Oyten / Borgholzhausen, May 17, 2026 – For more than 90 years and three generations, delivering the finest products to Europe: The long-established, owner-managed company Kreyenhop & Kluge deals in exotic Asian and Oriental foods. From its new logistics center in Oyten, just outside Bremen, the food and beverage specialist supplies European home cooks, the restaurant industry, food retailers, and the food industry.
The product range includes approximately 4,000 food and non-food items from well-known brands and new developments created in partnership with suppliers. The expertise of the approximately 300 employees in purchasing, quality assurance, modern warehouse management, and transport logistics—supported by the company’s own truck fleet—forms the foundation of its success. Since early 2025, this has been further enhanced by an automated, three-aisle telescopic storage system that optimizes, expands, and accelerates storage, order picking, and material flows with a capacity of 11,000 storage locations.
Maximum reliability at high transport and storage speeds
“The company’s goal was to continue growing,” explains Tim Schön, Managing Director of Kreyenhop & Kluge GmbH & Co. KG. “Since this was no longer possible at the main location, the decision was made to consolidate and automate logistics in a new logistics center. In addition to the required additional capacity, a challenge lay in the often poor quality of pallets from pallet exchange as well as single-use pallets, which are used to palletize the often unpalletized goods from Asia.”
The idea, according to Stephan Bruns, Sales Manager for Technologies & Systems at Westfalia: “To support the often subpar pallets supplied by vendors in intralogistics with system pallets. These remain in the system and, through sub-palletizing, ensure maximum system reliability and availability even at high transport and storage speeds.” A relatively high throughput of at least 100 loading units per hour was required for the entire warehouse system. Based on the planner’s tender, Westfalia won the project with its concept.
As the general contractor and manufacturer, Westfalia Technologies supplied the three-aisle, double-deep high-bay warehouse in silo design, three stacker cranes with telescopic fork load-handling attachments, conveyor technology, the programmable logic controller, actuators and sensors, the Savanna.NET® warehouse execution system for combined warehouse management and material flow control, as well as technical equipment such as control cabinets, workstations, and peripheral devices. The warehouse operates in two shifts, 16 hours a day and five days a week.
The automated storage system, approximately 70 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 32.5 meters high, was constructed at a new location using a self-supporting silo design. Following the award of the contract in 2023, the high-bay warehouse went into operation in early 2025. It comprises approximately 11,000 storage locations across 16 levels. Three stacker cranes with telescopic forks and a capacity of 34 double cycles per hour each enable a high access frequency to all storage units and, combined with high-performance conveyor technology and fast interfaces, an hourly throughput of 100 load units (LU) for both storage and retrieval.
Interne Kommissionierung für Unterpalettierung
Integrated into the extensive conveyor system consisting of roller and chain conveyors is a separate material flow for system pallets similar to the EPAL format. Two automatic pallet magazines integrated into the overall conveyor flow feed system pallets for the under-palletizing of incoming disposable pallets during storage and retrieve them again after depalletizing in the goods issue area. Excess stacks of system pallets are automatically buffered in the warehouse and, if necessary, returned to storage in the pallet magazines. “The system thus continuously supplies loading units with an appropriate allocation of system pallets; it ‘breathes,’ so to speak,” says Christian Goltermann, Sales Manager for Software & IT at Westfalia, describing this key logistical process in the warehouse system.
Maximum flexibility, route, space, and energy efficiency
The warehouse and conveyor technology, as well as storage locations, are designed for 1,200 mm high loading units (8,304 storage locations) and 2,100 mm high loading units (2,784 storage locations) in the 900 x 1,300 mm format, weighing 100 to 850 kg. The system can be expanded in the future as needed. A stretch wrapper and a labeling system in the picking area are fully integrated.
Automation reduces the number of vehicles required for warehouse operations compared to a forklift-operated warehouse at maximum capacity, thanks to an access height of approximately 30 meters. The WES Savanna.NET® provides complete warehouse transparency in the Westfalia warehouse, controls it, and integrates it into the overall system.
Material-friendly technology, optimal accessibility, and inventory management
Westfalia technology is designed for high transport speeds, heavy loads, and frequent access to ensure maximum system reliability. “Thanks to close-knit system monitoring and continuous modernization, Westfalia systems operate reliably for years,” explains Stephan Bruns. “State-of-the-art drives, sensor technology, and precise transport and storage processes, as well as multiple checks during loading and on load-handling equipment, prevent material damage to goods and loading aids, as well as system malfunctions.” Damaged and improperly packed load units are ejected prematurely.
All components of the warehouse system are optimally accessible for maintenance. All storage and retrieval machines are equipped with maintenance lifts to ensure all areas of the high-bay warehouse can be reached quickly and easily, regardless of the load-handling equipment.
“Westfalia’s Savanna.NET® Warehouse Execution System optimally controls the conveyor and warehouse technology,” says Christian Goltermann, highlighting the software side of the system. “The WES combines all functions for warehouse management and material flow control in the Westfalia warehouse into a single instance and on an intuitive user interface.”
Managing Director Schön: “The overall logistics concept is a complete success”
“We deliberately chose Westfalia based on the excellent, professional collaboration during the sales phase, and we were not disappointed,” concludes Tim Schön positively. “We were able to integrate the automated high-bay warehouse excellently into the new overall logistics system. Westfalia is a logistics specialist with highly competent employees. The company has a high degree of vertical integration.”
The storage and retrieval machines, conveyor technology, control system, and warehouse software are very reliable, according to Managing Director Schön. “The service concept works very well; we receive optimal support in our day-to-day operations. The completed system meets all specifications and expectations. The overall logistics concept is a complete success!” And he adds: “The decision to work with system pallets was exactly the right one. The system runs very reliably, in part due to this factor in combination with Westfalia’s solid technology.”
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