Waiblingen, 3/1/2018 | Company press release
STIHL celebrates topping out ceremony for extension of distribution logistics
In a topping out ceremony on March 1, 2018, STIHL celebrated a milestone in the expansion of distribution logistics facilities at Plant 7 in Ludwigsburg. The extension includes two new logistics halls with a floor area of 8,000 square meters. In the future there will be a total of more than 50,000 square meters of logistics space. Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the STIHL Supervisory Board and Advisory Board, emphasized: “The investment of more than 55 million euros underlines the high importance of efficient logistics for long-term business success. It will help to further reinforce our leading market position.” The new building strengthens the central warehouse function within the STIHL Group. At the same time as the new building is being constructed, the existing building is being restructured and all technical building services modernized.
Plant extension is part of an extensive investment program
“Our head office in Waiblingen and the logistics center in Ludwigsburg are and will remain fixed cornerstones of the STIHL Group,” said Dr. Nikolas Stihl. The new sales logistics facility will not only eliminate existing capacity bottlenecks, but also increase handling speed and logistical capacity with the aid of state-of-the-art logistics technology. In future, around 200 employees in Ludwigsburg will supply customers throughout the world with STIHL products even faster and more efficiently. The extension of sales logistics is part of the extensive investment program with which STIHL is securing the company’s future. The company will be investing more than one billion euros worldwide up to 2021, of which hundreds of millions will be going into head office alone.
Securing the Ludwigsburg site in the long term
At the heart of the advanced sales logistics facility is automated container storage with about 85,000 containers and the multi-tiered, equally highly automated pallet storage with around 20,000 pallet spaces. This advanced logistics concept will be complemented by renewed infrastructure. In addition to being connected to the city’s district heating network, a central employee parking lot as well as modernized office workplaces are being created. Dr. Georg Miehler, Head of Sales Logistics at STIHL, explained: “We are now meeting the highest demands in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The new distribution logistics facility makes a significant contribution to further growth and as such, the long-term securing of the location.”
Completion and commissioning scheduled for end of 2019
The groundbreaking ceremony for the major project took place on March 30, 2017. Its completion and commissioning is planned for the end of 2019. Dr. Nikolas Stihl thanked all those involved at the topping out ceremony: “A large number of people worked on this build, above all, of course, the construction companies with their workers and tradespeople. I would like to thank you for your professional, careful and very dedicated work so far.”
