returns management. “The current expansion shows that the expertise we have in fulfillment and logistical support for e-commerce businesses is recognized in the market,” says Dr. Stefan Weidt, Executive Vice President of Arvato Supply Chain Solutions. Arvato has been operating a logistics and distribution center of around 60,000 square meters at the Hanover Fair location since 2015, primarily handling online orders for companies in the fashion and lifestyle industry. Stefan Weidt: “The extensive know-how on-site enables synergies for the new business. Our processes and services are always strongly focused on the end customers of our clients – an approach that is becoming increasingly important in online retail.” For companies in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries, Arvato, for example, implements complete solutions that cover all aspects for successful business in e-commerce – with services ranging from classic warehousing to integrated multichannel fulfillment and payment solutions.

300 New Jobs

Qualified personnel is needed for this. Stefan Weidt: “The operational start for our new clients is planned for the first and second quarters of next year. We are currently looking for around 300 employees.” The advertised positions cover all areas and positions necessary for the operation of the logistics center – for example, warehouse specialists, order pickers, or forklift drivers in the commercial sector, as well as employees from commercial professions and technicians. With the new hires, the number of employees at the Hanover Fair location will increase to around 950 employees – excluding temporary workers, who are primarily needed during peak times such as Black Friday or the Christmas season to handle the high volumes.

Continuation of the Automation Strategy

In addition, Arvato is continuing its automation strategy for the company’s global network of locations in Hanover. “When handling e-commerce businesses, service providers today face complex fulfillment processes, increasingly smaller shipment sizes, high peak volumes, and rising delivery speeds,” explains Stefan Weidt. “These are challenges that often cannot be managed without modern automation technology. With the AutoStore system, we can achieve very high throughput performance, and it relieves our employees because it transports the ordered items directly to the picking stations according to the principle of goods-to-person.”

The rapid distribution to end customers is also supported by the very good location in close proximity to the Hanover Fairgrounds. The location is connected to the A 2, A 7, A 37, and A 352 highways around Hanover via the fair expressway. Nine federal highways are also quickly accessible from there.

Emphasis on Sustainability

Moreover, great emphasis has been placed on sustainability in the new logistics center. The building features a highly insulated facade and will be equipped with energy-saving LED lighting. A photovoltaic system with a capacity of around 4.4 million kilowatt-hours is to be installed on the roof. The property aims to achieve a Gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). Stefan Weidt: “The goal of the entire Bertelsmann Group, which includes Arvato Supply Chain Solutions, is to be completely climate-neutral by 2030. With the sustainably designed new hall, we are making an important contribution to this.”

Photo: © Arvato Supply Chain Solutions