Pallets with boxes are stacked at dizzying heights like a massive game of Tetris. DHL Freight in Bremen stores products for a rehabilitation equipment wholesaler. Like the rest of the Group, Freight is going for growth in the healthcare sector. Sina Goebel and Jauad Boujibar are doing their part.
Sina Goebel cuts a tiny figure among the aisles of DHL Freight’s high-bay warehouse in Bremen. Pallets are stacked up to a dizzying nine meters, all full of rehabilitation equipment. Most of the boxes contain walkers and wheelchairs, but there are bathroom aids too. Karlsbad-based manufacturer and wholesaler Dietz GmbH stores its goods here until they are delivered to its customers – medical supply businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Sina is an expert in contract logistics – services that go beyond simple transport – and she managed to convince the customer that DHL Freight was the right partner. She and Jauad Boujibar, who heads up the Bremen warehouse, act as Dietz’s point of contact. There are two reasons why this partnership is so interesting for Freight. First, the business area is targeting growth in the Life Sciences & Healthcare sector (LSH) – DHL Group as a whole designated this sector as one of the biggest growth markets in its Strategy 2030. And second, although warehousing is not the typical business for Freight, it promises exciting new prospects especially among SMEs.
A new container has just docked at Dock 13. It’s full of walkers. The unloading crew gets to work immediately. They work quickly but with care. Because these are medical products, it’s even more important to ensure they’re pristine and in perfect working order. And cleanliness is key. That’s why a special warehouse is needed to store products like these with special hygiene requirements. The Bremen site is biocertified. It is inspected once a year and receives a special certificate. This certification authorizes the site to store items such as organically grown foods and products with high hygiene standards. And, of course, medical products in the healthcare sector.
DHL logistics for healthcare
- More than11,000 LSH-certified specialists
- More than 250 qualified warehouses in 43 countries
- 120 LSH-certified air and ocean freight stations
- More than 180 countries offering the DHL Medical Express service
- 1 new flight connection between Brussels and Cincinnati (USA) specifically for medical
- products in the new network for temperature-sensitive products
More than transport
Jauad Boujibar and his twelve-strong team have the warehouse well under control. Eight customers as well as Dietz GmbH store their goods here. Sina convinced them that DHL Freight can do it all – transport, warehousing, and value-added services like quality control, fine picking and customs warehouse activities. The two of them work closely together. “For me it’s important to know exactly how things work here and to see the big picture. I need to understand exactly what the customer needs so I can provide the best advice I can and work towards the perfect solution,” she explains.
The container at Dock 13 has now been unloaded and the pallets are on their way to the high-bay warehouse. Meanwhile, the forklifts are busily arranging pallets ready for the next pick-up. “It’s the small things that matter, combining to deliver extra efficiency. Is the label in the right position for scanning even after the box is packed onto the pallet? Are we unloading the shipping container quickly enough for it to continue its journey? And are we being as careful as we possibly can be?,” explains Jauad Boujibar. He makes sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine – workforce capacity planning, storage space, pallets – and acts as the interface between the office and the warehouse. The staff here handle 10 to 15 containers per day.
The warehouse in numbers
- 17,500 m²
- 22,000 pallet spaces (high-bay and block storage)
- 900 spaces on 6 levels in 9 m high-bay racking
- 24 loading docks
- Up to 700 pallets in and out every day
- 2 reach trucks that can place the pallets on the upper racks
Growing and becoming more international
Dietz, a full-range retailer, has given up its former central warehouse and is transitioning to a more decentralized organization. The company has four locations with a total of 200 or so employees. The idea is that DHL will help it to become more international. Dietz has seen continuous growth year-on-year since 1999, so it needs a flexible logistics partner. “Our sector is growing – no one is getting any younger and everyone wants to stay as independent and self-determined as possible. Our products can help them,” explains Peter Trykacz, part of the management team at Dietz Group. At present, 70 percent of customers are from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but the company wants to increase its presence in the European market and that’s why they came to us. “DHL is an international enterprise, well-equipped to support us as a strategic partner as we grow. Starting with Poland and France.”
For Trykacz, another reason to choose DHL Freight was the great customer support. He jokes that the contract logistics expert knew his products like they were her own. Sina Goebel backs this up: “It’s important to me that our customers have confidence in us. That’s why we invite all potential customers to our warehouse so they can see for themselves that their goods are in safe hands.” In all, she works with 14 sites where Freight offers contract logistics – from outdoor storage to state-of-the-art dangerous goods storage.
The team might be expanding the services provided to the seller of rehab equipment. “We could handle quality control of the goods here, or dispatch individual products as parcels,” says Jauad Boujibar. The business still has plenty of potential – as does the healthcare market for DHL Freight and the Group as a whole.
Photos: Moritz Münch
