CLAAS and Hellmann Expand Strategic Collaboration

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has opened a new warehouse location in Oelde, North Rhine-Westphalia, covering a total area of 18,000 square meters, to ensure the production supply for the world’s largest CLAAS factory located in nearby Harsewinkel. Initially, the logistics provider will operate 9,000 square meters of warehouse space, with an additional 9,000 square meters to be occupied later this year after the completion of the second construction phase. This significant capacity expansion is a response by Hellmann to the ongoing growth of the internationally leading agricultural machinery manufacturer CLAAS. The opening ceremony of the new warehouse, which is one of the largest Hellmann locations in Germany, was attended by the management of CLAAS and Hellmann, as well as the mayor of the city of Oelde.

(Osnabrück/Harsewinkel) Hellmann is leasing the newly constructed procurement warehouse for components from India, Turkey, and China exclusively for its long-standing customer CLAAS, ensuring the production supply to the nearby main plant in Harsewinkel. In Oelde, components ranging from screws to 120 kg heavy drum gearboxes for combine harvesters and choppers are stored, packaged, picked, sequenced for specific assemblies, and transported multiple times daily by shuttle to the production facility. The new location is characterized by state-of-the-art warehouse technology and its sustainable construction. For example, the logistics provider operates a 9,000 square meter photovoltaic system on the roof of the hall to cover part of its energy needs.

“Hellmann has been an important and strategic partner for years in our European land transport and our global air and sea freight. In the fall of 2018, we were able to expand our collaboration to the area of contract logistics with the commissioning of the location in Oelde. In addition to the initial pure warehousing activities, the scope of work has been expanded to include picking and sequencing tasks. Thus, Hellmann forms an important part of our supply chain and our immediate production supply, and we are pleased to shape growth together at the new location in Oelde, accompanied by significant process improvements,” explains Bastian Linnenbrink, Head of Supply Chain Management, CLAAS Self-Propelled Harvesters.

“CLAAS and Hellmann share a very special success story: Over the past ten years, we have continuously expanded our collaboration, so today we are active in all other logistics areas for CLAAS in addition to contract logistics. With the new warehouse, we will be able to sustainably build on these successes to continue growing together with CLAAS and, of course, to create and secure jobs in the region,” says Volker Sauerborn, Chief Operating Officer Contract Logistics, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Photo: © Hellmann / Image caption: Kai Gieselmann (CLAAS), Bastian Linnenbrink (CLAAS), Andre Franz (Hellmann), Stefan Schulte (CLAAS), Volker Sauerborn (Hellmann), Karin Rodeheger (Mayor of Oelde), Sven Eisfeld (Hellmann), Johannes Philipper (Hellmann)