Nedcon realizes modern warehouse at Roy Robson

Hanging around the warehouse. What most bosses tend to do is clear their throats in disgust, Roy Robson is right. Because almost everything in the new warehouse revolves around hanging goods: first-class suits, jackets, pants, jackets and coats as well as everything else you need for the perfect appearance. If all 75,000 inhabitants of Lüneburg were men, they could dress themselves completely in what Roy Robson stocks here on 90 by 90 meters.

Logistics experts: Thomas Drexler (Roy Robson, right) and Martijn Eckhardt (Nedcon).

When the company, based in the center of Lüneburg, increasingly moved its production abroad in the 1980s, the old production hall was converted into a warehouse. This provided sufficient space for a long time. However, there were no opportunities for expansion near the city center. The owner family therefore decided to build a new building on the outskirts. This has been in operation since April 2018.

Mostly hanging goods

The majority of production takes place in the company's own factory in Izmir, Turkey. Most of the garments reach the warehouse hanging. Only shirts, knitted and crocheted items, ties and socks are delivered and stored flat. Accordingly, the site is equipped for hanging and flat goods.

IWL and Bremer AG were responsible for planning and construction. The conveyor technology was supplied by Dürkopp. The steel construction on three floors was carried out by the specialist for storage systems Nedcon. The company, which is based in Doetinchem in the Netherlands and has a German branch in Bocholt, designed, produced and installed solid steel beams, chrome-plated bars, gratings and stairs. "Nedcon sees itself less as a shelving supplier and more as a project realizer," explains Martijn Eckhardt, Sales Manager Germany. Standardized off-the-shelf shelving is not his thing. But individual solutions that take into account the requirements of other trades from the outset, such as electricians and installers for lighting and sprinklers, are. As Nedcon manufactures its own storage systems, the planners can incorporate the client's individual additional requirements. This creates scope for the implementation of industry and building-specific requirements.

Telescopic construction for loading and unloading trucks

The conveyor technology for the warehouse was supplied by Dürkopp, the steel structure including the staircase by Nedcon.

The way into the Roy Robson warehouse is via two loading gates. Nedcon has made a telescopic construction for each one. In an endless loop, it guides one metal trolley after the other to the rear of the truck loading areas. There, the individual carriers are manually hung with around 20 hangers and transported to the warehouse via an automated conveyor system. Two identical telescopic structures at loading gates three and four transport the dispatch goods into the trucks.

Neuralgic point: transitions between the pipes

Inside, Nedcon laid thirteen and a half kilometers of chrome-plated steel pipes for the hanging goods. Nedcon assembled the pipes from units up to six meters long and knew how to meet the special requirements of chief logistics officer Thomas Drexler. "It has to slide," specified the Managing Director of Roy Robson Logistik GmbH. This refers to the smoothest possible transition between the individual components. "When our employees push forty or more brackets over the pipes at the same time, there must be no snagging at the seams." This is why he has written the highest precision into Nedcon's specifications, especially for these critical points. The solution is a quadruple bolted interface that leaves no play for the individual elements.

A clean transition at the interface between two clothes rails was particularly important to Roy Robson.

Before production of the steel pipes began, Nedcon built a trial design for its customer. Drexler and his team first inspected it at the Nedcon test center in Doetinchem. This was followed by minor adjustments. A few days later, the logistics experts were able to see for themselves that the hangers glided perfectly during another test in the new warehouse. "Test runs like this give you the certainty that you've chosen the right solution even before installation," says Drexler.

Project management without stumbling blocks

Precision was also required when laying the floor panels on floors one and two, which were built by Nedcon. A total of 5,000 square meters of grating and 10,000 square meters of chipboard were used. "We regularly use pallet trucks," explains Drexler. "We don't want any cracks that could later become tripping hazards for our employees." Speaking of tripping hazards. There shouldn't be any, either figuratively or literally. The prerequisite is as few interfaces as possible in the process. Nedcon ensures this through personal presence and expertise. Orders are accompanied from the sketch to the final screw connection. According to Drexler, there are only a few system providers that work at the required level. He has known that the Dutch are one of them since he visited two Nedcon-equipped warehouses for hanging goods. "Even if we didn't want to adopt their concepts one-to-one: We were convinced that Nedcon was the right partner." This attitude was reinforced during the project phase: "Roy Robson would build another warehouse with all the companies involved."

Andreas Pietsch