The plant relocation company HARDER logistics from Neu-Ulm has successfully completed a major order for the company Rügen Fisch from Sassnitz within nine months. The two-phase project included gutting and deconstruction of a production hall as well as relocation of twelve production and packaging lines during ongoing operations. The HARDER team consisted of up to twelve employees at peak times. The reason for commissioning HARDER was that the production sites of Hawesta, a canned fish producer based in Lübeck, and Rügen Fisch (both subsidiaries of the Thai Union Group) were merged in Sassnitz.
The decision in favor of HARDER logistics was made by Rügen Fisch because the industrial logistics company could offer the combination of the desired services with its own personnel and equipment. “The concept with dismantling and relocation of operations from a single source convinced us,” reports Ralf Link. The managing director of the project and planning office PKV – J. Müller from Ratingen was holistically responsible for the planning and implementation of the project, including the structural measures. He says of the objectives: “The sites were merged in order to optimize capacity utilization at the plant. The reconstruction measures paid off to straighten the material flow in the organically grown plant.”
Project part one: Deconstruction in Sassnitz
At the end of 2022, the HARDER logistics-related shares started with the deconstruction and gutting of the part of the building in Sassnitz where one of the two production areas was located, and which was to be converted into a packaging hall. “As part of these measures, we relocated three production lines and dismantled all media. Demolition work included the removal of reinforced concrete walls and the dismantling of ceilings. In total, we disposed of 60 containers of scrap separately according to recyclable materials,” Johannes Danieli, project manager at HARDER logistics, provides an insight.
Project part two: relocation during ongoing operations
After completion of the packaging hall in Sassnitz, HARDER logistics relocated the associated packaging lines during ongoing production over a period of six months. The HARDER team dismantled six of the lines at the Hawesta site in Lübeck and, in cooperation with the manufacturer’s fitters, made them available again in Sassnitz, ready for operation. In addition, four packaging lines were relocated within the Rügen plant. “Over a period of six months, around 25 high-tech transports took place between the two Baltic cities in coordination with production.
This involved our own fleet of vehicles, our assembly platform and a commissioned
200 t crane,” Danieli summarizes. With the combination of crane and assembly platform, the plants were partially lifted over the unpaved yard and transported to the upper floors. The HARDER project manager adds: “Everything that weighed more than three tons, we did not bring in via the freight elevator, but via the facades.”
In the final project step, HARDER logistics relocated a lettuce production line from Lübeck to Sassnitz and brought in another production line that had been temporarily stored into the now material flow-optimized plant.
Project planner for Rügen Fisch Ralf Link particularly emphasizes as an achievement: “The timeframe of about two weeks for clearing out, gutting and dismantling the future packaging hall was tight. The success of the following project phases depended on the success of this element. With the speedy and high-quality execution, HARDER logistics contributed significantly to the success of the overall project.”
About Harder logistics
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Neu-Ulm, Harder logistics GmbH & Co.KG is an integrated system service provider for plant relocations and industrial assembly. Complementary business areas include clean-up, which involves returning real estate to its original condition, as well as file management and relocations. Customers include companies such as Diehl Aviation, Liebherr and Beiersdorf. With 85 employees, the systems provider generates annual sales of over EUR 10 million. The fleet comprises 30 vehicles, including custom-built units that move plant unit weights of up to 120 tons. More than 23,000 m² of hall space as well as additional open spaces are available on the company premises. Further offices are located in Ulm, Leipzig and Plovdiv (Bulgaria). www.harder-logistics.com