Reference DB Schenker Stuttgart

With around 76,600 employees at over 1,850 sites in more than 130 countries, DB Schenker is one of the leading logistics service providers worldwide. The site at Stuttgart Airport is one of the largest in Germany; on normal days 10 to 15 articulated lorries make their way to airports in Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Luxembourg from here. Gateway Manager South-West Jörg Abt explains: “In our job, no two days are the same. Some days the workload can hardly be achieved; other days it is less busy. Resource planning in such a volatile business is a challenge, both in terms of the staff and the trucks.”

The types of goods dealt with in Stuttgart are very varied. They include vehicle prototypes and test vehicles, machine parts and highly sensitive goods from the medical technology sector. They arrive by truck, are labelled with an air freight code and received in the warehouse. Then they are checked by the DB Schenker aviation security staff. “We have an x-ray macine that examines the goods for explosives and other hazard sources,” explains Abt. Dirt inevitably accumulates in the process, e.g. as fine black tyre and abrasion marks, which the forklift trucks leave behind. “The dust is on the floor, is whirled up, is in the air we breathe and can end up as a veil on the goods. This is not acceptable.”

Since 2020, a B 150 scrubber dryer from Kärcher was used for floor cleaning. One and a half hours were required every day to clean the entire 6,000 square metres. Effort and time that often were not possible, which led to fluctuating cleaning results. So Abt went in search of a solution and came across the KIRA B 50 scrubber dryer robot from Kärcher. “I’m a keen follower of technology trends; it’s fun. Initially I was hesitant due to the purchase price, but it was already clear in the initial discussions that KIRA B 50 would be an impressive addition to our daily working life.” The robot was delivered in August 2023 and detailed instruction was given. “The onboarding was superb,” remembers Abt.

In the initial phase, the support team still helped to close knowledge gaps and solve
routine problems. Since then, KIRA B 50 has been a reliable team member, ensuring floors are clean every day. The annoying black veil has been lifted. The robot can clean autonomously in areas where there is little movement because the cleaning schedule is adapted to the area occupancy in the hall. Like with every new thing, there were some team members who were impressed straightaway, while others were rather sceptical. Abt adds: “The added value that KIRA brings us quickly became apparent. For me, the best moment was when I observed our biggest sceptic sitting on a pallet one day. He was watching KIRA at work, obviously impressed.”

With so much success, it was also time for a new look. With the help of a foil wrapper, KIRA B 50 was given a makeover in the style of WALL·E from the famous animated film. Abt smiles: “The motto ‘The last robot cleans up the Earth’ was fitting somehow, and since then it has made an even more positive impression, especially during customer visits”. In the meantime, Abt has received calls from several DB Schenker sites enquiring about KIRA B 50. “I’m delighted that we were
able to do more than just drive our own site forward with this innovative technology. It’s fun to achieve that kind of success.”