The Bilstein Group successfully commissioned the first expansion stage of its SAP EWM-based intralogistics platform at the Gelsenkirchen site in July 2025, about half a year earlier than originally planned. The accelerated start was driven by persistently strong volume growth, which required additional logistics capacity earlier than expected.
Automated logistics for 'febi', 'SWAG' and 'Blue Print'
The automotive aftermarket specialist, known for its brands 'febi', 'SWAG' and 'Blue Print', has been pursuing an automation strategy for years. The goal is to be able to respond to continuous growth in the long term with a high-performance logistics
system.
Since 2019, the company has been investing at the Gelsenkirchen site in a future-proof logistics center on the former industrial site 'Schalker Verein'. After commissioning in 2022, a comprehensive expansion now follows with the so-called expansion stage 1b.
SAP EWM/MFS, eleven-aisle high-bay warehouse and expansion of the electric floor conveyor
The focus of the new construction phase is a new eleven-aisle high-bay warehouse with around 60,000 additional storage locations, as well as the expansion of the electric floor conveyor. It was augmented with 20 vehicles, additional track sections and a new maintenance bay. All new
components were fully integrated into the existing SAP EWM/MFS infrastructure, enabling end-to-end, system-supported control and monitoring of all material flows.
Project partner IGZ is the Bilstein Group's long-standing SAP EWM general contractor
The implementation was carried out again in collaboration with IGZ, the Bilstein Group's long-standing SAP EWM general contractor. IGZ was not only responsible for planning and realization of all construction stages but also assumes ongoing operations, including maintenance and system optimization by an onsite team on site.
The next expansion phase is already in preparation: With expansion phase 2a, the Gelsenkirchen site will be
further adapted to future requirements. In parallel, the Bilstein Group is pursuing a group-wide rollout of SAP EWM. It is planned to connect two subsidiaries to the central solution each year – supported by site-specific automation technologies such as Autostore.
While smaller sites are relying on more compact systems, the Bilstein Group in Gelsenkirchen pursues a strategy with conventional warehousing technology that is designed for high throughput and scalability. With around 404,000 storage locations currently—distributed across automatic high-bay warehouses, small parts warehouses and manual areas—the Gelsenkirchen site is one of the most modern logistics centers in
