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The excavators were already ready. But before they could start excavating, Jan Ciliax, CFO of the Lapp Group, and the Lord Mayor of Ludwigsburg, Dr Matthias Knecht, grabbed the spades and shovelled the first earth aside. This symbolically signalled the start of the construction phase.

Commitment to the greater Stuttgart area

"The expansion of our logistics and service centre in Ludwigsburg is a milestone for LAPP and a clear commitment to the greater Stuttgart area. After an intensive planning phase, I am looking forward to finally celebrating the start of construction together with this ground-breaking ceremony," said Jan Ciliax, adding: "This will make the Ludwigsburg site the hub of our logistics operations throughout Europe: highly efficient, highly automated, sustainable and with maximum availability for our customers."

Ludwigsburg’s Lord Mayor Dr Matthias Knecht was also pleased with this commitment to the Ludwigsburg location: "With the expansion of the logistics centre, LAPP is showing its commitment to Ludwigsburg as a business location in times of cost increases in many areas and global uncertainties. I am very pleased about the realisation of this multi-million euro project, as LAPP is also sending a strong signal to the Stuttgart region. Following the relocation in 2013, this is the logical next step with which LAPP will position itself for the future. I am grateful to the company for this location decision – and also for its wide-ranging commitment in many places in the city. We are happy to have such a reliable partner at our side!"

Commissioning in 2027

Construction work on the building is due to be completed in 2026. Commissioning is planned for 2027. The investment sum is in the high double-digit million range. With the expansion, LAPP is responding to the increased demand for finished products (e.g. customised cable cutting to length, customised labelling) and the strong growth in volume. "In order to increase our competitiveness, we will invest heavily in future-oriented technologies for a digitalised working environment and in a modern and ergonomic working environment in Ludwigsburg," emphasised Matthias Lapp, CEO of the Lapp Group.

Eleven metres into the depths

The extension covers around 14,000 square metres and is directly adjacent to the existing 30,000 square metre logistics building, which went into operation in 2013. Although the new area of the extension is smaller, it still offers as much space as the existing building. The reason: the building will be built eleven metres deep, so that the automated warehouse will have a total height of up to 21 metres.

Once completed, the logistics and service centre in Ludwigsburg will be the most modern in the Lapp Group worldwide. In addition to the existing automated drum warehouse with over 70,000 drum storage locations, there will be an automated pallet warehouse with around 40,000 storage locations, an automated small parts warehouse for almost 100,000 containers and modern automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with innovative control station technology and optimised battery charging management. This means that transport within the building is no longer carried out by forklift trucks, but almost exclusively by AGVs. In addition, there are modern cut-to-length machines with a high degree of automation. The bottom line is that LAPP will be able to speed up all work processes and make them more efficient. In future, forklifts will only be used at the 33 loading ramps for loading and unloading lorries.

Expansion of the photovoltaic system

Sustainability with a better energy balance and CO₂ savings also play an important role in the new logistics centre. The number of consolidation journeys and partial deliveries will be reduced and transport routes will be shortened by concentrating on the Ludwigsburg site. This will significantly reduce CO₂ emissions from logistics processes and also reduce the volume of traffic in the Stuttgart city area. In addition, the existing photovoltaic system in Ludwigsburg will be expanded: in future, the green roof will be able to generate a total of 3,000,000 kWh p.a., almost twice as much electricity as the existing system. In the summer months, the company will be able to cover almost all of the electricity requirements at the Ludwigsburg site.

LAPP currently employs almost 1,500 people in the Stuttgart region, including almost 200 in Ludwigsburg.