SSI Schäfer is setting up a new logistics center for Liebherr in Tupelo, Mississippi, encompassing warehousing, distribution, pre-assembly, customs and export processing for earthmoving, cranes, concrete technology, and components. At the heart of the facility is a seven-aisle high-bay warehouse with 39,700 pallet spaces.
Liebherr broke ground on its new logistics center in Tupelo in December 2024. With an investment of $176 million, the logistics center is expected to create 180 new jobs in the region upon completion. It will handle a broad product portfolio ranging from tower cranes and mobile cranes to aerospace equipment and earthmoving machinery.
The distribution center will belong to Liebherr-Logistics GmbH, the group's internal logistics provider, and will handle spare parts logistics for various production companies. With over 430 employees, Liebherr Logistics supplies more than 70 group sales and service companies worldwide and covers over 20 product lines. Liebherr Logistics has been operating from Oberopfingen, Germany, since 2015 and opened a second warehouse in Born, Netherlands, in 2023 to better serve Northern and Western Europe.
All intralogistics trades
Jörg Ströbele, Managing Director of Liebherr-Logistics GmbH, emphasizes: “With the new plant in Tupelo, we offer our American customers a faster, more efficient service and strengthen our position as an industry leader.»
As general contractor, SSI Schäfer is responsible for the complete supply of the storage and conveying technology and coordinates all involved intralogistics trades. The high-bay warehouse, with its more than 39,700 pallet spaces, is being constructed as a self-supporting steel structure using silo construction. This design eliminates the need for a separate building and enables a particularly space- and resource-efficient implementation. Energy-efficient SSI Exyz stacker cranes are being used, ensuring high-performance and sustainable operation.
At the Bauma: H. Imakoji, J. Ströbele, A. Oy, M. Lunardelli, K. Ribhegge, P. Edelmann, R. Ebenhoch, M. Barth, S. Goetz (from left) Photo: Liebherr
A state-of-the-art 8-aisle shuttle warehouse with over 450 SSI Flexi Shuttles will offer approximately 170,000 storage locations for containers. Thanks to the patented 3D-MATRIX Solution, optimal sequencing for small parts picking is guaranteed. Additional manual storage areas include PR 600 pallet racking with over 9,500 storage locations, cantilever racking with over 690 storage locations, and an oil and hazardous materials storage area with over 1,100 storage locations. Order picking takes place at five pallet workstations and eight container workstations. Further workstations for repacking and packaging are planned. Conveyor technology for pallets, containers, and cartons, as well as an electric floor conveyor, efficiently connect the central systems.
Warehouse management is handled directly via SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) and offers comprehensive options for managing and controlling the warehouse solution. Implementation is carried out by SWAN. In addition to warehouse management functionalities, SAP EWM is enhanced with the integrated Material Flow System (MFS) and directly connected to the automated warehouse control systems.
Jörg Ströbele is already looking forward to the go-live: "This puts us in a good position for the future."
For the Liebherr Group, the new warehouse in Tupelo, Mississippi, is an important step toward the future. Installation will begin in September 2025, and the facility is scheduled to commence operations in 2027.
At its international headquarters in Neunkirchen (Germany) and worldwide across six continents in approximately 80 operating companies and at seven production sites, SSI Schäfer employs more than 8,800 people. In fiscal year 2024, the company generated sales of EUR 2.0 billion.
The SSI Schäfer Group has relied on reliable partnerships and strong brands for years. The group also includes the robotics specialist RO-BER, the SAP specialist SWAN, the robotics and AGV expert DS Automotion, and the start-up SupplyBrain.
