Insight

As one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of fasteners and anchors, pgb-Europe is taking the next step in its sustainable growth plan, through the construction of a new automated shuttle warehouse – with 40,000 storage locations.

For three generations, pgb-Europe N.V has specialised in fasteners, from small screws to European certified structural bolts, as well as seismically approved anchors – maintaining a constant stock of around 30,000 items, primarily distributed under the brand names pgb-Fasteners, PFS, HAPAX and SMART.

Founded in 1956, the company has grown into an international player with a central logistic centre in Belgium, a production facility in Poland and a sourcing hub in Shanghai, China. Sales organisations have also been set-up in the Netherlands and France to better meet customers’ specific needs. With the construction of the new automated shuttle warehouse, pgb is deploying the next phase in its sustainable expansion.

Since pgb-Europe moved to its current headquarters in Melle in 1997, its warehouse and logistic processes have constantly evolved using state of the art processes to best meet its customers’ needs. From its inception, the Melle headquarters was a paperless warehouse with small aisle trucks and has grown to be what it is now – all steered by a modern WMS and automatic order picking. 

“Our warehouse is the beating heart of our organisation, which is why we are heavily investing in advanced automation (Dynaman WMS) and efficiency to ensure every process is as efficient as possible. For instance, in our high bay pallet warehouse goods are stored with automatic cranes and multiple AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) handle internal transport. The WMS system is also seamlessly connected to our ERP system (S/4H). This enables us to ensure that each step is traceable, allowing us to map the entire product chain,” highlights Johannes Heye, managing director at pgb-Europe. 

He continues: “Every year pgb-Europe processes over 1,000 incoming containers and ships 18,000 tonnes of goods to customers across Europe. This naturally requires a well structured system to keep everything organised, but at the same time we always operate with a customer centric approach to add extra value.”

The construction of the new automated shuttle warehouse is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2025, with 40,000 storage locations (OSR – Order Storage and Retrieval), representing a new level of top tier logistics technology for pgb-Europe. The system uses small autonomous shuttles that quickly move across different rack levels. Products are stored in plastic totes or remain in outer boxes, which are transported by shuttles to and from storage locations and work/pick stations. 

Johannes explains: “The significant difference between this new addition from our current miniload system is that the new system operates much faster and more efficiently than the older cranes. Additionally, we can process full outer cartons directly without manual handling and robots will assist with de-palletising. This will drastically increase our processing speed, enabling us to more than double the number of pick lines per day. Furthermore, it will offer a more ergonomic way of working for our warehouse employees, by eliminating the manual handling of heavy outer cartons.”

pgb-Europe has also successfully acquired two adjacent plots and will be carrying out further expansions of the logistics centre in the short term. In addition, pgb will launch a new shipping area by February 2025, which will feature the construction of four loading docks, along with additional offices and meeting rooms on the upper floors. Once this phase is completed, a second automated pallet warehouse is planned, to provide an additional 12,000 pallet spaces by the end of 2026.

pgb-Europe is not only investing heavily in its internal processes, it is also focusing on other channels to provide a quality service to its customers. Firstly there is the webshop, which provides 24/7 access to pgb’s online product catalogue, which is controlled by a Product Information System (PIM). Customers can also enjoy all kinds of commercial tools and have access to the pgb-ScanApp, which is seamlessly integrated with the webshop. In addition, pgb offers digital connections such as full or partial EDI integration and PunchOut catalogue.

Thanks to these targeted investments, pgb-Europe and its customers can continue to look brightly to the future. “Logistical excellence, combined with digital tools supporting the sales process, ensure that customers can enjoy an excellent service from us,” underlines Johannes. “In this way, we seek to continue our international standing among the top players within the industry.”