Logistics operator Dachser has begun an intensified delivery season for Kärcher, driven by spring cleaning and the demand for cleaning equipment. During this period, Dachser handles up to three times more shipments for Kärcher compared to a typical day of the year. As part of its contract logistics, Dachser has been handling all of Kärcher’s sales channels in Germany for over 10 years, providing a wide range of logistics services. These include deliveries to individual customers and companies, as well as just-in-time deliveries within specific time windows to DIY stores. Meanwhile, international orders are fulfilled through Dachser’s air and sea freight network.
Kärcher is primarily served by Dachser from the German logistics center in Öhringen near Heilbronn, which was expanded last year. It currently provides space for approximately 19,500 pallets, two-thirds of which are occupied by Kärcher. The manufacturer’s cleaning devices are mainly shipped from here. However, the Dachser warehouse in Öhringen is not just a distribution center closely linked to Kärcher’s production in nearby Obersontheim, as other production plants in Europe also store their assortments here. On average, up to 1,300 packages and 2,500 shipments leave the warehouse daily.
Dachser treats B2B and B2C customers with equal attention, yet each industry requires different solutions. Cleaning devices for car dealers, workshops, and gas stations have their own specific requirements, while innovative products for property managers and healthcare facilities, professional construction equipment, or cleaning technologies for transport and logistics have others. For all these sectors, however, high-pressure washers, window vacuums, sweepers, and cleaning and maintenance products are bestsellers in the spring. As a result, home improvement stores, grocery retailers, mail-order companies, and anyone who enjoys cleaning and orders products online directly from the manufacturer expect fast transport. The challenge for Dachser is therefore not only the volume of shipments but also the timing of order arrival. By design, the logistics center ships all orders received from the manufacturer by 3:00 PM on the same day.
– In the Dachser network, all shipments are handled according to time frames agreed upon with customers, and speed and punctuality of deliveries are our hallmarks. Shipments do not sit in warehouses but are sent to their destination on the same day, provided that is the agreement with the customer. To many European destinations, we deliver shipments as early as the day after dispatch; from Poland, we deliver shipments daily to countries such as Germany or the Czech Republic – comments Grzegorz Lichocik, CEO of Dachser in Poland.
The collection of transport packaging and returns are also part of the services offered by Dachser. For Kärcher, these are handled by the Dachser branch in Öhringen. Incorrect shipments that are undamaged after a brief quality and packaging check are returned to the warehouse. Dachser also forwards complaints or defective devices directly to the Kärcher factory. Close cooperation between the IT systems of both parties—Dachser and the client—ensures the smooth operation of logistics processes. Thanks to this, inventory levels, incoming orders, and returns are reported to Kärcher in real-time. Delivered goods are entered into Kärcher’s SAP system no later than four hours after the truck arrives at Dachser. This planning certainty allows for a reduction in maintained inventory levels.