en.Wedoany.com Reported - Renault has opened a new central spare parts logistics center in Brühl, near Cologne, Germany. The core of the center is an automated small-parts warehouse from Exotec, whose Skypod robots can handle up to 1,600 containers per hour. Oliver Schieritz, Director of Customer Service and After-Sales at Renault Germany, explained that this system has brought significant changes to logistics operations.
The construction of the new logistics center was driven by the fact that the old facility could no longer meet the current market demands for operational excellence. The center integrates multiple automation technologies, achieving a logistics transformation. Employees can reduce their daily walking distance by approximately 15 kilometers. Laser-assisted lighting indicates pick locations, displays provide part images for comparison, and a final weighing step checks whether the quantity and type of parts match the box weight. These pre-check measures significantly reduce error rates, making work easier and simpler while offering ergonomic advantages.
In terms of warehousing technology, the center uses Exotec's Skype 2 system, the same technology employed at Renault's central warehouse in Villeroy, France. This setup is supported by automation rates, saving employees considerable walking distance. The site also features an automatic packaging unit from Germany's Heripack, forming a German-French collaboration that symbolizes the achievements of a French brand in Germany. The entire project involved close cooperation with multiple partners, including the French parent company, the city of Brühl, the park developer GLP (later renamed Marq Logistics), and Exotec.
The new logistics center emphasizes sustainable development. Compared to the old facility from the 1960s, the new one can save approximately 20% to 25% in energy and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. The automatic packaging system measures and folds boxes to their minimum size, ideally ensuring that only absolutely necessary packaging materials are transported—eliminating the need for one truck and reducing the carbon footprint of transportation. The roof is equipped with a powerful photovoltaic system, whose electricity generation could even power a small community. The park will also undergo greening, break up sealed ground surfaces, and include rainwater retention basins. On the operational side, electric forklifts are planned to further enhance sustainability.
