Bosch Bamberg opens new logistics centre at bayernhafen Bamberg

bayernhafen Bamberg is now also officially the home port of BOSCH. The new logistics centre was built by Herbst Bamberg  and leased to Bosch on a long-term basis.

The new facility was made necessary, among other things, by the growing need for space due to the introduction of new products. Bosch had announced as early as 2020 that it would start series production of its stationary fuel cell system in 2024. The heart of the fuel cell, the so-called ‘stacks’, will be manufactured at the Bamberg plant. This new product is significantly larger and heavier than existing products. The plant’s supply chains, from suppliers to customers and within the international Bosch manufacturing alliance, will in future be optimized from bayernhafen Bamberg.

The groundwork for the new building was laid by bayernhafen through a multi-stage land conversion process: Herbst Logistik acquired leasehold rights from previous users that they no longer needed, warehouses were demolished, and a 68-metre-high silo tower had to be removed. bayernhafen combined three sites into a total area of 2.7 hectares and provided support during the approval process with the City of Bamberg. On 21 May 2022, Bosch welcomed 3,000 guests to celebrate the inauguration of the building.

For detailed information, see the Bosch press release:

Bosch Bamberg eröffnet neues Logistikzentrum

Bosch opens its new integrated logistics centre on the premises of bayernhafen Bamberg. After eleven months of construction, Herbst Logistik GmbH, which carried out the construction of the new building, is handing over the logistics centre to the automotive supplier. On Saturday, 21 may, prior to the new Plant Section 5 starting operations in June 2022, employees and family members as well as guests from the worlds of politics and business celebrated the inauguration of the building.

Space for new products

The construction of the new integrated logistics centre is in part the manufacturing plant’s response to the growing need for space due to the introduction of new products. This year, for example, Bosch will start series production of fuel cell drives for commercial vehicles. Stationary fuel cells are scheduled to roll off the production line in 2024. The so-called ‘stacks’ – the heart of the mobile and stationary fuel cell – will be manufactured at the Bosch plant in Bamberg.

“The new state-of-the-art logistics centre is a major boost to our site in Bamberg and meets the additional space requirements for the new products, which are significantly larger and heavier than our existing products,” explains Dr. Martin Schultz, the plant’s Commercial Director. During the opening ceremony, the plant management expressed their gratitude for the excellent support provided by the Business Development Department of the City of Bamberg and bayernhafen in identifying the location, as well as to Herbst for the seamless cooperation. “The fact that large construction projects like this can be implemented in such a short time is a great signal for the business location of the City and County of Bamberg,” said Schultz.

The newly inaugurated building complex comprises around 10,000 square metres of production line space as well as office and commercial space. Another 7,000-square-metre production line building is scheduled for completion by mid-2023. “We are pleased that Bosch has decided in favour of our long-term turnkey concept at bayernhafen Bamberg and that we are now able to hand over this tailor-made property,” explains Frank Herbst, Managing Partner of Herbst Logistik. In recent years, the company has developed from a pure transporter to a logistics real estate provider with currently ten locations in Upper Franconia.

Resilient supply chains: Bamberg strengthens Bosch Group’s global logistics network

The plant’s supply chains, both within the international Bosch manufacturing network and externally from suppliers to customers, will in future be optimized from the Port of Bamberg. “We will pool a large proportion of all logistics and warehousing processes at the Bamberg plant in the new logistics centre. This will provide us with a high degree of flexibility and enable us to make an important contribution to further enhancing the resilience of our logistics chains,” explains Bosch Logistics Manager Uwe Fischer. One of the factors making this possible is a state-of-the-art pallet rack warehouse with 9,000 storage positions as well as ten loading ramps, through which around 200 pallets will leave the Bamberg plant every day. The inauguration of the new logistics centre integrates the site into Bosch’s global logistics network with its approximately 775 warehouses and 225 plants. Every day, some 30,000 employees working in purchasing and logistics around the world ensure that the plants are supplied with raw materials and intermediate products and that finished products are delivered to customers. The goal: to create competitive and sustainable supply chains that help ensure a high level of product quality, environmental protection, and social standards. “Starting in June, Bosch Bamberg will supply its affiliated plants and customers around the world with materials and finished products,” says a delighted Fischer. Earlier, during the opening ceremony, the 185 employees who will work in the warehouses and offices in the future had the opportunity to get to know their future workplace and show it to their family members.