Lighthouse project in European e-commerce: Otto Group opens state-of-the-art shuttle warehouse in Altenkunstadt
Around two years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the Otto Group today celebrated the opening of its new shuttle warehouse in Altenkunstadt. The international retail and services group has invested around 150 million euros in the expansion and technological modernization of the site. The fully automated new building expands the existing Fulfilment Center and makes Altenkunstadt one of the most modern and largest logistics locations in Europe. The Otto Group is thus strengthening its logistics capabilities, setting new standards for online retail and at the same time strengthening the economic development of the Upper Franconia region.
More than one hundred invited guests and employees were on site today when Kay Schiebur, Otto Group Board Member for Services, and Kamil Christoph Kasprowicz, CEO Baur Hermes Fulfilment, officially opened the newly built shuttle warehouse on the campus at the Altenkunstadt site together with the Bavarian State Secretary Martin Schöffel. The new warehouse covers an area of around 16,000 square meters and offers space for up to six million items. The opening will increase the site's productivity, considerably shorten throughput times and thus significantly improve services for online customers. In future, the average time between order transmission and handover of the ordered goods to the shipping service provider will be four hours. This is made possible by automated order picking, which brings the ordered goods directly to the employees. This avoids long travel times.
"With the new shuttle warehouse in Altenkunstadt, we are sending a strong signal for the future of logistics. We are ideally equipped to supply our customers promptly, even during periods with particularly high order volumes, such as Black Friday or Christmas," explains Kay Schiebur, Otto Group Executive Board Member for Service. "We rely on a strong combination of people and technology to meet the growing demands of online retail and to continuously improve our service. The site has thus become a flagship project in European e-commerce and within the Otto Group."
In recent years, the Otto Group has continuously invested in the digitalization and automation of its logistics processes. This includes the use of AI-controlled robots as well as the expansion and modernization of existing locations.
The traditional logistics site is operated by Baur Hermes Fulfilment, a joint venture between the BAUR Group and Hermes Fulfilment, which was founded in 2022. A project team from the Group companies Baur Hermes Fulfilment, BAUR Group, Hermes Fulfilment and Otto Group Holding worked together for three years to realize the new shuttle warehouse. A particular challenge was that the construction had to be optimally integrated into the existing infrastructure and therefore took place during ongoing operations.
"Commissioning the shuttle warehouse during ongoing operations was a logistical masterpiece and a challenge for everyone involved. Despite the large construction site, we were able to deliver at all times. This shows the high level of professionalism and commitment of our employees and partner companies," emphasizes Kamil Christoph Kasprowicz, CEO of Baur Hermes Fulfilment. "We are proud that we were able to realize this state-of-the-art logistics center together with our partners. We are now looking forward to raising the logistics performance at the site to a new level."
The new shuttle warehouse in Altenkunstadt is not only technically state of the art, but also an important building block in the Otto Group's international logistics network. With around 1,400 employees from 40 nations, the site makes a significant contribution to the economic development of the region and strengthens the Otto Group's position in a highly dynamic and competitive market environment.
Further information on the new shuttle warehouse in Altenkunstadt can be found here.
Further stories about logistics in the Otto Group can be found here.
You can find out more about Hermes Baur Fulfilment at: https://baur-hf.de
You can find out more about Hermes Fulfiment at: https://www.hermes-fulfilment.de
You can find out more about the BAUR Group at: https: //www.baur-gruppe.com
