Liebherr, a global leader in heavy equipment, construction machinery, and precision-engineered components, partnered with io to lay the groundwork for a next-generation logistics center in the United States. The company’s continued expansion across North and South America required a purpose-built solution that could accommodate a uniquely complex product portfolio—ranging from oversized cranes and earth-moving equipment to delicate spare parts and aftermarket components. With operational complexity on the rise and growing demand from customers across the region, Liebherr recognized the need for a facility that could support higher service level expectations and scale efficiently for long-term growth.

io initiated the project with a comprehensive network, location, and transportation study to determine the ideal U.S. location for the new distribution hub. This analytical groundwork allowed the team to evaluate key factors including transit times, customer proximity, workforce availability, and long-term real estate value. From there, io developed an innovative concept design for a 550,000 square foot facility that is both automation-ready and highly adaptable to Liebherr’s diverse product types. The layout accommodates varied weights, dimensions, and throughput needs by integrating multiple storage technologies and staging zones designed to operate in parallel.

Collaboration was central to success. io worked closely with Liebherr’s operational leads, engineering stakeholders, and global logistics teams to ensure alignment between corporate processes and regional market requirements. Special attention was given to reconciling process expectations from European headquarters with the realities of American distribution practices. io also supported strategic decision-making around phased automation—outlining where and how automation could be introduced over time without disrupting daily operations.

The material handling concept is centered around an automated high bay warehouse for pallet handling and a high throughput automated miniload shuttle for standard totes. Connected goods to man picking stations ensure high level of efficiency in order picking and consolidation. Overall, the material handling concept reflects a highly automated vision of the project team utilizing AMRs and conveyors. In general materials are introduced into automated systems in inbound and only retrieved in outbound after picking and consolidation is complete, and shipments are ready to load. The high level of efficiency allows Liebherr to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction through late cut-off times for same day shipment.

With this scalable, future-ready logistics concept now complete, Liebherr is well-positioned to move into detailed facility design and implementation.