Hermes Fulfilment GmbH is expanding its network of locations. The Otto Group's central logistics and returns service provider has now opened what is probably Germany's largest carpet warehouse in the Stotternheim district of Erfurt. The warehouse has an area of around 50,000 square meters. This is roughly the size of seven soccer pitches suitable for the German national league. Half of it is reserved for carpets. Up to 320,000 items can be stored on the twelve-meter-high shelves at full capacity. The remaining space is used for small items of furniture.
"Despite difficult conditions due to material shortages, price increases and longer delivery times, we managed to get the site up and running with only a few weeks' delay," says Operations Manager Volker Weidemann, pleased with the successful start. Around 260,000 carpets, some of which are currently still stored in Löhne in North Rhine-Westphalia, are gradually being transported to Erfurt. "A logistical tour de force that will be completed by the end of March," says Volker Weidemann. Parallel to the move, new goods are being delivered from the countries of origin, primarily from Turkey, India and Pakistan. The spectrum ranges from small bath mats in large quantities to a few examples of selected Persian carpets. Assuming an average size of three square meters per piece, the entire stock would be enough to cover the Theresienwiese, where the Munich Oktoberfest takes place every year, with two layers of carpets.
Hermes Fulfilment in Erfurt can handle up to 10,000 orders a day in terms of logistics. Each year, the company ships around 500,000 floor coverings for Otto Group retail companies. The ready-to-ship carpets are transported from Erfurt to Ohrdruf, 50 kilometers away, using shuttle trucks. Hermes Fulfilment has been operating one of the largest and most modern logistics centers in Thuringia there for 30 years. The site specializes in the logistics handling of electrical appliances, small items of furniture and consumer electronics weighing up to 31.5 kilograms. In Ohrdruf, the carpets are sorted at the Hermes delivery base, fed into the delivery network of sister company Hermes Germany and then delivered to end customers in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
"The new external warehouse in Erfurt is an enrichment for our network in various ways," emphasizes Kevin Kufs, CEO of Hermes Fulfilment: "We are increasing storage capacity for our partners, achieving valuable service and cost benefits and will be able to process even faster in the future. We will also create up to 100 new jobs in Erfurt in the future." Around 30 people are currently employed in the carpet warehouse. This number is set to rise steadily until the summer, when full operation is expected. The company is primarily looking for warehouse employees in the areas of incoming goods, order picking and outgoing goods, as well as motivated trainees who would like to become warehouse specialists or warehouse logistics specialists. "We can currently use reinforcements, especially in the commercial area," says Volker Weidemann. The special thing about the jobs: "Everyone is allowed to do all activities with us, which makes the working day particularly varied," emphasizes the operations manager. For example, employees who normally sit at a desk in the office can also obtain a forklift driver's license and be deployed in the warehouse if required. In turn, employees in the warehouse also take on commercial tasks. Volker Weidemann: "A variety of tasks is guaranteed."
