Dachser's automated high-bay warehouse in Herne was 35 years old. The storage and retrieval machines and conveyor technology were outdated, the IT infrastructure inconsistent and obsolete – the risk of failure was high. The company commissioned Viastore to carry out a comprehensive retrofit.
Since its founding as a freight forwarding company 94 years ago, Dachser has grown into an international logistics provider with nearly 19,000 employees. In addition to its headquarters in Kempten, Bavaria, the company operates 72 locations worldwide and handled approximately 39 million shipments in 2023. A reliable infrastructure is essential for such performance. This was no longer the case at the automated high-bay warehouse at the Herne site in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Home-knitted items replaced
The nine pallet stacker cranes and the conveyor technology have been running for 35 years; the IT infrastructure has grown over this time; and the programming know-how for the in-house developed warehouse management system now resides only in the minds of a few employees who will soon be retiring. In short: The risk of components or even the entire system failing was very high.
Therefore, in May 2023, the logistics service provider commissioned Viastore as the general contractor for a retrofit. Dax includes the modernization of the stacker crane and conveyor technology, the renewal of the conveyor control system, the introduction of the Viadat warehouse management system, the Viavision plant monitoring tool, and the connection of the IT to Dachser's overarching customer system "Mikado"—all while operations continued uninterrupted.
Photos: Viastore
After 18 intensive test weekends, during which the Viastore team decoupled the existing PLC and WMS and connected the system to the new systems by Sunday evening, the go-live took place in mid-November. "It went smoothly, and the automated warehouse is running at full capacity," says Jochen Rettig, Senior Project Manager at Viastore, with satisfaction. "Next up are the expansions to the pallet conveyor system, including safety technology, and the modernization of the nine stacker cranes, and then we'll be all set."
The first milestone, the new control system and the newly installed warehouse management system Viadat, went into operation at the end of 2024. The project is scheduled for completion by September 2025.
