MAHLE Aftermarket automatiserer deres andet Distribution Center med AutoStore empowered by Kardex

Visualization of the AutoStore system planned by Kardex for MAHLE Aftermarket in France

Engelsk: In Fall 2021, MAHLE Aftermarket commissioned Kardex with the planning and implementation of a highly efficient AutoStore solution for their Distribution Center in the US (Olive Branch, MS), which has meanwhile been successfully commissioned. In March 2023, Kardex has put a second AutoStore solution into operation at MAHLE – this time in Décines-Charpieu (Lyon), France. 

As a leading global parts and solutions provider to the Independent Aftermarket, MAHLE is seeing a shift in customer order profiles from larger pallet orders to smaller package orders in higher frequency. This results in an increasing number of shipping points per customer and shipping smaller quantities to more locations.

To accommodate this shift, MAHLE Aftermarket decided to centralize their currently de-centralized fulfillment operation by processing small automotive aftermarket parts orders from one location per country. To make this happen, several Distribution Centers across the globe shall be equipped with an AutoStore robotic storage solution.

Tailor-made, space-saving and fast

As the core of the logistics center in France, the flexible AutoStore solution will offer space for 22,440 storage bins within a floor area of 535 m². In the first expansion stage, the grid will be filled with 18,540 bins. Seven Red Line robots will continuously pick up, rearrange and transport bins as they move along the grid rails. Two ergonomic AutoStore workstations, known as Carousel and Conveyor Ports, will be used for picking and replenishment. If performance or capacity requirements increase in the future, MAHLE Aftermarket can easily add more bins, robots and ports to the system, without impacting ongoing operations. The AutoStore solution will be integrated with the existing Warehouse Management System SAP EWM at MAHLE Aftermarket.

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