Cardboard instead of plastic: RECHT Logistik Group orders 50,000 storage boxes

Brühl, 29 August 2023: The RECHT Logistik Group is ordering a total of 50,000 storage boxes for its contract logistics division in the 2023 financial year. They will replace the previous plastic crates and will be used for picking goods from selected e-commerce customers. The company is thus acting more sustainably, saving money and being much more flexible in warehousing and order picking.

"In future, the transparent boxes will be used as required at all twelve RECHT Logistik Group locations," agree Navid Thielemann and Christian Flick, both Managing Partners of the RECHT Logistik Group. The cardboard boxes were specially branded for the company. "For example, we will use them to store spare parts for a tool customer and decorative items for a B2B and B2C online retailer from the e-commerce sector, for which we will take care of customising and order picking," adds Navid Thielemann.

Sebastian Welp, who founded the start-up Lagerkarton a year ago, is delighted with the large order. The customer is no stranger to him: Just a few months ago, Navid Thielemann and Christian Flick had invested in the start-up via FIVE Investments GmbH, a ThielemannGroup company. "They were immediately convinced by my idea," says Sebastian Welp. "It is an additional confirmation that our storage boxes are now also being used in the RECHT Logistik Group's operations."

More than 150,000 kilograms of CO2 saved

For the RECHT Logistik Group, the switch to recyclable corrugated cardboard boxes is a further step towards sustainability. Compared to the plastic boxes made of polypropylene (PP), more than 150,000 kilograms of CO2 are saved in the production of the 50,000 storage boxes alone. "A passenger could fly from Hamburg to Paris and back every day for two years for this amount of emissions," says Sebastian Welp1.

Delivery is also more sustainable, as the majority of transport can be avoided: Over 13,000 folded storage boxes can be transported per lorry at maximum capacity, but less than 1,000 plastic crates2.

More flexibility in the warehouse

The RECHT Logistik Group will invest over 140,000 euros in the 50,000 storage boxes. Compared to purchasing the same number of plastic crates, the cardboard alternative saves almost three quarters of the costs. "Uncommitted capital that we can put to better use elsewhere," says Christian Flick. "That gives us more flexibility."

Flexibility also plays a major role for the contract logistics division of the RECHT Logistik Group directly in the warehouse: in e-commerce, the demand for goods changes quickly, depending on collection changes, peak seasons or marketing campaigns. "The cardboard boxes can be assembled and disassembled quickly," explains Sebastian Welp. "Experienced warehouse staff can do this in four seconds per box - the boxes can be assembled and disassembled around 30 to 40 times, and with good care they will last around ten years." The storage boxes can carry up to 15 kilograms.

Sustainability, efficiency and costs play a decisive role in logistics. "The open-fronted storage boxes made of cardboard are far superior to the previously used boxes in these respects," says Navid Thielemann. "So it makes sense that we also use the storage boxes in our company."

1 To calculate: the polypropylene open-fronted storage boxes used to date weigh 1.59 kg per box, which equates to 79,500 kilograms for a quantity of 50,000 boxes. This means that over 150,000 kilograms of CO2 are released during their production. The value for the same quantity of storage boxes is a fraction, namely 8,700 kilograms. We used these CO2 calculators for the calculation: www.studiofreudigmann.com/blogs/magazin/co2-fussabdruck and www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Pages/default.aspx.

2 For the calculation: 33 pallets fit on a lorry at maximum capacity, on which over 400 storage cartons can be transported per pallet, but only 30 plastic crates.

Lagerkarton

Lagerkarton produces and sells open-fronted storage boxes made from recyclable corrugated cardboard, which are easy to stack in warehouses and retail stores and are inexpensive, durable and sustainable. Founder Sebastian Welp developed the idea for his parents' business and launched his own company in 2022. Headquartered in Ahaus, the start-up now sells around 80,000 display boxes per month to customers in ten countries. Sebastian Welp holds 74.9 per cent of the shares in Lagerkarton, while FIVE Investment has a 24.1 per cent stake. In Europe, the young company is focussing on the entire D-A-CH region, with a further location planned in the USA.

ThielemannGroup

The ThielemannGroup, headquartered in Mönchengladbach, bundles investments and business activities in the logistics sector under one roof. These include companies from the fields of freight forwarding and logistics, project and property development as well as innovative start-ups. The aim is to offer services along the entire supply chain and to provide customers with a comprehensive and solution-orientated offering. The ThielemannGroup employs around 500 people in its affiliated companies, which generated an annual turnover of over 400 million euros in 2022.

Media contact
STROOMER Communications
Rellinger Straße 64 a, 20257 Hamburg
Yvonne Riede, phone +49 40 853133-12; e-mail: yvonne.riede(at)stroomer(dot)de

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1 To calculate: The polypropylene open-fronted storage boxes used to date weigh 1.59 kg per box, which equates to 79,500 kilograms if 50,000 boxes are produced. This means that over 150,000 kilograms of CO2 are released during their production. The value for the same quantity of storage boxes is a fraction, namely 8,700 kilograms. We used these CO2 calculators for the calculation: https://www.studiofreudigmann.com/blogs/magazin/co2-fussabdruck and https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CarbonOffset/Pages/default.aspx.

2 For the calculation: 33 pallets fit on a lorry at maximum capacity, on which over 400 storage cartons can be transported per pallet, but only 30 plastic crates.