Press & News

Neunkirchen/Siegerland, Germany, October 16, 2024 – The SSI SCHAEFER Group, a leading global solution provider for all areas of intralogistics, today published its third sustainability report, which underlines the continuity of its activities in this area over the last few years.

The Best of Industry Award honors top industrial innovators. In the ‘Digital Infrastructure’ category, the Computerized Maintenance Management System, WAMAS Maintenance Center (SSI CMMS) from SSI SCHAEFER is convincing. It offers planning and digital control for all required maintenance activities. The winners were announced in the course of the online award ceremony.

In an effort to expand its logistics capacity and deploy efficient logistics management and technological innovations throughout the company, Desigual, an international fashion company based in Barcelona, has once again trusted SSI SCHAEFER.To centralize operations at its distribution center in Viladecans, Spain, Desigual is replacing a traditional pallet rack for overstock with a new area equipped with 24 RackBots from SSI SCHAEFER’s range of SSI Mobile Robots.

How can warehouses and material flows be optimized to work more efficiently? What role do new technologies play? And how can the systems used be flexibly adapted to changing requirements? SSI SCHAEFER will provide answers to these questions with its trade fair appearance at LogiMAT 2024 in Stuttgart (March 19 - 21, 2024). Under the motto «Shaping the Future of Intralogistics», SSI SCHAEFER will present itself as a partner for future-proof intralogistics for both small companies and large corporations.

Fluctuating demand and a shortage of skilled workers pose mounting challenges for many companies. In order to translate multi-layered requirements into efficient logistics structures, companies need flexible logistics systems that work together perfectly. SSI SCHAEFER offers a solution in the form of an intelligent combination of space-saving pallet channel storage with an SSI Orbiter channel shuttle and automated guided vehicles (AGV) – a solution that also provides a gradual entry into automation.

Every year, Black Friday heralds the global peak season in retailing. However, the days of this sales campaign, with lots of discounts, being limited to only the Friday after Thanksgiving, and even to selected products or product groups, are very much over. More and more frequently, vendors are expanding their sales tactics and discount battles over an entire Black Week and seamlessly transitioning into the hot final phase of Christmas trade with Cyber Monday and other offers.

The SSI SCHAEFER reference project WFL Millturn Technologies, utilizing the efficient SSI LOGIMAT storage lifts, achieves 2nd place in the materialfluss Product of the Year Award in the "Storage Technology" category. SSI SCHAEFER secures 3rd place with the SSI Piece Picking solution in the Industrial Production Product of the Year Award in the "Robotics" category.

Nahdi Medical Company, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's largest pharmaceutical retail chain, in cooperation with SSI SCHAEFER, the world’s leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, announced the implementation of the country’s first world-class pharmaceutical system in March 2022.

For the first time, the readers of the German trade magazine INDUSTRIAL Production selected the Products of the Year 2023. In the category 'Handling, Assembly and Production', the semi-automated workstation Advanced Pick Station one-level from SSI SCHAEFER convinced and took the 2nd place. With this system, heavy and fragile items can be picked ergonomically. During the award ceremony on March 30, 2023 at Weka Business Medien in Haar, the winners were announced.

High-Performance Fashion Logistics for Efficient Omnichannel Management SSI SCHAEFER served as the general contractor to equip a new logistics facility in Weil am Rhein with a state-of-the-art systems technology for Work in Progress Textilhandels GmbH (Carhartt WIP). SSI SCHAEFER’s powerful intralogistics solution seamlessly connects the existing system with the new one.

In just six months, SSI SCHAEFER was able to automate the existing mobile racking system at Ostendorf in Emstek using automated guided vehicles (AGV) and its WAMAS® intralogistics software. Right after the go-live in the middle of 2021, the positive impact of this partially automated logistics solution was clear and quantifiable: it ensures transparent, error-free processes and makes the material flow resource-independent – and thus more efficient – in three-shift operations.

Effective October 15, 2023, Peter Edelmann has been appointed as the new CEO of leading intralogistics company SSI SCHAEFER. In this role, Peter Edelmann takes over from Steffen Bersch, who has led the company for the past three and a half years. As a further member of the two-member Group Executive Board, Olaf Hedden has been appointed CFO. He will also take over on October 15, 2023, succeeding Bruno Krauss.

SSI SCHAEFER is honored as a finalist in the "Conveyor Technology" category with the Boohoo Sheffield reference project and the SSI Carrier pouch sorter integrated into it.

The SSI SCHAEFER Group, a German family-owned company established more than 85 years ago and a leading international solution provider for all segments of the intralogistics industry, reported an increase in revenues to EUR 1.87 billion (+3.2%) for the financial year 2023, according to preliminary figures. The Group benefited from major project acceptances in the Logistics Solutions and Customer Services business units, which offset the decline in Products & Equipment revenue.

In 1972, Rossmann made history with the first drugstore in Germany. Today, Dirk Rossmann AG operates all over Europe, enjoying a large presence in Hungary, with over 250 stores. Not only is it represented by its stores, but also by being a successful e-commerce brand. Thanks to their vast array of products and fast delivery, Rossmann has already been honored with the “Superbrand Award” several times. The company continues to grow rapidly and in order to cope with increasing demand and ensure the satisfaction of all customers in the future, the logistics must grow with them.

The SSI SCHAEFER Group reported an order intake of EUR 1.74 billion (-12.2%) for the fiscal year 2022, according to preliminary figures. The decline is mainly due to the fact that major projects in the Group’s largest business unit, Logistics Solutions, were postponed to 2023 and 2024, as several customers recorded low order intake due to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine and increased material prices.

The SSI SCHAEFER Group and DS AUTOMOTION GmbH, a leading provider of mobile robotics (AGV - Automated Guided Vehicles and AMR - Autonomous Mobile Robots) headquartered in Linz, signed an agreement under which SSI SCHAEFER will acquire all shares in DS AUTOMOTION GmbH. SSI SCHAEFER will thus expand the minority interest it has held since 2018 to reflect the growing importance of autonomous and mobile robotics and the AGV business in intralogistics.

At the end of January 2023, it was announced that the SSI SCHAEFER Group and DS AUTOMOTION GmbH, a leading provider of mobile robotics (AGV - Automated Guided Vehicles and AMR - Autonomous Mobile Robots) headquartered in Linz, signed an agreement under which SSI SCHAEFER will acquire all shares in DS AUTOMOTION GmbH. The acquisition of the remaining shares was successfully completed and came into effect on March 1, 2023, following completion of the review by the Austrian Federal Competition Authority.

SSI SCHAEFER Group, a leading global solution provider for all areas of intralogistics, today published its second sustainability report. The report documents the company's progress in 2022 towards a more sustainable future. Activities focused on implementing measures that were defined in the sustainability strategy developed back in 2021. The sustainability strategy takes equal account of ecological, social and economic aspects.

SSI SCHAEFER is presenting new software especially for stand-alone operation of the SSI LOGIMAT Vertical Lift Module. LOGIONE is a simple and intuitive storage location and article management system. The self-explanatory user interfaces support the operators and eliminate the need for time-consuming training. LOGIONE is now available for users to download free of charge from the intralogistics expert's website.

The Lesage Prestige family business, specializing in exceptional meats and delicatessen products, entrusts SSI SCHAEFER, a leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions, with the reorganization and optimization of its order preparation. Their current facility in Chemy, France, enables them to deliver meat parcels within 24 to 48 hours. Following strong business growth Lesage chose SSI SCHAEFER to rethink their order picking activity by integrating a fleet of RackBot from the spectrum of SSI Mobile Robots in combination with PR 600 racking systems.

SSI SCHAEFER is launching a fully automated piece picking system with numerous innovative features – the SSI Piece Picking application. This versatile solution, which includes a dedicated smart software, boasts advanced functions such as pick-and-place, object recognition using artificial intelligence (AI), a patented gripping point determination, and extremely gentle product handling. The intelligent robotic cell, which can combine with other SSI SCHAEFER components, was debuted in Stuttgart from April 25 to 27 at LogiMAT, Europe’s leading material handling trade show.

Swedish Agro Machinery AB, distributor and importer of farming machinery has decided to centralize its spare parts storage system and equip the new warehouse of 3,700 square meters with SSI SCHAEFER’s logistics solutions. Pallet and cantilever racks, shelves and SSI LOGIMAT® Vertical Lift Modules are parts of the solution. The result: a compact warehouse with up to 23,000 different parts and an overnight delivery.

Supply quality and first-class on-site services are crucial if retail pharmacies are to survive in the face of online competition. Therefore, the role of pharmaceutical wholesalers is also significant – these companies need to ensure high product availability, and provide the fastest possible delivery. The company in this example has tailored its fulfillment concept precisely to these demands and implemented it with state-of-the-art technology from its long-term intralogistics partner SSI SCHAEFER. The latest highlight is the installed A-Frame with integrated product verification. This highly efficient, fully automated picking system provides up to 40,000 drug packages per hour during peak times on an order-by-order basis while meeting the high standards of the pharmaceutical industry.

In the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Neunkirchen (Germany) / Friesach (Austria) – 11th July 2023. For the third consecutive year, analysts at Gartner have positioned SSI SCHAEFER as a Challenger in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems (May 2023).

SSI SCHAEFER brings a much-needed automated picking solution to industries with large, oversized-heavy goods. A combined gantry robot with the SSI Exyz crane enables the perfect solution for automated storage and picking of heavy and bulk packaged goods.

As general contractor for intralogistics, SSI SCHAEFER provides a new logistics building for Work in Progress Textilhandels GmbH (Carhartt WIP), including a Cuby shuttle system, a compact bin and carton conveying system as well as picking locations with sequencing tower. Furthermore, the existing automated shipping buffer will be extended and connected to the new system technology.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) has successfully validated SSI SCHAEFER software in the validation of Warehouse Management System (WMS) solutions. With the help of the manufacturer-independent "WMS Online Selection", Fraunhofer IML supports companies in selecting the optimal suitable WMS and provider. The validation signet once again confirms the quality of SSI SCHAEFER software solutions.

SSI SCHAEFER's logistics software has been recognized once again as a Challenger in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems for its WAMAS WMS.

In order to break logistics paradigms and modify their current supply chain, La Costeña, one of the biggest manufacturers of canned food in Mexico, worked together with SSI SCHAEFER to develop a major logistics solution that aims at increasing storage capacity, picking efficiency and dispatch production.

The EDEKA Group Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen expands and automates their regional warehouse in Gochsheim, Germany with SSI SCHAEFER.

Koenig & Bauer (AT) GmbH takes a step further towards automation with SSI SCHAEFER and modernizes the Maria Enzersdorf location. The printing press manufacturer commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to supply and install a semi-automated solution with 13 SSI LOGIMAT Vertical Lift Modules for small parts vertical and efficient item picking.

SHOP APOTHEKE EUROPE, one of Continental Europe’s leading online pharmacies, commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to equip their new logistics center in Sevenum, the Netherlands. The highly automated solution will increase the possible shipping volume to more than 35 million parcels per year and has been designed for zero-error tolerance and 24/7 operations. The investment is in the medium double-digit million range.

The leading wholesaler and service provider Galexis AG ensures timely and consistent drug supply of all partners in the Swiss health sector. High-quality, modern intralogistics guarantees high customer satisfaction and successful market presence. In order to be prepared for future requirements, the distribution center in Lausanne-Ecublens is comprehensively expanded. The distribution center in Niederbipp has already been expanded.

The bilstein group, based in Ennepetal, Germany, is investing in an additional logistics center at its Gelsenkirchen site in order to ensure the global availability of its products and services, both now and in the future. The leading specialist in the independent aftermarket for passenger cars and commercial vehicles is once again counting on the manufacturing expertise of the reliable partner and intralogistics expert, SSI SCHAEFER, for the construction of this in-house steel structure for manual and fully automatic systems.

SSI SCHAEFER completes rack construction of automated miniload system (ASPW) for bilstein group on time

Steel construction competence for timely finish in Gochsheim, Germany
On target: safely, quickly and efficiently. With these objectives, SSI SCHAEFER, as general contractor, is building the regional warehouse for the EDEKA Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen group in Gochsheim, Germany. Taking this expansive step, the German wholesaler is responding to the continuously growing sales volume and is ensuring a future-proof supply for relevant markets. As early as May 2021, the new, semi-automated logistics complex, with a sophisticated picking area directly integrated into the steel construction, will commence operation. Future-focused planning and a streamlined project management contributed to the successful implementation of the project.

The renowned US research and advisory company Gartner, Inc., lists SSI SCHAEFER with its software WAMAS® in the "Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems".

Coop, one of the leading food retailers in Sweden, chose SSI SCHAEFER as their general contractor for intralogistics to provide a cutting-edge, energy-efficient and highly automated logistics solution for their new 77,000 m² distribution center in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Back in 2017 NorgesGruppen ASA, one of the leading retail groups in Scandinavia, commissioned SSI SCHAEFER to build a new logistics center for its subsidiary company ASKO OSLOFJORD AS (ASKO).
Knut-Andreas Kran, CEO of ASKO OSLOFJORD AS, comments on the challenges the company experienced at the time: “ASKO anticipated a future capacity problem with only two possible solutions: either to extend the existing building or to relocate. We simply would not be able to keep up with the expected growth in the current location. We also did not want to just build a larger manual warehouse as we see that automation is an investment in the future.”