Superior Container Quality for a Long Service Life
Almost from the very beginning, for well over a quarter of a century, dm has relied on plastic bins for its own logistics processing. “I often come across containers with our old logo,” says Herbert Scheiblauer, Manager Transports & Warehouse Organization dm Austria. “The logo changed at the end of the 1990s.” In the 1990s, SSI SCHAEFER was already supplying the first plastic bins to dm. In 1989, the drugstore chain bundled its warehousing for the Austrian market in a distribution center in Enns, Upper Austria. By now, the center stores up to 14,000 cutting-edge drugstore items from the areas of health and beauty, baby, photo, and household, as well as parts of the supplementary product line such as pet food, small textiles, and seasonal articles. Today, it supplies all 389 Austrian dm branches as well as eight distribution centers in Central and Eastern Europe.
The sustained growth and dm’s expansion after the fall of the Iron Curtain led to continuous expansion and optimization of the processes. The first fundamental expansion of the logistics center took place in 1995. In 2009, a fully automated pallet and container high-bay warehouse was set up in preparation for future Logistics 4.0 requirements. After positive experiences in dm’s previous projects with the market leader for plastic bins and containers as well as its excellent references, SSI SCHAEFER was awarded the order for the steel construction of the plant with 57,400 container storage locations and 3,200 pallet storage locations.
To ensure continuous processes for order handling, SSI SCHAEFER integrated the controls of all components located in the warehouse into the logistics software WAMAS®. In addition to the basic equipment of the warehouse, dm ordered another 60,000 plastic containers from SSI SCHAEFER. “With the use of bins, we are now pursuing uniform standards from internal automation to distribution to the stores,” explains Herbert Scheiblauer. “Their extensive container product line, production flexibility, and punctual delivery of large quantities in addition to the quality of their plastic bins make SSI SCHAEFER a reliable partner at our side.”
SSI SCHAEFER’s range of storage, picking, and transport containers comprises more than 2,000 different types, designs, and sizes. The range extends from semi-open front storage bins, stackable transport bins, and shelving bins to foldable/collapsible boxes and Euro-sized containers to nestable storage and transport containers as well as bins and containers made of sheet steel. “The right container for every application and every area of use,” summarizes Josef Kendl, who also supports dm as project manager. “All made of recyclable materials.”
