Kessler & Co., Abtsgmünd

Manufacturer of drive components

Kessler + Co opts for its own logistics philosophy

META delivers dynamic racking systems to Abtsgmünd

Kessler & Co.

Heavy-duty, high-performance mobile vehicles largely have Kessler + Co to thank for their planetary axles and transfer cases. Founded in 1950 as an axle manufacturer, the company is now one of the world’s leading producers of heavy-duty drive axles and transfer cases for special vehicles ranging from 10 to 220 tonnes. Based in Abtsgmünd in the Swabian region of Germany, the company’s production is split over two premises covering a total area of approx. 75,000 square meters. The basic requirements for warehouse technology are flexible storage and maximum utilization of the space available with as big a production area as possible.

kess 06 21 2 — [Around 20 mobile pallet racking systems at Kessler + Co hold some 40,000 parts of varying quantities.

Project details

Object: New logistics center

META products installed: META MULTIBLOC mobile pallet racks

META MULTISTRONG cantilever racking systems

The task

High material density with limited space, assembly and storage in one, and thus short routes for employees.
The increase in production was increasingly encroaching on the space available for the axle manufacturer to carry out its internal logistics processes. However, the master plant blends into the landscape and expansion was limited due to its geographical location. The production facility lie in a narrow valley with the river Kocher on the left and a highway on the right. The company expanded by building a second plant. The drive components are now produced in an area measuring around 23,000 square meters.

06 21 26 — Around 580 completed axles can be stored here over six levels.

kessler person — Andreas Maier, Production Manager at Kessler, Klaus Heltner, Area Manager at META

Customer statement

“The warehouse technology with mobile rack systems requires about half the storage area. That means we’ve gained an enormous amount of space for production,” explains Andreas Maier, Production Manager at Kessler.
“META is very good at project planning and design. The close support and accurate planning to ensure flawless functionality speaks for itself in practice. Lots of companies can build racks, but META is an expert partner for warehouse systems in the planning phase and during implementation, and dedicates plenty of time in advance,” says Andreas Maier in explanation of the decades of partnership with META.