With an impressive ceremony, Andreas Maier GmbH & Co. KG (AMF) has opened its new logistics centre.
Numerous members of the political and business communities as well as society in general and employees of the family-owned company were invited to attend the opening of the state-of-the-art building, which had been constructed in accordance with the highest sustainability criteria. The Mayor of Fellbach, Gabriele Zull, expressed the town's pride in the long-established company's commitment to the location.
"We would like to thank all those involved for completing this, the largest investment project in our 135-year company history, on time and within the budget," emphasized Johannes Maier, managing partner of Andreas Maier GmbH & Co. KG in Fellbach. "The fruitful cooperation with the city during the planning and approval phase was particularly helpful." The Mayor of Fellbach, Gabriele Zull, keenly echoed these words of praise: "We are proud that a family business with such a long tradition as AMF continues to be committed to Fellbach as its location even after 135 years."
Powerful logistics with room for growth
With an impressive opening ceremony, AMF has handed over a powerful and state-of-the-art logistics centre to its future purpose. Within a site covering 1,000 m², around 3,800 m² of usable space was created for a fully automated autostore system within a construction period of just 30 months. A shipping area on the ground floor and a processing area for customised final assembly of stored semifinished products on the first floor complement the underground storage area. Two office floors of 1000 m² each and a green roof terrace complete the 4-storey building. “We successfully overcame all the challenges that arose during the refreshingly short construction period of just 30 months,” emphasises project manager and member of the Executive Board, Wolfgang Balle.The highlight is the autostore system in the basement, which extends ten meters underground. Twelve robots in two transfer cells handle a storage volume of 750,000 litres; this can accommodate 15,500 containers, 500 of which can be moved every hour. In addition, space has been provided for 1030 pallets, which can be loaded via four truck ramps. The logistics centre secures ten jobs and has an additional air freight warehouse. "This will continue to ensure fast, punctual, and reliable deliveries for our numerous customers worldwide," assures Jürgen Förster, member of the AMF Executive Board. The forward planning that was a feature of the construction project allows for expansion to almost double the capacity if necessary.
Great emphasis was placed on building sustainably: The result deserves a gold medal
The building is not only technically impressive, but also meets the gold standard of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). "Given the size of this company and the scale of this construction project, such an achievement still represents something of an exception nowadays,” explains architect Moritz Piske from Piske and Partner, whose firm usually implements such standards for very large companies and corporations. All the requirements for the gold standard awarded by the DGNB were met, from space-optimised re-densification on the existing company premises to green roofs and windows that can be cleaned from the inside rather than the outside using aerial work platforms.Together with its attractive exterior façade featuring horizontal and vertical wave lines, AMF's modern logistics centre is a veritable landmark in Fellbach.
