The fabric of a giant new warehouse in the Netherlands has been completed for LKQ Fource.
Construction of the 550,000 sq ft building started at the beginning of 2020. However, operations are not scheduled to begin for some time to come as the delicate task of fitting and commissioning the automatic picking equipment will take up most of this year.
The hub will have an automated picking system from TGW Systems, similar to that installed in ECP’s T2 warehouse in Tamworth, as well as an automated shuttle system for moving stock which will be implemented by the same provider.
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The logistical layout, which is also being implemented by TGW Systems, is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2021, after which LKQ Fource will enter the testing phase. At the end of this year, the plan is for the company to start using the shuttle system and the new software. From then on, the activities in the current distribution centres will be gradually transferred to the CDC and it will be completely operational by 2023.
Although styled under the Fource name, the plan is for the warehouse to support all of the corporation’s brands, including ECP and Stahlgruber.
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“Our principle regarding parts availability is ‘Logistics without Borders’ to seamlessly serve our customers,” said Arnd Franz, CEO of LKQ Europe. “Digitalisation gives us the opportunity to virtually integrate the current national logistics centres into one logistics platform that is available to all our European customers”.
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