Infios, a global leader in Intelligent Supply Chain Execution, is supporting tools and C-parts specialist Kellner & Kunz AG in advancing its automation strategy through the integration of advanced robotics into inbound logistics. The initiative builds on a long-standing partnership that began in 2019 with the deployment of Infios Warehouse Management (WM) and Warehouse Control System (WCS) at the company’s Wels logistics center, providing a robust digital foundation for the phased expansion of automation.

Kellner & Kunz AG, headquartered in Wels, Austria, is a leading international trading and service company specialising in C-parts management for industry, skilled trades and automotive. Leveraging Infios WM and WCS, the company integrates processes from goods receipt through to automated on-site replenishment at customer production facilities, creating a strong competitive advantage in the fast-paced tools and C-parts logistics market.

Today, Kellner & Kunz manages approximately 120,000 SKUs across a diverse portfolio of tools, industrial consumables, and occupational safety equipment, with up to 5,000 deliveries processed automatically each day. This operational scale underscores the importance of a highly integrated and flexible automation environment capable of supporting efficient, production-synchronous supply.

As part of a broader €45 million investment in the Wels facility, Kellner & Kunz has leveraged Infios software to orchestrate critical elements of the site’s automation landscape, significantly enhancing operational performance. The facility features a high-bay warehouse with 15,400 pallet locations and 200,000 tote locations, complemented by automated guided vehicles and advanced conveyor systems. Since go-live, the focus has remained on continuous process optimisation and the phased integration of additional technologies.

“The flexible and modular architecture of the Infios platform enables us to introduce new automation technologies as needed and seamlessly integrate them into our existing logistics processes,” said Walter Bostelmann, CEO, Kellner & Kunz.

During the latest optimisation phase, Infios completed the software integration of an articulated-arm robot with a vacuum gripper to depalletise inbound goods in just four weeks. The solution significantly improves efficiency and ergonomics compared with manual handling, allowing up to six units, weighing up to 25 kilograms, to be picked simultaneously and transferred into totes. Further automation is already planned, including the addition of a second depalletising robot station and the integration of robotics to support replenishment processes.

“By integrating new technologies step by step into Infios WM, we enable customers to continuously enhance automation within a live environment,” said Dirk Teschner, Senior Vice President and Managing Director Germany at Infios. “In line with our Intelligent Supply Chain Execution approach, this allows seamless orchestration across the entire fulfilment process, from inbound logistics through to final delivery.”

This initial deployment marks the starting point for further robot integrations as part of a joint, continuous optimisation program designed to improve efficiency and scalability.