When Growth Outgrows Your Space
With over 60 years of steady expansion, FTZ had accumulated a patchwork of warehouse facilities across Odense. Operations were fragmented, inefficient, and increasingly costly to maintain.
"We had become too fragmented in our central warehouses in Odense, where we did not have everything under one roof," explains Steffen Matzen, Project Management Manager at FTZ.
The solution was bold: consolidate everything into a single, state-of-the-art distribution centre in Aarup on Funen. But with an investment of this magnitude, FTZ wasn't taking any chances.
No Stone Left Unturned
When FTZ makes investments of this scale, nothing is left to chance. Rather than simply searching online for suppliers, they embarked on a rigorous partner selection process.
"We start by challenging ourselves to identify what we actually need," says Steffen Matzen. "We discuss and analyze our actual needs, rather than what might be nice or smart."
The process involved multiple rounds of evaluation, with internal selection criteria designed to find not just a supplier, but a long-term partner who shared FTZ's values of integrity, collaboration, and development.
After extensive evaluation, Constructor emerged as the chosen partner.
Engineering Excellence Across Multiple Halls
The solution delivered was impressive in its scale and sophistication:
- 25,158 pallet spaces distributed across several interconnected halls
- Variable height uprights - predominantly 9 and 10 metres high to maximise vertical storage
- Colour-coded load capacity system - blue beams (FTZ RAL 5013) rated for 700kg, orange beams (RAL 2001) rated for 1,000kg
- Comprehensive safety features including mesh shelves carrying 1,000kg, plus frame and upright protectors
The project's complexity extended beyond the racking itself. In the hazardous goods area, the installation had to be carefully coordinated with sprinkler system installation, requiring daily collaboration between multiple teams.
Seamless Implementation
Despite the project's complexity, the implementation exceeded expectations.
"An implementation plan was drawn up in collaboration with Constructor, and that plan was largely followed," notes Steffen Matzen. "It is inevitable that there will be bumps along the way, but in reality it has been an incredibly smooth implementation process."
The Constructor installation team demonstrated the professionalism expected on large-scale projects, working efficiently alongside other contractors while maintaining safety standards throughout.
A Foundation for Future Growth
While still in the early stages of the move to Aarup, FTZ is already seeing the benefits of consolidation. The old Odense buildings are being sold as operations transfer to the new facility, streamlining both logistics and personnel management.
"In connection with the tender process, we needed a partner who could enrich us with knowledge so that we ended up with the solution we wanted to kick-start our new logistics centre," explains Steffen Matzen. "Then there are all kinds of development over time, and there we need a partner who can help us develop further."
For FTZ, this isn't just about solving today's challenges - it's about building the infrastructure to support Denmark's automotive industry for decades to come.
About FTZ Autodele & Værktøj A/S
Founded in 1962, FTZ Autodele & Værktøj A/S has grown from a small parts supplier into Denmark's largest automotive wholesaler. The company supplies spare parts and tools to the Danish automotive industry, continuously evolving its product range and services to meet changing customer needs. Since 2018, FTZ has been part of the MEKO Group, one of the leading automotive parts groups in the Nordic and Baltic regions.