Efficiency of Space at Erwin Hymer

Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld is one of the UK’s leading motorhome dealerships. With the largest array of premium German brand motorhomes, they are perfectly suited to meet the current unprecedented demand facing the UK market. 

Efficiency of space was a key consideration when designing their new 20-bay service area and showroom. By investing in a new automated storage and retrieval system, they were able to deliver greater customer engagement.

The Erwin Hymer Centre has established itself as the company’s premier spare parts division. Their Service Centre and MOT testing facility delivers innovative solutions to their customers. Delivering new parts and accessories in real-time was a priority when designing the Service Centre, to ensure customers received their parts as soon as they were stocked in automated systems.

Kardex enabled Erwin Hymer to store all parts in a single Vertical Lift Module (VLM) unit, close to the bespoke manufacturing department, as 80% of vans require bespoke parts (often one offs), Kardex helped establish speedy customer service.

A customised solution based on a standard Vertical Lift Module (VLM) utilised the overhead space, which operates like an elevator. It’s comprised of a shaft in the middle with two columns of trays and shelving, which contains hundreds of motorhome parts and accessories for fast retraction.

Alongside the economy of space, the warehouse management software Kardex Power Pick System provides valuable data insight using algorithms. Data is produced on various topics, including the most popular parts ordered, as well as the ideal amount of stock to have of a certain product. Using this knowledge, they can store three quarters of their inventory within the system.

Moreover, the Kardex solution allowed them to increase order throughput to 300 lines per hour, as well as reduce the number of personnel by more than half: 6 to 2,5. Next to this, the faster and smarter processes brought on by the custom solution, allowed Erwin Hymer to deliver innovation and excellence to customers visiting their service centre.

For more information contact Kardex direct: [email protected] or visit our website at www.kardex.com

Debra Wilkins is Regional Director MarCom for Northern Europe at Kardex Remstar, a global developer of automated storage and retrieval solutions. Kardex currently services more than 20,000 installations across the nation, and is helping retailers to optimise their storage and picking through automation. With more than 30 years’ experience and an early member of the UK Women in IT Steering Committee, Debra is a seasoned veteran in understanding and relaying the benefits of technology, with articles in many computing magazines, such as Network Computing. She is also a fully qualified counsellor and as such has spoken at conferences on how automation is not only inevitable, but also is changing the way businesses and society interact with each other.