Customer Story: Miele Professional Provides Fresh Air

7 February 2022

Focus

Wherever large numbers of people congregate in enclosed spaces, the risk of infection with Covid-19 and other pathogens is known to be particularly high. That's why frequent and thorough ventilation is essential in school classrooms, government offices, medical practices, shops, and offices - but not always sufficiently possible. This is where Miele Professional's new AirControl mobile air purifier comes to the rescue. The highly effective unit is specially designed for use in businesses or public facilities. Hellmann Lehrte, Germany handles the logistics behind it.

If the years of collaboration serve as a measure of success, things are going pretty well between Miele Professional and Hellmann. After all, we have been working for the Gütersloh-based company's Professional plant in Lehrte for more than 20 years. What began as a distribution order in the Road & Rail sector for commercial washing machines and ironers now also covers production deliveries and contract logistics for the Miele plant in Lehrte. A prime example of the internal interaction of the national matrix organization within the framework of BeOne.

AirControl: Miele Professional air filters are specially designed for use in businesses. Store or public facilities designed.

New business segment

In January 2021, Miele launched its "AirControl" air purifier, a completely new product category. According to the manufacturer, the commercial air purifiers are capable of filtering 99.995 percent of all suspended particles, bacteria, and even viruses from the air. This is done via a 5-stage filter system including a highly efficient HEPA H14 filter. The filter systems are available in three different versions, depending on requirements such as room size.

The Corona pandemic has also given a new dynamic to the cooperation with Hellmann. In addition to overland transport, Miele has relied on Hellmann Contract Logistics since 2015. As part of its inventory business, Hellmann stores accessories and parts for production deliveries in Lehrte. Thanks to Corona, the business then expanded: "In December 2020, shortly before the market launch of the air filters, we received the request for the warehousing and distribution of the air filter units; it all happened at very short notice," says Thomas Ohagen, who looks after the customer as Key Account Manager. It had to be done quickly: a concept had to be developed both for storage (on pallets or half pallets - depending on the model variant) and for general cargo transport as well as Direct Load National and International, which required a close exchange between all the departments involved.

With its highly efficient HEPA H14 filter, the Miele Professional AirControl is capable of filtering up to 99.995% of all suspended particles, bacteria and viruses from the air.

International distribution planned

The new air filters will initially be delivered within Germany. Internationally, Austria and Switzerland are on the agenda for distribution. This is to be followed by the market launch in other European countries. The recipient abroad will be the local Miele sales company in each case. "The international attention for the product is greater than expected," confirms Thomas Ohagen. Without further ado, Hellmann has also expanded its logistics concept for Europe-wide distribution.

At the moment, between 300-700 pallets are stored in Lehrte. However, the quantities are expected to triple quickly: In the future, up to 2200 pallets are to be stored, with up to 100 devices leaving the warehouse every day in outgoing goods. Also, the production supply is expected to increase by approximately 120 pallets per day. To meet the new requirements, the CL warehouse in Lehrte was restructured within a few weeks. To do this, some customer stores had to be relocated within a short time and additional space had to be rented - a tour de force for the entire team, but necessary to be prepared for the upcoming growth.

Quality from experience

"We are very happy to have Hellmann as a partner who offers us the necessary security to expand the distribution of our new product line "AirControl" in the long term. Reliability and quality - that's what Hellmann stands for since 150 years, and that's why we offer our warmest congratulations on the company's 150th anniversary," says Mr. Rainer Freier, Purchasing Manager NFM at Miele Professional.

Quality also plays a major role in this success story. With zero complaints in the February 2021 monthly report, the smooth interaction between Miele and Hellmann is evident. "Such a complaint rate is only possible if everyone involved meshes like clockwork. The experience we have gained from working for Miele for more than 20 years is crucial here - equally for our customer," says Rüdiger Derks, Freight Forwarding Manager Hellmann Lehrte. "The customer manufactures high-quality products and also relies on quality in logistics," concludes Thomas Ohagen.

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