At Minden's RegioPort, the Hölkemeier Group demonstrates how intelligent logistics works.
Strong together: The three Minden-based companies Hölkemeier, Karl Möller and ESM Ertl work together like a well-oiled machine.
Amidst fully automated high-bay warehouses, autonomously driving forklifts, and precisely controlled refrigerated transports, a logistical clockwork ticks daily in Minden, operating with minute precision. Here, in the heart of East Westphalia, the L.I.T. Group, with its subsidiary Hölkemeier Spedition GmbH and the affiliated companies ESM Ertl Systemlogistik Minden GmbH & Co. KG and Karl Möller Internationale Speditions- GmbH & Co. KG, demonstrates how modern consumer goods logistics functions â networked, forward-looking, and full of responsibility for people and materials.
Since January 2024, ESM has been part of the Hölkemeier family and thus embedded in the strong network of the L.I.T. Group. With its Minden location, ESM specializes in the logistics of particularly sensitive consumer goods. Whether pet food, chocolate, chewing gum, or foodstuffs: the requirements for storage and transport are high â manufacturers' quality specifications must be precisely adhered to. "Our location is prepared for this diversity," says Andreas Voigt, Managing Director of ESM Ertl Systemlogistik Minden GmbH & Co. KG. "With our automated processes and state-of-the-art storage technologies, we are able to react to seasonal peaks at short notice and handle different product groups with precision."
In the spacious halls, more than 46,000 pallets of pet food and indulgence goods from an international brand portfolio, 19,000 seasonal confectionery items, and approximately 27,000 pallets of pet food from a manufacturer whose factory is logistically advantageously located directly opposite, are currently stored. Several thousand pallets of these items are stored and retrieved daily, tailored to the requirements of the respective product groups.
Technology Meets Precision
The ESM warehouse is a prime example of modern intralogistics: automated high-bay warehouse, autonomous narrow-aisle warehouse, drive-in satellite warehouse, and conveyor technology, supported by trained specialists. Despite automation, people remain at the center: responsibility and expertise are required when handling sensitive consumer goods. More than 130 employees work daily in the approximately 41,500 square meter hall, which has already been expanded twice.
Particularly impressive: the direct connection to the neighboring pet food manufacturer via a fully automated bridge. "This connection allows us a just-in-time disposal of production that is unparalleled," says Voigt. The finished goods thus reach storage without an intermediate stop. A prime example of efficient and sustainable location logistics.
Andreas Voigt, Managing Director of ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH, relies on technology and cooperation.
For Jonas Wulf, Managing Director of Karl Möller Internationale Speditions-GmbH & Co. KG, customer requirements come first.
When it needs to be cold
For temperature-sensitive transports, Karl Möller Internationale Speditions- GmbH & Co. KG operates with around 50 trucks, regularly also for ESM. Their vehicles are designed for highly specialized refrigerated transports: double-deck systems allow 33 to 66 pallets per trip, and the temperature can be flexibly regulated from -40 °C to +40 °C. "Especially for strongly odorous or taste-sensitive products, strict rules apply," explains Jonas Wulf, Managing Director of Karl Möller Spedition. "No other food products may be loaded when certain products are on board." Möller handles around 20 pickups daily on behalf of ESM â currently primarily to the Ruhr area, and in the medium term also nationwide to food retailers.
More Than Warehouses and Trucks
The consumer goods logistics of the L.I.T. Group has been enriched by two strong partners through the acquisitions of ESM Systemlogistik and Möller Spedition. As a parent company, the L.I.T. Group, as well as Hölkemeier, was not operating in unknown territory even before these acquisitions. For example, Hölkemeier operates a customs warehouse in Minden's industrial port, where, in addition to coffee from a renowned Hamburg roastery, non-food consumer goods from the same company are stored, packaged, and transported.
For transport services, Hölkemeier is also supported by L.I.T. Speditions GmbH, which demonstrates how thoroughly interconnected the companies are. Furthermore, Hölkemeier and ESM Systemlogistik offer various Value Added Services, including display construction for promotional goods, for example, for major confectionery and pet food brands. "Our aim is to offer the entire logistics chain comprehensively, with temperature-controlled transports, different storage systems and requirements, and additional services such as customs handling or display construction for the point of sale. We can now map this very well at the Minden location," says Lars Hölkemeier, Managing Director of Hölkemeier Spedition.
RegioPort: Logistics of the Future
Because the ESM warehouse in Minden reached its capacity limits, a portion of the FMCG goods was relocated in July to the newly opened RegioPort, which was put into operation in Q3 2025. In East Westphalia's largest self-climatized logistics hall, built by Hölkemeier, ESM takes on the role of the main tenant. "Among other things, we store snacks, chewing gum, and peanuts there â the latter will even be delivered directly by ship via the Mittelland Canal in the future," says Lars Hölkemeier, also mentioning the advantages of the location's intermodality, which allows connection via the Mittelland Canal and rail in addition to classic truck transport.
In total, the air-conditioned area here comprises approximately 22,000 square meters. The remaining 18,000 square meters are used by Hölkemeier Spedition for the storage of products from a world-leading sanitary manufacturer. Between air-conditioned warehouses, fully automated bridges, and individually temperature-controlled trucks, ESM Systemlogistik and Hölkemeier demonstrate that consumer goods logistics is no longer a simple business of pallets and pallet spaces, but rather a precise interplay of technology, people, and strategy. What happens daily in Minden is a glimpse into the future of the supply chain at L.I.T.: networked, scalable, responsible â and ready for the next level.
Im hochmodernen, automatisierten Hochregallager der ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH werden KonsumguÌter in Höchstgeschwindigkeit kommissioniert.