In a topping out ceremony on March 1, 2018, STIHL celebrated a milestone in the extension of distribution logistics facilities at Plant 7 in Ludwigsburg. The extension includes two new logistics halls with a floor area of 8,000 square meters. In the future there will be a total of more than 50,000 square meters of logistics space. Dr. Nikolas Stihl, STIHL supervisory and advisory board chairman, pointed out: "This €55 million investment underscores the huge importance of efficient logistics for continuing business success. It will help further consolidate our position as market leaders." The new buildings confirm the central warehouse function within the STIHL Group. At the same time, the existing building is being restructured and all technical building services modernized.
Plant extension is part of a broad investment program
"Our founding company in Waiblingen and the logistics center in Ludwigsburg are, and will remain, cornerstones of the STIHL Group", said Dr. Nikolas Stihl. The new distribution logistics facility will not only eliminate existing capacity bottlenecks, but actually increase handling speed and logistical performance with the aid of state-of-the-art logistics technology. In future, some 200 employees in Ludwigsburg will supply customers throughout the world with STIHL products even faster and more efficiently. The extension of distribution logistics is part of the comprehensive investment program with which STIHL intends to secure its future. The company will be investing more than one billion euros worldwide up to 2021, of which hundreds of millions will be ploughed into the founding company alone.
Long-term job security in Ludwigsburg
At the heart of the modern distribution logistics facility are automated bin warehouses with about 85,000 bins and the multiple depth, and also highly automated pallet warehouse with some 20,000 pallet spaces. This modern logistics concept will be complemented by renewal of the infrastructure. In addition to being connected up to the municipal district heating network, a central employee parking lot and well as modernized office workplaces are being created. Dr. Georg Miehler, head of distribution logistics at STIHL, explained: "With regard to efficiency and cost effectiveness, we will now meet the highest standards. The new distribution logistics facility makes a significant contribution to further growth and, consequently, the long-term security of jobs."
Completion and commissioning scheduled for end of 2019
The groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on March 30, 2017. Its completion and commissioning is planned for the end of 2019. Dr. Nikolas Stihl thanked all those involved in the project at the topping out ceremony: "A large number of people worked on this project, especially, of course, the construction companies with their workers and craftsmen. I would like to thank you for the professional, thorough and very dedicated work you have accomplished up to now."