Ergonomically optimised industrial work benches

Haberkorn supplies industrial and construction companies with health and safety equipment, lubricants and technical products such as hoses, machine elements and hydraulics.

Skilled advisors, product services and a special understanding of the procurement markets across all ranges – this is what makes Haberkorn an all-round expert. It also saves its customers time and money by using e-business and logistics solutions.

Established in 1932, this family-run company is based in Wolfurt, in the westernmost Austrian province of Vorarlberg.

Today, Haberkorn employs more than 2200 people at 30 sites in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and eastern Europe and is one of Europe’s leading distributors of technical products.

The company has also been the item distribution partner in Austria for 33 years. Due to the growth in business over recent years, the company found that the logistics warehouse at its Wolfurt headquarters, built in 2005, was being stretched to its limits.

Its solution was a lavish 20-million-euro extension and modernisation project. A new high-bay warehouse with 11,000 pallet spaces and an automated small-parts warehouse (ASW) with 65,000 container spaces were added to the facility, more than doubling storage capacity.

The addition of the ASW changed the logistics sequence at the company to such an extent that it had to procure new ergonomic work benches for its goods receipt, order picking and dispatch teams.

Haberkorn opted to use the item Work Bench System, which had already proved itself to be a valuable part of the old logistics operations.

Opting for a work bench system that has proven its worth over long service

While staff had to remove goods from the racks themselves in the old logistics warehouse, these are now brought to them from above by an automated system. Once an order has been picked, the goods are then transported to dispatch by another automated solution.

Everything else, however, is still taken care of by hand, meaning staff need manual work benches that are configured for their specific task.

“We opted for item because the system offers maximum flexibility for customised modifications. Of course, it was also a practical choice, given that we are very familiar with the Work Bench System at the company,” explains Joachim Sauermoser.

Sauermoser has worked at Haberkorn for around 20 years and is responsible for implementing in-house projects, as well as for specialist project engineering, customer support and other tasks.

The extended logistics warehouse is now home to 46 item work benches – 16 in goods receipt, 16 in dispatch and 14 in order picking. They have been customised specifically for their relevant purposes.

“The work benches are tailored perfectly to the requirements of both the logistics system and the staff. The configuration options available in the item Work Bench System are unique,” says Sauermoser.

For example, the standard work benches were modified to make them even more space-saving. Another crucial factor is ergonomics. After all, it is not just departments and workspaces that vary – employees are all different, too.

Every work bench is electrically height adjustable and can be adapted to the height of the person working at it with the touch of a button. This promotes productivity and looks after the health of staff at the same time, specifically preventing lop-sided postures.

Thanks to the new logistics warehouse and the ergonomic work bench design it incorporates, everyone wins.