11 minute read
SSI Schaefer
Shaping the future of Intralogistics
Excelling in offering modular, scalable intralogistics solutions and services
With 70 operative companies and seven production facilities worldwide, SSI Schaefer is the world’s leading provider of products and systems for intra-logistic material flows and waste engineering, develops innovative concepts and solutions spanning multiple industries verticals.
In its most basic sense, Intralogistics refers to the streamlined flow of material and goods within a business enterprise, often involving solutions that automate the warehouse.
Intralogistics harnesses technology and innovative processes to optimize systems, increase process efficiencies and capabilities.
While logistics is the transportation and movement of goods from one business to another, such as different parts of the supply chain, intralogistics (also known as internal logistics) applies to material handling equipment within a particular business site, and often utilizes warehouse automation.
Intralogistics involves detailed concepts, designs and planning for internal transport processes to enable optimized and smooth-running processes, as well as increased productivity.
It impacts the end-to-end manufacture, installation and startup operation of specific products and systems, and serves as the foundation for running a successful business. It is vital that the intralogistics solutions for fulfillment and distribution centres are always up to date and subject to constant innovation.
Long established
Since its inception in 1937, SSI Schaefer has been an owner-operated, privately owned German family company. The company’s products and solutions find applicability in industry, trade, commerce, and diverse industry verticals.
With regional headquarters in Dubai Logistics City, SSI Schaefer oversees extensive operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Armed with proven and demonstrable credentials, SSI Schaefer is one of the world’s oldest and largest total solutions providers and components manufacturers in Logistics systems, storage, and handling solutions and IoT logistics software. Its highly diverse portfolio ranges from plastic containers through to automated high bay warehousing systems, customised to its clients’ needs.
Complete and integrated solutions are based upon quality products manufactured within the SSI Schaefer group and fully supported by a robust and reliable customer support and maintenance team. The company is constantly evolving and remains at the forefront of innovation in both new product development and the provision of unique intralogistics solutions, according to information posted on its official portal.
To get better acquainted with the latest updates and the lowdown on the latest developments at SSI Schaefer, Global Supply Chain conducted an exclusive interview with Carsten Spiegelberg, Managing Director, Middle East, India & Africa. The following are the excerpts from that interview.
Global Supply Chain (GSC): Characterize in your own words the role and mission of SSI Schaefer in the domain of modern automated intralogistics systems.
Carsten Spiegelberg (CS): Staying relevant to the industry and our customers is our commitment and our goal. The objective at SSI Schaefer is to enable our customers to achieve better business performance through intelligent processes.
To this end, we offer modular, scalable intralogistics solutions and outstanding project execution standards across the full range of intralogistics products, solutions, and services. Offerings range from simple pallet racking for manual warehouse operations, semi-automated order fulfillment up to fully automated
robotic solutions, including the necessary software packages.
GSC: How is automation revolutionizing the industry modular warehousing and automated logistics solutions?
CS: Warehouses today are embracing automation to improve efficiency and reduce human labour and to cut down supply chain wastes. Automation can be adopted on different levels, however, to streamline storage, picking, and ordering processes, warehouses need to be equipped with Warehouse Management System (WMS) software and technology that would track and trace inventories ingeniously.
First movers such as the E-commerce, Cold Chain, and Food & Beverage industries have started to deploy more advanced automation technologies to meet the ever-increasing consumer demand.
Other market sectors that are just about to take off have begun to adopt automation by looking into the different areas of their logistics process to “fix”, in the hope of achieving a fully automated warehoue operation in the long run.
GSC: How is the surge in regional (and global) e-commerce volumes driving business at SSI Schaefer in the Middle East?
CS: Since the pandemic occured, it has adversely affected many business processes. Over the last two to three years, many forward-thinking companies took advantage of the situation to digitalize their logistics and supply chain operations and that has provided big opportunities for our industry.
Although we are slowly seeing the supply chain disruption wave recede, the effects are still considerably apparent in many market sectors. As such the developed transport logistics networks, rising internet penetration levels and a growing tech-savvy youth population in the Middle East have attracted many to invest in the region.
Over the last decade, SSI Schaefer has been a preferred partner for many like-minded customers who share the vision of achieving world-class logistics systems in their business. Everyone of our customers is important to us, and the trust they placed with SSI Schaefer keeps the relationship strong.
GSC: Narrate one or two of the latest technology breakthroughs / innovations recently introduced by SSI Schaefer?
CS: Future-proof, sustainable intralogistics solutions must fit seamlessly into our customers operational processes, be infinitely expandable, and adapt flexibly to new conditions. Our approach is not to think in terms of individual components or systems, but to think in terms of integrated solutions.
SSI Schaefer has a broad range of products and systems covering the entire internal material flow and we are continuously expanding this range with new ideas and innovations to adapt to changing markets and requirements. These products then form the foundation for system solutions specifically developed to meet individual requirements more effectively and efficiently.
GSC: In this context, what is the role of automation?
CS: The success of e-commerce lies in the various degrees of automation. As digital orders rise beyond expectations, it becomes manually impossible for e-retailers to accurately pick and pack each order and fulfil shipments on time without the intervention and accuracy of automation solutions.
To manage seasonal shifts in demand, combined with the expectation for e-commerce to continue growing upwards within the region and beyond, we are looking at establishing an integrative, collaborative effort between the labour force and automation, working together to ensure orders are fulfilled in a timely, accurate manner.
Adopting automation technology and integrating it with current manual labourintensive operations is a progressive journey. To facilitate this long-term goal, SSI Schaefer can help identify and plan appropriate solutions that can be integrated into existing operational structures so that future challenges brought about by spikes in demands can be met head-on.
GSC: How is the SSI Schafer faring in the Middle East and how do you assess the potential for future growth?
CS: In line with our long-term commitment to our customers and partners we are continuously expanding our local competencies to be able to work together in trust and partnership to provide individual consultation in the local context, solve challenges for any
application, find appropriate solutions and ultimately offer the right products, supply system components, and implement complete solutions.
Our local team and our competencies and experience for consultation, sales, implementation and after sales service have become stronger than ever. Across the region we can look at an everincreasing customer base where we have successfully commissioned not only manual warehouses and semi-automated storage systems, but also a wide range of fully automated warehouses and state-of-the-art shuttle solutions around warehousing and order fulfillment in a diverse range of industries.
GSC: Briefly explain WAMAS software and how popular is this single software suite in the region?
CS: WAMAS is a proprietary software developed by SSI Schaefer. The full suite allows efficient and flexible order processing, goods movement, and resource optimization, along with the provision and analysis of logistics performance data.
Since the modular software manages and controls all intralogistics processes, it is suitable for warehouses at different levels of automation, making it an alltime favorite among our customers.
GSC: Describe your partnership with SAP?
CS: SSI Schaefer is a certified SAP partner, depending on the logistics concept, we can support customers with the selection, introduction, and the operation of SAP-solutions. With a focus on customer benefits, SSI Schaefer in July 2021 officially became a majority shareholder of SWAN, an SAP logistics specialist. This strategic merger allows us to offer an even broader solution portfolio and outstanding expertise in SAP logistics.
Competence for every industry sector
Same-day delivery, shop-friendly delivery, e-commerce, omnichannel marketing, and efficient production supply are making modern intralogistics more challenging than ever before. Efficient processes and a specifically tailored degree of automation combined with industryspecific expertise is the best way of addressing these challenges.
Intelligent network intralogistics with high performance information technology plays an important role in securing the future of any company. Furthermore, the industry-specific experience and expertise of the intralogistics partner played a key role.
Drawing on this experience and expertise, SSI Schaefer experts automate and optimize processes, supporting them with the company’s proprietary software solutions.
The WAMAS logistics software from SSI Schaefer has a modular design and can be perfectly adapted to a customer’s particular requirements. In addition, it can be effortlessly integrated into existing systems as a result of its diverse interfaces. As a certified SAP service partner, SSI Sschaefer extends its software portfolio with solutions from SAP.
Specific expertise in six market sectors
Although many industry sectors face the same challenges with regard to their in-house material flow, their strategies and solutions are incredibly diverse. That is why SSI Schaefer has specialized in six market sectors, combining its extensive expertise: Food Retail: Automated storage solutions for customers who store and ship foodstuffs. Products are delivered to wholesalers, businesses or via e-commerce channels. Warehouses generally include different temperature zones. Food and Beverage: Storage and picking solutions for beverages, foodstuffs, confectioneries, deepfrozen goods, and dairy products. Retail and Wholesale: Solutions for companies whose business consists of temporarily storing and reselling primarily non-food products to retailers or end customers. SSI Schaefer’s entire product spectrum is utilized, depending on the specific sub-market sector. Healthcare and Cosmetics: Storage solutions for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The goods are primarily delivered to pharmacies, cosmetics businesses, and e-commerce customers. Industry: Automated warehouse and transport solutions for the industrial sector. Customers include machinery and equipment manufacturers, along with the automotive and electrotechnology sectors. The solutions range from storage logistics for production facilities and spare parts logistics to the use of robots and auto-guided transport systems. Fashion: Solutions for customers who produce fashion articles (apparel) or trade with them. These goods can be transported and stored horizontally, hanging, or packaged.
GSC: What are the opportunities in store, competition and challenges confronting SSI Schaefer in the region going forward?
CS: Globally the outlook for the logistics industry is excellent. The demand clearly outweighs the available resources, which brings us directly to the challenges for our region. Central Europe, North America, Australia, and other countries seem to have moved out of the pandemic and pulling all available capacities.
Investment plans are approved quicker having longer RoI’s in mind. In times where steel prices and shipping rates rise in double digits on monthly basis, where semi-conductors and electrical components are facing a global shortage, quick and controlled decisions are the key to secure the scarce available resources.
Nevertheless, the opportunities in our industry and in this region strongly outweigh the risks. Quality and technology driven solutions will be in very high demand in the years to come.
GSC: What futuristic trends and advent of technologies do you foresee in intralogistics automation for the region?
CS: Every individual warehousing and distribution requirement is different, so each application will also be different. Software and automation technology should match the respective requirement when it comes to solution design and installation.
While smaller manual applications may be able to handle a one-size-fits-all approach, scalability for future should be mandatory. In this kind of environment flexible technologies around autonomous vehicles, robotics and unit sorter systems will further develop and continue to grow their share.
At the same time traditional technologies around automated warehousing including a wide suite of shuttle solutions, conveyance and order picking will remain, adapted, and developed further. These then need to be applied and customised into larger integrated facilities designed for retail, omni-channel and large-scale e-commerce applications.
GSC: How is SSI Schaefer adopting and adapting to these new technologies and trends and demands from clients?
CS: With its international presence, its comprehensive portfolio and strong innovation capabilities, SSI Schaefer is well prepared to adapt to the specific needs of each of our customers, recommend and select the right level of automation and adopt adequate technologies and systems from within its international portfolio and beyond.
Our growing local workforce, in close co-operations with the competence centers in our European and Asian headquarters, assures that our customers in the region have full access to these innovations, whilst maintaining individual consultation in the local context.
Every individual warehousing and distribution requirement is different. Software and automation technology should match the respective requirement when it comes to solution design and installation.
