Haldensleben/Hamburg, December 5, 2025 – It was precision work: with the help of a 60-meter-high heavy-duty crane, the first of a total of 61 new storage and retrieval machines was installed today in the high-bay warehouse of Hermes Fulfilment in Haldensleben. The colossal steel structure, weighing around twelve tons and measuring 27 meters in height, was lifted into the hall in two parts through an opening in the roof measuring approximately ten square meters. Hermes Fulfilment is investing a mid-range double-digit million euro amount in the new technology. The gradual replacement of the storage and retrieval machines, or SRMs for short, is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
Since 1994, the site has been the logistical hub for the Otto Group's trading companies. The Haldensleben distribution center specializes in handling small-volume assortments. These include primarily clothing and shoes. Using state-of-the-art technology, robotics, and AI, Hermes Fulfilment takes care of warehousing, packs parcels and bags with items ordered online, handles shipping to more than 20 European countries, and restocks items that are returned because they are not wanted.
The heart of the facility on Hamburger Straße is the high-bay warehouse. The 27-meter-high shelves on the left and right of the 61 narrow aisles have space for 1.2 million boxes of new goods. They are stored and retrieved fully automatically with the aid of storage and retrieval machines. Much of this high-performance technology, which weighs several tons, is now 31 years old and has made millions of trips. The result: material fatigue. "The risk of failure is increasing. Electronic spare parts will no longer be available for much longer. To ensure that we can continue to use the high-bay warehouse in the future, we have decided to completely replace the storage and retrieval machines in a total of nine construction phases. After conducting on-site inspections, TÜV also advised us to make replacement investments," explains Barbara Schröder. She works in logistics planning at Hermes Fulfilment and heads the "Goliath 61" project, named after the dimensions and number of the new storage and retrieval machines.
Currently, 39 stacker cranes are in use, which can change aisles with the help of eight transfer devices. In the future, each of the 61 aisles will be served by one device. Transferring will no longer be necessary. "This saves time," says Barbara Schröder. In addition, the new storage and retrieval machines from Swiss manufacturer Stöcklin will be significantly more agile and powerful. They are four tons lighter than their predecessors and also move faster through the rows of shelves at a speed of four meters per second. The new stacker cranes can only transport three cartons at a time instead of 15. However, due to the higher number of devices and the speed and weight advantages, the performance of the high-bay warehouse will increase from 3,500 to as many as 3,900 storage and retrieval operations per hour in the future. "This will keep the location fit for tomorrow's online trade," emphasizes Barbara Schröder.
The material flow computer was already replaced in the first quarter of this year as part of the Goliath 61 project. The manufacturer TUP has programmed the software so that it can control both the old and new SRCs until the last storage and retrieval machines are installed at the end of 2028. To enable the new devices to pick up and transfer the cartons fully automatically, the conveyor technology in each aisle must be expanded and connected to the existing technology. All modernization steps are carried out during ongoing operation in the existing system: "This requires a high degree of coordination and precision from everyone involved and makes the whole project a real challenge," emphasizes Barbara Schröder. Following the pilot SRM, the next replacement is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026. Then another four storage and retrieval machines are to be installed and removed. The old steel giants will be scrapped except for components that can still be used.
For Stefan Nießen, head of the shipping center on Hamburger Straße, the Goliath 61 project is one of a series of modernization measures carried out in recent years: "By replacing the storage and retrieval machines, we are continuing to invest in the future of the site and sending a powerful signal: Haldensleben will remain a beacon of logistics within the Otto Group in the future."
Hermes Fulfilment in Haldensleben employs around 4,000 people. This makes the company the largest employer in the city and one of the ten largest employers in the state.