Intralogistics Specialist Kardex Mlog Celebrates 100th Anniversary

On September 23, 2022, Kardex Mlog is not presenting a new development in the field of intralogistics nor handing over a record-breaking high-bay warehouse to a customer – instead, the innovative company based in Neuenstadt am Kocher is celebrating its 100th birthday. Around 400 guests can expect a diverse supporting program at the Küffnerhof conference and seminar center in Langenbrettach-Neudeck.

(Neuenstadt am Kocher) “At Kardex Mlog, we usually deal with current customer challenges and future-oriented solutions. For our 100th company anniversary, we allow ourselves a look back at the past. We see there the history of intralogistics, which we have shaped from the very beginning and have influenced with many ideas, developments, and patents to this day,” explains Hans-Jürgen Heitzer, Head of Division Kardex Mlog.

The history begins in 1922 with the founding of the steel construction company Erwin Mehne. Initially focused on the construction of steel structures, bridges, containers, buildings, and halls, departments for crane construction, mechanical engineering, and conveyor technology were established in the 1960s. In 1966, the first order for 5 picking devices for the central spare parts warehouse of the then Fiat Automobil AG in Heilbronn followed. By 1968, the first automatic high-bay warehouse (HRL) was built in silo construction with a height of 25.8 m – a technological milestone with a self-developed rail and ground-guided storage and retrieval device (RBG). The solution operated significantly more precisely than the previously common top-guided RBGs.

First Automatic High-Bay Warehouse in 1974

In the 1970s, Erwin Mehne made a name for itself as a general contractor, and several more high-bay warehouses were built. In 1970, the first RBG was designed and built for use in a deep-freeze warehouse. In 1972, the first facility with a self-developed wired automatic control system went into operation at the pasta producer Birkel. A highlight of this era was the automatic HRL realized in 1974 with conveyor technology and picking area developed and manufactured in-house for the Vereinigten Papierfabriken in Feuchtwangen. In the same year, Erwin Mehne built an HRL in Berlin with conveyor technology connected to the four-story production facility of Gillette Germany.

The 1980s were characterized by the introduction of programmable logic controllers (PLC), which were first used by Erwin Mehne in a fully automatic HRL for Daimler in 1981. A year earlier, the company had already demonstrated its competence in the field of automatic small parts storage. For Porsche, the company built a fully computer-controlled system with the legendary small parts RBG “Mekomat.”

From MAN Logistics to Mlog

In 1989, the merger with the MAN Storage and System Technology founded in 1974 and the company Wolffkran took place. As a subsidiary of MAN GHH based in Oberhausen, the company name was changed to MAN GHH Logistics GmbH. By then, 60 high-bay warehouses and 630 storage and retrieval devices had already been built. In 1997, MAN GGH Logistics became MAN Logistics GmbH, which developed into one of the leading providers of conveyor and material flow technology components, systems, and complete solutions.

The name MLOG Logistics was created in 2005 as part of a management buyout. The branch opened in 2007 in Bad Salzuflen (later moved to Herford) and the service center Rhein-Ruhr established in the same year formed the basis for further expansion and customer proximity. In 2009, the headquarters of MLOG was established in Neuenstadt am Kocher.

Under the Name Kardex Mlog Since 2010

With the acquisition of MLOG Logistics by the Kardex Group in 2010, completely new perspectives opened up for the intralogistics pioneer. Under the umbrella of the globally operating parent company, new markets could be tapped and further investments made in the core area. Internationalization also progressed rapidly, leading to the establishment of a Polish location in Sopot in 2021. Additionally, Kardex Mlog strengthened its position as a provider of complete systems of hardware and software. The self-developed warehouse management system Kardex Control Center was expanded with new modules and now covers all functional areas from material flow computing to system visualization.

On the hardware side, Kardex Mlog remained true to its reputation as an innovation leader: in 2010, the company presented the small parts RBG Kardex MDynamic. In 2014, the wireless pallet shuttle Kardex MMove and the load handling device Kardex MSpacer were launched. With the now patented fork for storage and retrieval devices, the second row is also fully utilized in double-deep storage. This results in a space gain of over 1,800 mm per aisle in a 20-meter-high warehouse. In 2017, Kardex Mlog built the highest HRL in the company’s history, with a height of 45.3 m, for the Polish household appliance manufacturer Amica in Wronki.

Looking Back on Over 1,000 Projects

In conclusion: Through an unbroken courage for ever new solutions, Kardex Mlog now offers a wide range of systems for intralogistics. In addition to individually planned high-bay warehouses with RBGs up to a construction height of 45 meters, the portfolio also includes shelf vehicles, conveyor technology modules, and turnkey, modular, and scalable system solutions from in-house production. Modernizing existing systems – even those from other providers – has established itself as an important and rapidly growing business area. A flexible all-around service from spare parts management to 24-hour on-site service and complete technical support rounds off the range of services. And today – after a 100-year development history – Kardex Mlog looks back on over 1,000 realized projects as a provider of integrated material flow systems and high-bay warehouses.

Photos: © Kardex Mlog / Caption for the title photo: The construction of the first automatic high-bay warehouse in 1968 with ground-guided storage and retrieval devices is one of the milestones in the 100-year history of Kardex Mlog.