33 forklifts ensure 24-hour delivery service

At Rudolf Ostermann, everything revolves around edgebanding: it is the main product of the Bocholt-based wholesaler of joinery supplies. In the 14,000 square meter logistics center, edgebands - in addition to items such as fittings, sliding doors and roller shutters - are stocked on rolls in a wide variety of widths, colors and designs. The customers are joinery companies from all over Europe.

Ostermann processes up to 3,000 orders a day for its approximately 30,000 customers. In order picking, the 45 forklift drivers make around 4,500 picks every day. The basis for this throughput is an efficient and reliable fleet of forklift trucks. 31 warehouse trucks and two front loaders from UniCarriers make the employees' daily work easier. "Because we only do manual picking, the entire logistics process depends on the smooth operation of the forklifts," explains Christof Wauters, Head of Logistics and Materials Management at Ostermann. "For this reason, we place high demands on the supplier of our industrial trucks. UniCarriers not only offers us a convincing price-performance ratio, but also a service concept that is fully tailored to our requirements." Over the years of cooperation, the edge specialist has also looked at other suppliers on the market - but in the end, the decision was always made in favor of Atlet and later UniCarriers.

Last year, the mail order company concluded a full service contract for the entire fleet. This includes preventative maintenance, UVV inspections and the supply of spare parts. Ostermann thus achieves a permanently high availability of the forklifts at predictable costs.

Forklift trucks as the linchpin of logistics

The edgebands are stored on six levels in the distribution warehouse. During storage, the forklifts climb to heights of up to eight meters. Photo: UniCarriers

Apart from the fully automated high-bay warehouse (HBW), which serves as a supply warehouse and is stocked by two storage and retrieval machines, the industrial trucks are used in all areas of the distribution center. The heart of the logistics system is the manual picking warehouse with a total of 12,000 pallet spaces. When replenishment is required, eight UniCarriers Tergo reach trucks of types UNS and UMS with load capacities of up to 2,000 kilograms are called into action. They pick up the pallets at the retrieval dock of the HBW and store them at the assigned location in one of the six racking levels. Order picking in the 15-aisle pallet warehouse is handled by 17 OPS 100 high-lift order pickers. The forklift drivers use the order pickers to ascend to heights of up to eight meters. Ostermann operates a separate storage area for long goods such as sliding doors or roller shutter systems. Items up to six meters long are stored in mobile racks. A Tergo UFS four-way reach truck is used to transport them safely and conveniently. The truck is equipped as standard with a function for spreading the hydraulic forks so that products of different dimensions can be flexibly picked up, stored and retrieved. The mobile racks are moved so that the forklift can drive into the aisles. In the dispatch area, five maneuverable ERGO XJN 100 sit-on stacker trucks facilitate handling. The internal logistics are completed by two QX2 and TX3 electric front loaders, which load the pallets with the parcels ready for dispatch onto the trucks.

Throughput in the warehouse doubled

For Ostermann, the concept of a strong service orientation and short delivery times works: Over the last ten years, the medium-sized company has doubled its throughput in the warehouse and, as a result, its external sales. Thanks to its close contact with UniCarriers, the company can adapt its equipment stock to the respective order volume at short notice. In addition, the continuous renewal of the fleet is guaranteed by the regular replacement of older vehicles with new ones. As a result, Ostermann benefits from a fleet that is always at the cutting edge of technology and delivers maximum performance in day-to-day business. Based on the positive experience at the central warehouse in Bocholt, the mail order company is currently extending its cooperation with UniCarriers to its six foreign branches.

Tobias Laxa