An Automated Storage Solution for REUTER | FORTNA
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Case Study

Versatile, fit for the future, high-performance: FORTNA develops an automated storage solution for REUTER

An automated high-bay warehouse, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and goods-to-person workstations ensure maximum availability, rapid order processing and speedy shipment.

Shorter routes, maximum productivity, versatile and scalable: with these goals in mind, FORTNA and REUTER have jointly developed an automated warehouse solution reflecting the changing requirements of omnichannel distribution. This upgrade will be implemented in stages at the central site in Mönchengladbach-Rheindahlen, Germany.

Founded in 1986 in Niederkrüchten, North Rhine-Westphalia, as a traditional craft business with just one apprentice, the company quickly developed into a specialty bathroom and sanitary ware retailer. REUTER launched its online store back in 2004, proving that, as now, innovation opportunities are recognized and harnessed at an early stage. Several hundred thousand items from over 250 brands are instantly available in the reuter.de online store.  With a product line ranging from rubber washers to bathtubs, REUTER is now one of the largest specialty and online retailers for bathrooms and lighting in Europe.

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What sets us apart is that we see change as an opportunity for further development. And that is what drives us to make the right decisions at the right time. One of these decisions was made around ten years ago, when we initially commissioned FORTNA with the concept planning for the centralization of our operations at the Mönchengladbach-Rheindahlen site. Since then, one thing has become clear: when it comes to our logistics development, we have confidence in the expertise of the team led by project manager Michael Geisinger. It is, after all, primarily our logistical operations that are continually being put to the test due to our rapid growth, and they need to be constantly adapted.

Volker Titzkus

Head of Supply Chain Management and Procurement at REUTER

Through this current project in collaboration with FORTNA, REUTER is expanding capacity for its online business to meet the ever-increasing demands of delivery speed and the customer shopping experience.  The solution was a new concept design at a centralized location with best-fit automation.

“After gathering all the key data and defining all the planning parameters, we developed an integrated concept.  This not only provides the flexibility and capacity currently required through optimized processes and specially selected automation measures but can also support the company’s future growth. The heart of the logistics system is a fully automated high-bay warehouse with goods-to-person workstations and AGVs,” explains Michael Geisinger, Solution Architect Senior Manager, FORTNA.

In the final expansion stage, the automated pallet high-bay warehouse will have a capacity of 17,000 pallet spaces on 32,000 m² of logistics space and will perform 420 double cycles per hour with 12 stacker cranes (pallet AS/RS) in just as many aisles. The forklifts currently in use in the pre-zone will be replaced by AGVs, which will ensure a seamless interface between storage, retrieval and goods-to-person picking.

 

In the future, REUTER will be able to meet increasing demand for capacity or load fluctuations through the scalable use of additional AGVs. As Michael Geisinger says, “We made the decision for a flexible AGV solution together with REUTER at an early stage, so that the first test runs with AGVs were successfully carried out years ago and gradually transferred to in-house transportation. To enable incremental automation, pick-up points of the pallet conveyor technology were designed with forklift and AGV operation in mind.”

AGVs are already being used effectively in the self-pickup area of the REUTER logistics center. “Fully automated vehicles process the ever-increasing number of orders from customers who pick up their goods from us on site after ordering online. It all happens efficiently, quickly, and with the usual high quality,” says Volker Titzkus with satisfaction. “It’s no longer possible to do this manually due to the size we’ve now become. The AGVs are exciting for our customers. They make our professional service visible and are now an important part of the shopping experience.”

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By moving towards more innovation and automation, we have created the potential for growth and become less dependent on the challenging labor market. Employees are becoming increasingly difficult to find in our region, just as they are everywhere else. Another very important advantage in our business is that we offer our customers much better service than they expect, which is the best foundation for long-term competitiveness.

Bernd Reuter

REUTER founder

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FORTNA helps organizations with expanding their warehouse capacity to meet the ever-increasing demands of delivery speed and the customer shopping experience.

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Published/Updated 9/3/24