Until then, the warehouse at the Goslar site earmarked for conversion had been used exclusively for bugatti suits, jackets and pants. As a new logistics center, however, it was to distribute a broader range of hanging and flat-packed goods - four other clothing brands from the group in addition to the bugatti full range. It soon became clear that it was not possible to convert and upgrade the transport and storage system in the existing building.

The proposal was to construct a new building on the other side of the road and connect it to the existing warehouse - a costly undertaking and a major investment in any case. The company was therefore faced with the decision of either building an expensive new building or using the existing property even more efficiently.

A new system for the old location
Schönenberger Systeme GmbH suggested a different approach. After inspecting the building, the overhead conveyor system expert was certain that it could manage with the building structure, the existing space and the existing scaffolding and fit the new transport system in. The company specializes in "thinking up" intralogistics and using the free space under the hall ceiling with its flexible, modular logistics systems. "Schönenberger's proposal was so convincing that we immediately dropped our plans for a new building," says Bruno Weis, Logistics Manager at the Goslar site. "Because the modular Schönenberger Omniflo system could be perfectly integrated into the existing environment and designed entirely according to our ideas."

Equipped for all sales channels
The planned central supply of stores, outlet stores, online retailers and webshop customers from a central warehouse required new, efficient processes and flexibility. This was because different deliveries from batch size 1 to fully loaded trucks with new goods had to be handled in accordance with the various sales channels. Not forgetting the returns from e-commerce: they had to be received quickly, the goods had to be reconditioned and relabeled - depending on the batch size, within one day until the goods were dispatched. The requirements in terms of organization, overview and order processing speed were correspondingly high.

Workstations reorganized and interlinked
How does a hanging warehouse with four storage levels and one processing level become a multifunctional logistics center for hanging and flat-packed goods? Schönenberger's solution was: mobile workstations on all four storage levels, generous, customer-neutral stock levels and a system that integrates all functional areas. For the intelligent flow of goods, Schönenberger proposed a significantly larger buffer area in the incoming goods area, which allows deliveries to be processed flexibly according to urgency.

Conversion during ongoing operations
In October 2017, the Schönenberger installation team began converting the top floor. While operations continued as normal on the levels below, floor by floor was cleared and the new system installed. The team worked its way down through all the storage levels. This was followed by the second floor with ironing, returns workstations and tunnel finisher and finally the first level with the functional areas of incoming and outgoing goods with new, ergonomically designed workstations in incoming goods, quality control and packing.

The old floor conveyors were left until last and replaced with the new ones in a final, week-long tour de force. "The cooperation and communication with Schönenberger also worked very well during this intensive period," recalls Bruno Weis. "The Schönenberger team was extremely competent and also implemented last-minute change requests during installation."

Good overview and easy handling
Since May 2018, employees on all warehouse levels have been working at mobile, ergonomically designed workstations. The work areas are well lit and generously dimensioned. Trolley baskets for flat goods and trolley hoists for hanging goods are used on the storage lines. They can be pulled by employees with little effort. In addition, heavy-duty gondolas are used to transport large quantities of shoe boxes. They move directly to the left or right of the shelves so that heavy cartons can be pushed into the gondola without having to be lifted.

Transport between the floors is fully automated using inclined conveyors. The fact that the new system is much quieter is seen by the employees as a big plus, as is the new, very good overview and order on all floors. One year after the conversion, Bruno Weis is still highly satisfied. "With the Schönenberger Omniflo transport system, we can optimally serve all brands and all sales channels despite different planning horizons, even under the heaviest loads."