Intelligent Automation: Ganter and TGW Logistics have been jointly advancing intralogistics since 1999

Founded in 1894 as a small workshop in the Black Forest, Ganter is today a fourth-generation, internationally successful specialist in standard parts. As early as 1912, the company consolidated its products in a catalog that standardized the offerings. This so-called Ganter Standard (GN) still forms the basis for standard parts from other manufacturers. The family-owned company from Baden-Württemberg supplies customers from the mechanical engineering industry with more than 70,000 standard elements: from operating and clamping to machine components.

Sustainable Investments in Intralogistics

Ganter sees investments in intralogistics as the foundation of a resilient supply chain and as the basis for long-term success. Therefore, the manual central warehouse at the company headquarters in Furtwangen was automated in several phases from 1999 to keep up with the increased demands on performance, flexibility, and throughput. "We consciously decided not to build from scratch on a greenfield site, but to go for a brownfield," emphasizes Ralf Beitlich, Head of Logistics at Ganter. "This decision was made for reasons of sustainable resource and space management – and due to our ties to the city of Furtwangen." Today, the logistics center reliably and quickly supplies B2B and B2C customers worldwide with standard parts of the Ganter Griff and Elesa+Ganter brands.

Production Supply and Customer Orders

During the automation planning, it became clear early on: the overall system must not only meet high expectations for performance but also adapt flexibly to changing conditions. The central challenge: to supply both production with replenishment and quickly deliver customer orders from all over the world to their destinations. The optimal setup for such diverse requirements requires above all: the intelligent integration of processes.

"This highlights the added value of the long-standing partnership that connects Ganter and TGW Logistics," emphasizes Markus Kammerhofer, Director Sales Retro at TGW Logistics. "A comprehensive understanding of the processes, detailed system know-how, and a lived service orientation have helped us develop solutions together that are tailored to the customer's requirements."

"Our collaboration is characterized by mutual appreciation and working at eye level. And always in a friendly exchange and with a certain wink," underscores Ralf Beitlich. "TGW Logistics strives to understand the challenges of its customers in detail and find solutions together with them. The collaboration does not end with the commissioning but continues into ongoing operations and service."