Gallery: Inside Boeing's New German Distribution Center

Boeing is opened its newly built distribution center for chemical and specialty materials distribution near Hamburg in October 2022.

Located in Henstedt-Ulzburg, around 30 km north of Hamburg, construction of the 200,000 ft.² center had been underway since March 2021.

The facility will serve more than 6,000 airlines, suppliers and component manufacturers from this site with around 40,000 spots in the warehouse for parts. Boeing says that its focus is on being able to ship parts when needed to the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions, whether that is a customer order or in the event of an airline AOG.

The on-site cooling room contains mostly sealing material, which is stored at temperatures of 6C (42.8F)  in line with regulations. 

In the freezer area, Boeing keeps special materials that need to be cooled to -20C (-4F), such as composites. 

From an environmental perspective, Boeing is in the process of installing solar panels on the roof of the facility. It is also exploring other eco-friendly measures, including implementing staff schemes such as electric vehicle programs where it will set up charging points for electric cars at the facility.

In order to set up the distribution center, Boeing has utilized people from its Dallas and Miami locations to work with the Hamburg team. In October 2022, around the time of opening, there were 17 Boeing staff from the U.S. working in Germany, many of whom stayed for periods of around three months.

Much of Boeing’s investment will be related to people, with further growth predicted in Germany. The OEM is in the process of hiring between 200-250 people at the Germany center.

Boeing has turned to automation to move parts around the warehouse. This is evident in its use of robots, which can react to parts requirements via a tablet operated by staff who are then able to command the robot to transport parts to specific areas of the center. Since the building’s completion, there are some operational aspects still being finalized. These include the rollout of a new SAP system in the near future.