The omnichannel bookseller Thalia Bücher GmbH, together with the Rhenus Group, celebrated the expansion of the Rhenus location in Hörselgau, Thuringia on May 22. In the logistics center, hundreds of thousands of items are stored daily using a highly efficient "AutoStore" system and prepared for the fastest possible delivery to bookstores and end customers, according to a press release from Rhenus on May 23. The official opening of the automated omnichannel hub was conducted by Dr. Stephan Peters, member of the board of the Rhenus Group, Marco Rebohm, Managing Director Supply Chain & Logistics at Thalia, as well as the companies involved
in the project.
“In view of our steady growth, which is largely based on the further development of our omnichannel business, and the consistent expansion of our ranges – including in the non-book sector – we need future-proof, scalable technologies,” said Marco Rebohm, Managing Director Supply Chain & Logistics at Thalia. “Especially in picking, the AutoStore solution ideally meets the requirements of our order structure.”
Rhenus Warehousing Solutions planned and primarily implemented the solution for Thalia. The globally operating specialist in logistics and warehousing services is part of the Rhenus Group and has been providing expertise and logistics solutions for Thalia for
about two decades, since 2011 also at the Rhenus location in Hörselgau.
Thalia is experiencing increased demand not only in the book range but also in the non-book segment, particularly for games and toys. The logistics area at the Rhenus location is now additionally equipped with the AutoStore system over approximately 8,000 square meters, with a total area of 60,000 square meters, specifically addressing these challenges: Incoming goods are sorted by frequency of access and stored in about 240,000 containers. The warehouse management is handled by 530 robots. They work with the warehouse staff, who pick the goods and prepare them for
shipping.
The internal logistics chain is supplemented by volume-optimized automated packaging. This is intended to reduce processing times and enable high warehouse density. The scalable system is thus intended to ensure both fast and efficient supply to Thalia's branch network in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and rapid order processing for time-critical e-commerce in the business-to-consumer segment. Additionally, according to Rhenus, the new solution offers sufficient resources to ensure quick product availability even during seasonal order peaks like the Christmas business.
“Technologies such as AutoStore, shuttle systems, and mobile robotics are central to building highly efficient, intelligent solutions of the future,” said Dr.
