Contract signed for renewal of RFS stacker as part of comprehensive infrastructure program

Lufthansa Cargo has awarded another major contract as part of its infrastructure program at the Frankfurt hub with the modernization of the Road Feeder Services high-rack storage system. The two companies Vollert Anlagenbau and Körber recently won the procurement procedure and will carry out the modernization of the RFS stacker’s mechanical, control and IT systems in the future. Lufthansa Cargo is being supported in the planning of the project by Miebach Consulting.

"The modernization of the RFS stacker is another important component of the extensive infrastructure program for the logistics center at the Frankfurt site," explains Harald Gloy, the cargo airline’s Chief Operations Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer. "In the future, our Road Feeder Services customers will benefit from shorter turnaround times and more efficient handling of transports by truck. With the help of a modern IT environment, we are ensuring the adaptability of the high-rack storage system with regard to upcoming technological developments."

"We are very pleased to be involved in this important and sophisticated infrastructure project for Lufthansa Cargo," says Hans-Jörg Vollert, CEO of Vollert Anlagenbau. "We bring our entire experience of almost 100 years in intralogistics concepts in the heavy-duty sector to the table."

Dirk Hejnal, CEO Körber Business Area Supply Chain, emphasizes: “Körber's extensive experience in the supply chain technology - in this case in the fields of retrofit, automation and software - allows us to provide Lufthansa Cargo with a tailored solution for this project. With this, the cargo airline can fulfill the high expectations of today and tomorrow and deliver better customer service.”

Lufthansa Cargo will further develop and renew the logistics center at its home hub in Frankfurt on a modular basis as part of its "LCCevolution" infrastructure program. In parallel, several preparatory measures for the construction of the new central high-rack storage system at the Lufthansa Cargo Center are currently underway, in addition to the new construction of the art warehouse. The conversion measures in the areas of mechanics, control and IT systems of the RFS high-rack storage system, which is around 20 years old, will start in the second quarter of 2022. Two stacker cranes will be replaced by new technology. The moving truck docks, which are necessary for loading and unloading trucks with ULDs, will also be modernized. Completion of the RFS stacker conversion is planned for early summer 2023. The complete modernization of the Lufthansa Cargo Center is supposed to be finished in 2029.