German distributor Kerschgens is expanding its main site in Stolberg near Aachen, close to the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands.
The enlargement at Stolberg will mean the closure of the sites in nearby Würselen and in Viersen, some 70km further north, all in North Rhine Westphalia state. According to a manager, three houses in and around Viersen are mere distribution warehouses which the company established as hubs decades ago, and that do fit in the company’s current structure.
“It made little sense to invest in new storage technology at sites that do not meet today’s standards any more,” he tells Kallanish. The company is therefore building a new hall of 13,000m² with a modern high-bay warehouse in Stolberg for an overall investment of some €20 million ($22m), he says.
In its announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony last week, Kerschgens highlighted its acquisition of Carlier Blechbearbeitung, a sheet-working company, based in Aachen. Kerschgens says it plans to grow this activity further, and for that purpose needs to expand space. The company is a full-range distributor, with an emphasis on long products.
Following the acquisition of Carlier in 2022, Kerschgens employs 247 people at its sites in Stolberg, Aachen, Würselen, Bitburg and Trier, the latter two some 100km south in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Christian Koehl Germany