After two meetings at the Digital.Hub Logistics in Dortmund and at META's headquarters in Arnsberg, a pilot study was launched in January 2018. The aim was to analyze the process times for picking META SPEED-RACK and META MULTIPAL items at the new Plant II and identify optimization potential. Over the following four months, there were measurements, presentations, analyses - and a few challenges. "Both sides were breaking new ground with this project," says Sascha Kaczmarek, COO MotionMiners, looking back. This was the first time the start-up had implemented a pilot in a medium-sized company, had to get the workforce and the works council on board and work with a technology that was still in the BETA phase. At the same time, quotation and order documents were still being created, the handling of the recorded data had to be clarified and META had to deal with disruptions to operational processes. "The project was an important learning process for all of us," agree Kerstin Herdtle and Sascha Kaczmarek.

A learning process that has paid off. The project participants also agree on this. "The advantages simply outweigh the disadvantages," says Christoph Schöttler, Head of Supply Chain Management at META. "We were shown new process potential, were able to gain initial experience in partner management based on the extensive network of Digital.Hub Logistics and thus recognized opportunities to acquire new customers." MotionMiners also draw a positive conclusion from the collaboration between the start-up and SMEs: "There was always direct contact with management, short decision-making paths and little bureaucracy," says Sascha Kaczmarek. "Both sides worked well together and benefited from each other."

It is not without reason that the collaboration within the Digital.hub Logistics and beyond will continue: Further analysis projects, a sales partnership and a joint use case from MotionMiners and META, which will be presented at LogiMAT 2019, are planned.