Hellmann Worldwide Logistics is opening a new warehouse in Oelde, Germany to ensure production supplies to the world's largest CLAAS plant in Harsewinkel.

The warehouse totals 18,000 m². Hellmann said initially, it is putting 9,000 m² of warehouse space into operation, with a further 9,000 m² to be occupied later this year following the completion of the second construction phase.

"With this significant capacity expansion, Hellmann is responding to the ongoing growth of CLAAS, the leading international manufacturer of agricultural machinery," the logistics provider said.

The new warehouse is one of the largest Hellmann locations in Germany.

Hellmann said it rents the newly built procurement warehouse for components from India, Turkey, and China exclusively for its long-standing customer CLAAS.

In Oelde components ranging from screws to 120-kg drum gearbox for combine harvesters and forage harvesters are stored, packed, picked and shuttled to the production plant several times a day.

Meanwhile, the new site features state-of-the-art warehouse technology and a sustainable design. 

"For years, Hellmann has been an important and strategic partner in the context of our European land transports and our global air and sea freight. In autumn 2018, we were able to expand our cooperation to the area of contract logistics by commissioning the site in Oelde," said Bastian Linnenbrink, head of Supply Chain Management, CLAAS Self-Propelled Harvesters.

"In addition to the initial pure warehousing activities, the order spectrum has been expanded to include picking and sequencing scopes. Hellmann thus forms an important part of our supply chain and our immediate production supply," Linnenbrink added.

Volker Sauerborn, chief operating officer of Contract Logistics, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, noted that both CLAAS and Hellmann have continuously expanded their cooperation over the past 10 years.

"Today, in addition to contract logistics, we are also active in all other logistics areas for CLAAS. With the new warehouse, we will be able to sustainably build on these successes to continue growing together with CLAAS and, of course, to create and secure jobs in the region," Sauerborn said.