mfl: What makes you sure it will succeed?
Zielinski: Savoye and Nobelift form a perfect complementary pair in terms of geographic and product positioning: Savoye is a leader in the design and implementation of intralogistics solutions with a focus on France and the rest of Europe, while Nobelift's rapid growth has made it a leader in the manufacture and distribution of manual and electric forklift trucks in China. Leveraging the synergies of both companies is a growth accelerator for Savoye on its way into the global intralogistics market - especially through the associated presence in China and the faster expansion of sales in the USA. The increased financial strength enables extensive R&D investments and further developments in our Intralogistics 4.0 robotic solutions. In 2019, we will present a solution specifically for the deep-freeze sector with our fully automated Intelis PTS Picking Solutions, in which we were able to use our experience from our numerous successful deep-freeze installations, such as currently at Ardo, MiKO and Curuyt. We are also currently developing an innovative in-house item picking solution, for which we want to work together with selected partners. We will also revitalize our fully automated Intelis Magmatic pallet high-bay warehouse system with new functionalities and design, as well as being more competitive with our competitors through cost savings. Our Savoye intralogistics expertise, combined with our qualified employees and our many years of experience, the international synergies with Nobelift, as well as the increased financial strength for future-oriented R&D projects and possible further acquisitions of new technologies or products are the best prerequisites for us to be in the world-class league of intralogistics systems in the future.

mfl: What does the move mean for the German market and Germany? Will you have your own office here, a German website and so on? If so, what is the time frame?
Zielinski: Germany is the most important logistics market in Europe. If we want to grow worldwide and also in Europe, a presence on the German market is a "must". We have a local service and maintenance support team for our existing customers. With direct support for development, design and technical support from Dijon. In terms of sales, the German market is currently served by our international German-speaking key accounts and sales team under my leadership from Dijon. And Dijon is only 200 kilometers away from Germany - from Karlsruhe, for example... . We are currently planning our communicative comeback in Germany next year. The starting point will be our participation in LogiMAT in Stuttgart. After LogiMAT, we will then decide what the next steps and milestones will be in terms of on-site presence and communication.

mfl: What do you want to offer that the general contractors don't already offer? Even the combination of industrial truck manufacturer and intralogistics provider already exists at least twice ...
Zielinski: With our Intelis PTS shuttle system, we offer an alternative to the well-known competitors and, with Intelis Magmatic, we offer a successful, fully automated high-bay pallet system that has been tried and tested in numerous industries and is unique on the market in this form. Another special feature of Savoye is its medium-sized size and close proximity to the customer. There is always a direct and qualified contact person who develops and plans a customized solution together with the customer and is responsible for its implementation. This is what we are known for on the market and we want to continue to build on this in the future and thus distinguish ourselves as a competent and agile solution partner for projects.

mfl: Savoye is the much smaller partner in terms of sales volume compared to Noblelift. How do you intend to avoid simply being "swallowed up"?
Zielinski: Nobellift is currently already present on the European and German markets via distributors and showrooms. Both companies will continue to operate with their different business lines as independent companies under their own names and product portfolios, naturally utilizing the synergies and potentials already described.

mfl: Will the brands such as Savoye be retained?
Zielinski: All three well-known brands established in France and internationally will remain: A-SIS, which offers the Logistics Manager Suite, a complete software suite with the tools OMS, WMS, WCS, TMS, as well as EDI supply chain solutions. Intelis as a developer and manufacturer of mechanical and automated heavy and light load equipment for order picking, mechanical packing, conveyor technology and storage and Prodex as a separate manufacturer brand specializing in dynamic storage and handling systems.

mfl: What will be your main focus at the LogiMAT presentation?
Zielinski: Our focus will be on our enhanced Intelis PTS shuttle system, especially for the deep-freeze sector, and our redesigned Intelis Magmatic high-bay warehouse system for pallets with new functionalities. And of course we are looking forward to good discussions with potential customers and projects. I will be there in person for the entire three days and am already very excited.

Martin Schrüfer spoke to Frédéric Zielinski.

About Savoye:
Savoye is a global developer and integrator of IT solutions, automated solutions and equipment for logistics centers. The company develops, produces, assembles and installs automated equipment and the necessary IT - as a customized solution for every process in the supply chain. Savoye employs 590 people, with a turnover (2017) of 85 million euros.

Personal details:
Frédéric Zielinski began his career at Swisslog with an MBA in Management from the Swiss Business School in Zurich and an engineering diploma from ENSISA (South Alsace Engineering School, formerly ESSAIM). He held the positions of Business Unit Manager and Development Manager there for over 15 years, including for the Middle East. As National and International Development Director, Zielinski has been responsible for expanding global sales and increasing market share since May 2018.