Investment ensures future competitiveness at BASF Coatings location

20-Feb-2003

The foundation stone for the new distribution center of BASF coatings AG, Münster, has been laid. On Wednesday, February 19, Axel Loehr (Member of the Board), Dr. Gerd Kissau (Site Manager) and Dr. Berthold Tillmann, the Lord Mayor of Münster, took hold of the trowel and immured a commemorative cartridge, thereby giving the starting signal for construction of the new building to commence. Axel Loehr called the project requiring a 20 million euro investment "an important building block to strengthen the competitiveness of the Münster site and a crucial contribution towards securing local jobs." Axel Loehr has no doubt about it: "Münster is a location with both a tradition and a future. The new distribution center will strengthen it for a long time to come."

As far as Loehr is concerned, this investment decision points the way ahead: "The new distribution center is by far the largest single investment to be made at our Münster-Hiltrup plant in the last 15 years. At a time of falling investments and difficult macro-economic conditions, this is by no means a matter of course. Thanks to this investment we will be able to significantly simplify our logistics at the plant, improving our business long term by way of an efficient logistics chain linking us up with our customers." Loehr made a point of thanking the works council whose co-operation during the decision-making stage was of great significance: "We wouldn't be able to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone today if it had not been for an agreement between the company and the works council." Site Manager Dr. Gerd Kissau referred to the co-operation with the authorities and the neighborhood: "BASF Coatings is an industrial enterprise manufacturing in close proximity to the town, which enjoys close ties with Münster and the environs.

It is extremely important to us to maintain a relationship of trust with the authorities and our neighbors. I am delighted that in this project our good relations have once again proven themselves." Dr. Kissau emphasized the particularly short approval period: "This project which is without comparable predecessor in Germany represented a particular challenge to all of you, the planning teams and every one involved in the approval process. I would like to extend my thanks to you all. You've done a great job!" Dr. Kissau expressed his special thanks to the Lord Mayor Dr. Tillmann who put his full weight behind this project.

62 staff will be working two shifts at the new center. There will be a further 15 employees in dispatch. The new complex was planned by the architectural firm of Pfeiffer, Ellermann und Preckel from Lüdinghausen. The overall system design has largely been the responsibility of the S.CON Logistics planning office.

Numbers, dates and facts about the new distribution center

The modern distribution center with integrated high bay warehouse will attract an investment of around 20 million euros. Around 12,600 tons of finished coatings products can be stored on 30,500 pallets inside the T-shaped building measuring 30 meters in height, 117 meters in length and 47 meters in width. On an annual basis, around 100,000 tons of cargo will pass through the warehouse. This equates to around 2,000 pallet movements per day. The new distribution center comprises two areas: the high bay facility and the order picking and loading zone. The fully automated high bay warehouse dispatches various finished coatings products - Automotive OEM Coatings, Automotive Refinish and Industrial Coatings - to customers in all corners of the world. The building itself will boast special safety features. One of these is a world first for a warehouse of its type: by cutting oxygen back to 13 per cent, the high bay section is permanently fire-protected. Further safety precautions include a sprinkler system and a complete exchange of air in the order picking and loading zone taking place twice every hour.

Because of a shortage of warehouse capacities at the Münster plant around 5,000 tons of coatings products at present still need to be taken to non-central external warehouses before being returned to the plant for subsequent transportation to the customer. The new distribution center eliminates this needless extravagance. Products set out on their journey to the customer from a single point. This will do away with three reserve depots and around 15 per cent of current truck transportation through the city zone. Logistics at BASF Coatings will thus become more economical, faster and more efficient.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/20547/investment-ensures-future-competitiveness-at-basf-coatings-location.html