materialfluss: Is this assessment deceptive or are more and more small and medium-sized companies actually moving towards automating their intralogistics processes? What do they expect from this step and why should they do it at all?

Philipp Brünsing: I can only agree with this assessment - more and more small and medium-sized companies are finding out about the path to automation and are approaching it gradually and carefully. They know their core business very well, but logistics is often neglected. In the past, many did not see any direct added value in internal processes. This way of thinking has changed significantly as a result of the experience gained during the coronavirus pandemic and the increasing shortage of skilled workers. Companies are increasingly seeing the need to automate sub-processes in the warehouse in order to be more resource-independent with increased responsiveness, to ensure consistent and more efficient processes and to position themselves for the future. Among other things, partial automation can lead to one shift instead of two. New growth, for example due to increased e-commerce business, can also be managed very well with the existing workforce, as transportation tasks, for example, can be taken over by our Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) such as the Weasel. Staff are relieved and can devote their skills to other, more demanding tasks.

materialfluss: What do you think a successful entry into automation could look like?

Brünsing: This question is fundamentally very company and process-dependent, but there is currently a discernible trend that is increasingly focusing on the topic of "route optimization" or "goods to person". Many customers are currently concentrating on internal goods transportation in order to automate this area first. Nevertheless, some have reservations about this step. It therefore makes sense to start with one or two AGVs, for example, and have recurring basic loads handled by the devices. A number of our customers who have also chosen this approach have gradually identified more and more use cases, with the result that pallet storage and retrieval operations are now being carried out by SSI Schaefer AGVs at several locations in different areas. However, it has also been shown that transports can be carried out using conveyor technology or an AGV such as the Weasel instead of an elevator or via the stairs. This saves companies valuable time and allows them to use their resources more effectively and in a more targeted manner.

material flow: The desire is often there, but the belief is lacking. Despite the willingness often expressed, skepticism is still widespread. Automation is above all expensive and time-consuming. What arguments can be used to refute these concerns?

Brünsing: You currently have to deal with concerns in every conversation. As SSI Schaefer, it is important to us to take concerns seriously and to identify potential for improvement in detailed consultations based on possible solutions. In this way, it is possible to create a feeling for the fact that automation is a decisive lever for increased process reliability with reduced logistics costs and sustainably strengthened competitiveness. However, this intensive discussion can also lead to us advising a customer against automation in one area, but considering another to be very effective. This critical exchange with the customer and the discussion about certain areas allows trust to grow. The clear advantage of SSI Schaefer is that we can cover all segments from manual to fully automated applications - whether small or large. For entry into partial automation, for example, we offer combined solutions at attractive conditions with the SSI Logimat warehouse lift and the AGV Weasel, or with our heavy-duty mobile racking and AGVs. These can be installed and put into operation practically via plug & play, so that in addition to the initial investment, the integration effort is also low. However, a certain degree of uncertainty remains for every customer taking the first step towards partial automation. This is where professional project management is required to accompany them all the way to commissioning and to address any questions and tasks that arise in a solution-oriented manner.

materialfluss: To conclude, why should small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular entrust their plans to a global player like SSI Schaefer?

Brünsing: SSI Schaefer is often seen as a global player with large projects, but our strength is that we can not only think in large dimensions, but also design and provide tailor-made solutions for all our customers. This is exactly how we are organized with our different business units. We see ourselves more as a medium-sized company that has grown over many years and, against the background of our own development, is very familiar with the challenges that SMEs have to overcome, including in the course of expansion. As a grown and established company with activities in countless markets, we are very close to our customers locally. Our core business therefore includes not only orders worth millions, but also the joint, partnership-based realization of projects with local small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2020, we took the path of setting up a project sales organization for precisely this type of project, which advises and supports customers from larger projects involving manual warehouse technology systems through to semi-automated solutions including software - all from a single source and without the time-consuming interface problems that often inevitably arise with multiple suppliers. At the same time, we have sharpened our portfolio with a view to the specific requirements and put together freely combinable solution packages in a double pack, which we already mentioned at the beginning. This allows SMEs to start with partial automation on a smaller scale and then expand the modular, scalable systems step by step. They virtually grow in parallel with the development of a company.