Sales record set in previous year

We managed to take advantage of the good economic situation and hold our own against the competition despite the political restrictions," says company owner and Managing Director Harald Seifert, summarizing the 2017 financial year. Compared to the previous year, the Ulm-based logistics and forwarding company increased its turnover by almost 28% from 145 to 185 million euros. The logistics space under management was expanded by an additional 10 percent and now amounts to 518,000 square meters. In the first half of the year, the Seifert Logistics Group will exceed the 2,000-employee mark.

The 2017 financial year was also dominated by the company's 70th anniversary, which was celebrated with family parties at the Ehingen-Berg (Donau), Malsch and Lützen-Zorbau sites. "Every single employee contributed to our company's success last year - a real team effort that makes me particularly proud as a family entrepreneur," says Harald Seifert, appreciating the commitment of his employees.

Focus on digitalization, Industry 4.0 and personnel development

Markus Alander (left), Christian Stoll (2nd from right) and Dario Dante Oncsak (right) joined the Seifert Logistics Group management team around company owner Harald Seifert (2nd from left) in January 2018.

Contract logistics continues to be a key component of the Seifert Logistics Group's success and has been steadily growing at double-digit rates for years. "It is important that we constantly develop our product portfolio and continue to offer our customers innovative service concepts with real added value," says Harald Seifert. "As an owner-managed family business, we will continue to support all customers as a strategic partner."

As in 2016, the topics of digitalization, Industry 4.0 and personnel development continued to be the focus of the corporate strategy in 2017. As a result, the management team was expanded to include Christian Stoll, Markus Alander and Dario Dante Oncsak on January 1, 2018. The team led by Harald Seifert will continue to drive the operational business forward. "This will not only enable us to meet the challenges of the future, but also the wishes of our customers and employees," says the company owner, explaining the decision. "Because there is no end to growth in sight. 2018 has got off to a fast start and we have already won new projects in the first quarter."

One of the projects implemented in 2017 was the takeover of an internal logistics area of an automotive manufacturer: since mid-2017, the Seifert Logistics Group has been managing the manufacturer's Internal Plant Consolidation Center (IPCC) at the Rastatt site. This upstream storage and logistics area is used to supply production with production materials on demand and on time. Its close connection significantly reduces the time from request to delivery.

Seifert Logistics Group

The Seifert Logistics Group has developed from a regional market leader to an internationally operating forwarding and contract logistics service provider. Founded in 1947, the family-run company based in Ulm with more than 1,900 employees is one of the most important logistics service providers in Germany. At 43 locations in Europe, the Seifert Logistics Group realizes procurement, production and distribution solutions for the automotive, paper, chemical, building materials, pharmaceutical and consumer goods industries.

Production call-offs served in two hours

The Seifert Logistics Group had already performed these logistics tasks in the past. However, they were carried out from an External Plant Consolidation Center (EPCC) around 15 kilometers away. It therefore took around four hours for the required parts to be available on the production line. Thanks to the new location on the factory premises and by splitting existing and acquiring new volumes, the Seifert Logistics Group is now able to meet production call-offs within two hours. Deliveries are made identically from both warehouses. "There are more than a hundred variants of exterior mirrors alone. If you first have to search for the right mirror for the model during production, you lose time and money," explains Holger Hartung, Head of Logistics at the Seifert Logistics Group.

Around 160 employees are involved in handling the vehicle parts in the more than 24,000 square meter IPCC. In this project, the Seifert Logistics Group team also picks around 15,000 small load carriers every day, which are then delivered directly to production by the client using a tugger train.

www.seifert-logistics.com