Case Study: Kuehne + Nagel achieves intelligent, high‑throughput automated layer picking with Körber AG's Layer Picker® Flex‑R

Layer picking in a 3PL warehouse

Kuehne + Nagel, a global logistics leader with about 63,000 employees and a national food distribution center in Utrecht (throughput up to 220 pallets/hour), needed to raise Layer Picker productivity and implement intelligent material flow control for storage/retrieval, picking and crossdocking. To achieve this they partnered with Körber AG and selected Körber’s layer‑picking technology (K.Handle Layer Picker robots / Layer Picker® Flex‑R).

Körber AG installed multiple K.Handle Layer Picker/Layer Picker® Flex‑R units fully integrated into site automation to automate depalletizing, layer picking and customer pallet building. The solution lifted up to 215 kg per pick, can move more than 340 tons in a shift, and enabled higher throughput with less manual labor—delivering faster, more flexible operations across three sites (including Utrecht) and measurable rationalization for Kuehne + Nagel in the competitive 3PL market.

Kuehne + Nagel

John Pelzer

Technical Manager