trailer world issue Two 2008

Reportage Issue Two 2008 13 Black rubber Having the right tyres is like having the right logistics: the perfect mix makes all the difference. At the Greven Logistics Centre of Fiege, this consists of precision, modern processes and a good three decades of experience. A t ﬁrst glance, one sees nothing but black – 450,000 times. But on closer inspection, this apparently endless mass of rubber reveals itself to be an extremely carefully arranged aﬀair. The Fiege Mega-Center in Hamburg keeps the European logistics of Bridge- stone turning over. Up to 20,000 tyres roll daily into the interior of the vast hall, and as many again leave the building. This is high-speed logistics without any detours. The Mega-Center in Hamburg-Moorﬂeet, whose largely glazed, brick construction, visible for miles, is located direct on the A1 mo- torway, is only one component in the European sales network of Bridgestone. “From here, we can serve the complete German mar- ket and Denmark within 24 hours”, explains Fiege Northern Regional Manager Marcel Vogler. While the Hamburg centre ensures the sup- ply of the north European regions, southern Germany and Alsace are fully supplied from the warehouse and distribution centre in Lahr. With the Mega-Center in Bor in the Czech Republic, the Fiege Group – in line with the pan-European strategy of Bridgestone – has extend- ed its distribution network for tyre logistics even further. Of the total of over 20 million units which the Greven logistics company handles every year for Bridgestone and other well-known customers like Continental, Pirelli, Toyo and Yokohama, around three million pass through the doors of the Hamburg centre. The incoming goods go direct onto so-called “corlettes”. These special racks devel- oped by Fiege look a little like oversized bicycle stands, and can be stacked in two layers. “Bridgestone delivers its products only as far as the loading ramps”, explains Marcel Vogler, “everything else is then in our hands, right through to delivery to the individual dealers.” This is precision logistics work, and demands great conﬁdence. Bridgestone has now placed such conﬁdence in the Fiege Group since 1979. Over the course of the years, the two companies have become extremely well-practiced partners. Today the family company from Greven is responsible for the complete European tyre logistics of the Japanese concern. From Hamburg alone, Fiege services 35 so-called header stations throughout Germany. This is complemented by a continually growing range of products. “Bridgestone has a good 6,000 diﬀerent types and sizes of tyres on the German market”, as the Tyre Logistics Department Manag- er, Dirk Brümmer, is well aware. He has been working in tyre logis- tics for years, and is very familiar with the material he sends out to his customers every day: “The current trend for example is for Photos:Fiege-Gruppe Special racks ensure proper storage several metres high.

trailer world issue Two 2008

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