Ludwig Meister

Ludwig Meister, a B2B distributor serving construction, mining, farming, and general industrial sectors across a group of eight companies, faced a critical inflection point as customer order volumes outpaced what manual warehouse operations could absorb. At their Dachau, Germany facility, pickers navigated conventional racking to fulfill 80,000+ SKUs by hand — a process that was time-intensive, error-prone, and difficult to scale. In B2B distribution, where on-time delivery directly affects customer retention and contract renewals, the inability to accelerate throughput represented a structural competitive risk. Without automation, Ludwig Meister could neither meet growing order demand nor defend its market leadership across the industrial product segments it served.

In 2013, Ludwig Meister deployed an AutoStore cube storage system — a grid-based automated storage and retrieval solution integrated by logistics automation specialist Swisslog. The initial installation comprised 20,000 Bins, 14 robots, and 7 ConveyorPorts, consolidating 97% of the company's 80,000+ SKU catalog into a 620 sqm automated grid. Robotic automation governs robot dispatching, bin sequencing, and order routing, augmented by pick-to-light workstations for operator guidance and automated packaging cells with transfer cells for goods handling. Recognizing sustained demand growth, Ludwig Meister expanded the system twice — in 2016 (to 40,000 Bins and 26 robots) and again in 2022 (to 60,000 Bins, 37 robots, 12 CarouselPorts, and 13 ConveyorPorts) — each expansion completed without disrupting live warehouse operations.

The AutoStore deployment tripled Ludwig Meister's picking rate — the headline outcome validated across two subsequent expansions over nine years. The system now handles up to 6,000 picks per day under the current shift model, with a confirmed path to 13,500 picks daily under a three-shift configuration. Results extended across the full logistics chain:

• 3x increase in order picking rate versus pre-automation baseline
• 99.96% system uptime, supported by backup emergency power for business continuity
• 75% reduction in transport volume through right-sized automated packaging
• 80% reduction in packaging material usage
• 10% year-on-year improvement in on-time delivery rate
• Same-day dispatch for all orders placed before 5 p.m.

Shorter storage times also reduced goods depreciation, ensuring customers receive fresher, higher-quality inventory.

• Modular cube storage de-risks long-term capital investment: Ludwig Meister expanded capacity twice over nine years without halting operations, demonstrating that grid-based automation scales with demand rather than requiring replacement.
• Automation converts logistics from a cost center into a competitive differentiator — on-time delivery improvements became a measurable customer-facing selling point, not just an internal efficiency gain.
• Consolidating 97% of SKUs into 620 sqm of cube storage reduces handling time and warehouse footprint while enabling low error rates and accurate labeling at scale.
• Plan for throughput headroom from day one: operating at 6,000 picks/day with 13,500 in reserve allowed Ludwig Meister to absorb demand spikes without urgent capital outlay.