Autohaus Tönnemann has been an Opel partner since 1929 and is one of Germany’s largest Opel dealers. The dealership expanded in 1999 to include the Honda brand in its range. Saab followed in 2000, then Hyundai in 2006, and Skoda in 2009. There are around 100 employees at a total of four locations, with around 70 employed at the largest branch in Coesfeld.
Object: Autohaus Tönnemann, Coesfeld |
Size of warehouse: 570 m² (spare parts from screws to bumpers to engine hoods), 80 percent of the entire storage area is two-tier. A third of the approximate 8500 items stored are within the small-parts store. |
Conversion time: 7 months (overall), 2 weeks for the META parts |
META products installed: 2200 MULTISTABIL 230 kg shelves on 12 levels, 2 platforms (250 + 158 m²), part-equipped with offices |
The redesigning of the warehouse took place as part of the project to merge two locations, combining the previously decentralized warehouse structure. The dealership’s service and sales departments are now under one roof. To be able to ensure quick access to spare parts for independent workshops and the in-house repair service, a well thought-out logistics process is essential to the company’s success.
Precise advance planning was required to enable storage of parts of varying sizes. One of the challenges to be tackled by the warehouse technology specialists at META was the need to sort various manufacturer parts by brand while at the same time reducing access times for employees.
"We opted for the META modular system because it offers a wide range of possibilities. It can be converted to new positions in just a few steps, so we can react quickly to changes in the product range," explains Jochen Tönnemann, Managing Director of the car dealership.
In addition to the goal of creating space reserves for additional spare parts, the relocation of the warehouse was intended to save time in order picking: "Since we supply many independent workshops in the region with parts, it was important that spare parts could be dispatched quickly," Jochen Tönnemann emphasizes the advantages of the new logistics concept.