SSV-Kroschke: AutoStore® manages procurement for C-parts
Right in the heart of Germany, Wutha-Farnroda is located in the Wartburgkreis district – the hotspot for procurement solutions in the area of C-class material management! Whether Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), tools, or consumables: whatever is needed on a daily basis but requires a lot of effort is given the perfect solution here. Fast, efficient, and tailor-made for industry.
LOGSOL has been working with Klaus Kroschke Holding and SSV-Kroschke since early 2022 to develop a future logistics strategy. The Thuringian family-owned company SSV-Kroschke, with more than 130 employees, is currently undergoing a restructuring of its intralogistics. “The aim of the project was to expand the existing site so that the strategic product groups from the Braunschweig site can be efficiently integrated into Wutha – taking modern automation solutions into account,” summarizes LOGSOL Project Manager Niklas Hofmann.
Logistics space almost doubled for 15,000 products
“Changes within the group have led to products being relocated to other sites. This has resulted in a significant increase in logistical throughput, and we had to adapt to this in a way that was appropriate for a medium-sized company,” explains Patrik Rühle, Head of Strategic Projects & Logistics at Klaus Kroschke Holding. The experienced logistics planners at LOGSOL began by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the warehousing and shipping processes within the Klaus Kroschke Group. Using proven tools from their “toolkit”, the experts planned various scenarios to determine how additional items would affect space requirements, material flows, and distribution logic. After running through various development options and evaluating their feasibility and economic viability, they derived a preferred solution for detailed planning and technical implementation from their findings. Rühle quickly realizes that the collaboration with LOGSOL is going optimally: “They have understood us.”
The strategy consisted of two approaches. On the one hand, the warehouse space had to be enlarged and, on the other hand, the logistics processes had to be automated in a useful way. The first was achieved by constructing a new warehouse measuring approximately 2,100 square meters. This laid the foundation for future logistics. The extension is intended for pallet goods and replenishment items: “In future, we will store around 15,000 different products in Wutha-Farnroda,” adds Rühle.
An automated logistics center in eleven months
At the heart of the logistics strategy is an automated small parts warehouse from AutoStore®, which was integrated by Hörmann Intralogistics to serve as the pacemaker for the significantly increased logistics volumes. According to Rühle, the decisive factor was “the high storage density with future-proof automation that runs smoothly”. Eleven robots and three carousel ports, which rotate the containers in a space-saving manner, handle up to 290 containers per hour. The wheels also mesh perfectly between the customer and the LOGSOL team, as the logistics planners impress with their many years of expertise and comprehensive support during the tendering and awarding processes. At the same time, LOGSOL is helping to coordinate the necessary approvals, for example for fire protection and safety concepts.
In May 2025, only eleven months after planning began, SSV-Kroschke is able to put the AutoStore® into operation at its expanded warehouse location in Wutha-Farnroda. Patrik Rühle is enthusiastic about the straightforward approach – “pragmatic and professional at the same time, which suits us perfectly”. Thanks to automation technology, the future-proof logistics center is ideally prepared for even more growth. Currently, the Klaus Kroschke Group is already working with LOGSOL to lay the groundwork for the next AutoStore® implementation at its headquarters in Braunschweig.