The unstoppable expansion drive of pgb (cover story)
28/01/2025 - pgb shines on the cover of the January-February 2025 edition of trade magazine Fasteners & Fixings
As a leading supplier and manufacturer of fasteners and anchors, the family-owned company pgb is taking a new step in the development of their sustainable growth plan. Besides high-quality products, advanced digitalisation and logistical excellence are the pillars of this expansion. New developments in these areas make the organisation even more resilient in times of crisis.
For three generations, pgb-Europe has specialized in fasteners: from small screws to European-certified structural bolts and seismically approved anchors, maintaining a constant stock of around 30,000 items. These products are primarily distributed under the brand names PGB-FASTENERS, PFS, HAPAX, and SMART.
Founded in 1956 the company has grown into an international player with a central logistic centre in Belgium, a production facility in Poland and a sourcing hub in Shanghai. Sales organisations were set up in the Netherlands and France to better meet the specific needs of these markets. Now pgb is deploying the next phase in their sustainable expansion.
Since pgb-Europe moved to the current headquarter in Melle in 1997, its warehouse and logistic processes constantly evolved. From the start it was a paperless warehouse with small isle trucks. Nowadays it is steered by a modern WMS and automatic order picking.
“Our warehouse is the aorta of our organization, and we are heavily investing in advanced automation (Dynaman WMS) and efficiency. In our high-bay pallet warehouse, goods are stored with automatic cranes, and multiple AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) handle internal transport. The WMS system is seamlessly connected to our ERP system S/4H. In that way we can ensure that each step is traceable, allowing us to map the entire product chain.”
"Every year, we now process over 1,000 incoming containers and ship 18,000 tons of goods to customers across Europe. This naturally requires a well-structured system to keep everything organized, but at the same time, we always operate with a customer-centric approach to add extra value.
Currently, construction is ongoing for a new automated shuttle warehouse with 40,000 storage locations (OSR – Order Storage and Retrieval) from Knapp. This internal upgrade represents a new level of top-tier logistics technology. The system uses small autonomous shuttles that quickly move across different rack levels. Products are stored in plastic totes or remain in outer boxes, which are transported by shuttles to and from storage locations and work/pick stations.
The significant difference from our current miniload system is that this system operates much faster and more efficiently than the older cranes. Additionally, we can process full outer boxes directly without manual handling, and robots will assist with (de)palletising. This will drastically increase our processing speed, enabling us to more than double the number of pick lines per day. Furthermore, it will offer a more ergonomic way of working for our warehouse employees by eliminating the manual handling of heavy outer boxes."
pgb-Europe also successfully acquired two adjacent plots and will be carrying out further expansions of the logistics centre in the short term. In early 2025, a new shipping area with four loading docks will be constructed, along with additional offices and meeting rooms on the upper floors. Once this phase is complete, a second automated pallet warehouse will also be built, providing an additional 12,000 pallet spaces by end of 2026.
Not only is it investing heavily in its internal processes. The other channels also get a lot of attention. The webshop is an important extension of the sales channel and provides 24/7 access to the online product catalogue. This is controlled by a Product Information System (PIM). Registered customers can enjoy all kinds of commercial tools and have access to the pgb-ScanApp, which is seamlessly integrated with the webshop. In addition, pgb offers digital connections such as full or partial EDI integration and PunchOut catalogue.
Thanks to these targeted investments, pgb can continue to look brightly to the future. Logistical excellence combined with digital tools supporting the sales process ensure that customers can enjoy an excellent service. In this way, pgb seeks to continue its international standing among the top in its industry.