SSI SCHAEFER – Schaefer Solutions – As individual as our customers

With more than 75 years of experience, SSI Schaefer has been an owner-operated, German family company with more than 50 subsidiaries worldwide. Whether in industry, trade, commerce or public organisations, the company’s products are in use across all market sectors and support a wide variety of businesses efficiently and effectively.

SSI Schaefer is one of the world’s largest total solutions providers and components manufacturers in logistics systems, storage and handling solutions and logistics software. The company supplies complete systems, customised to its clients’ needs, focusing on complete and integrated solutions based on quality products manufactured within the SSI Schaefer group. The company is constantly evolving and remains at the forefront of innovation in both new product development and the provision of unique intralogistics solutions.

Mike Alibone, Business Development & Marketing Manager at SSI Schaefer speaks to Warehouse News about the forthcoming IMHX exhibition.

Warehouse & Logistics News – First of all, Mike, as Business Development & Marketing Manager, what is your role in the company from day to day?

My overarching role is to represent and promote the company across a variety of fronts, ranging from outlining the organisation’s products and services to individuals on a oneto- one basis as well as organising events, press releases and advertising.

The key message to get across to individuals and organisations is that we design solutions which deliver high levels of efficiency and we have the knowledge and expertise which can be harnessed and used to help our customers improve, develop and grow their logistics operations in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

My role is varied and includes frequent travel to customer sites to discuss project requirements and solutions, as well as designing company sales and marketing and attending industry events.

WLN – Can you talk us through the different products and services SSI Schaefer provides?

As a single source intralogistics solutions provider the company’s product and services portfolio is extensive and ranges from the provision of more than 2,000 different types of plastic totes, through modular shelving, carton live storage and racking to complex, fully automated picking solutions and rack-clad automated storage and retrieval systems. We also have a considerable IT and controls capability which includes our own warehouse management system (WAMAS) and SAP integration. To support all of the above we have developed a strong and resourceful customer service and support division, which includes resident maintenance personnel based 24/7 on customer sites as well as mobile service engineers and office-based staff.

WLN – What kinds of businesses in what industry sectors are your solutions aimed at? What specific needs do they target?

We are active in just about all industry sectors but we are particularly strong in Retail, Ecommerce, Food & Beverage, Fashion Retail, Automotive and Pharma Distribution. The needs addressed are rapid access to product and the best utilisation of available space, combined with stock accuracy and system reliability.

WLN – When was your business established? Who owns the company now? Which other countries do you operate in besides the UK?

The company was established in 1937 and is still wholly owned and run by the Schaefer family. We employ in excess of 9,000 people globally and we have a presence in almost every European country as well as in the Middle East, Asia, Far East, Australia, South America and the USA.

WLN – What sets your company apart as a supplier in your sector? Why should busy professionals from the warehouse and logistics industry take time out to visit your stand at IMHX? What is your overall message to visitors?

We are a strong and reliable partner with a wealth of experience to offer. We are constantly researching and developing our product portfolio to accommodate the changing needs of our customers and the intralogistics industry in general. If you have a need to improve the efficiency of your operation we have one simple message: “Let’s talk!”

WLN -What will visitors be able to see on your stand at this year’s show? Which of your core products and solutions are you presenting? Are you launching anything new at IMHX?

Our core products will be well represented by a variety of different media and formats and these will include a full-sized LogiMat vertical lift machine as well as our awardwinning, revolutionary new AGV, the Weasel, which will be making its UK debut at the show.

WLN – Is this your first time exhibiting at IMHX? If you’ve been there before, what are you doing that’s different to last time?

No, we exhibit at every IMHX. Visitors to our stand in 2016 are in for a surprise! We have adopted a radical new approach to our stand design as well as a different method of demonstrating our products and services, with a view to enhancing visitor experience.

WLN – The last IMHX was in 2013. How have your customers’ needs changed since then? What are the biggest pressures your clients face these days? How are you addressing these?

The ongoing E-commerce boom has put many businesses under pressure to react faster to customer demands. We are able to deliver systems which increase picking efficiency and replenishment rates while maximising storage capacity and reducing overheads in order to meet these demands in a cost-effective manner.

WLN – Can you tell us about your major customer contract wins in the last three years? Do these represent new development areas for your company?

We have, and are in the process of, providing solutions for a diversity of operators, ranging from high street retailers such as Sainsbury’s and automotive dealerships including Porsche, to expanding E-commerce operations such as Holland & Barrett, for example. These are well within our remit.

WLN – How do your products and solutions address today’s increased emphasis on safety and environmental impact in warehousing and logistics? Will you be highlighting this aspect of your offering at the show?

We put a high emphasis on safety training for all our employees and we encourage customers to regularly check their storage systems for signs of damage which could eventually lead to workplace accidents. In this respect we advocate regular inspections by our own SEMA-accredited personnel, who issue reports highlighting potential danger-points and advising on accident prevention. We also build collision prevention systems into certain products such as our Orbiter pallet shuttle and our Weasel AGV. We can demonstrate this on our stand at IMHX.

WLN – Thanks to technology, suppliers to this industry are getting much faster with their responses to customer enquiries. How soon after IMHX can visitors to your stand expect to receive a ‘live’ quote for using your solutions in their businesses?

Given our vast product range it could literally be a matter of hours if the requirement is for a simple storage solution involving shelving and/or totes. In this respect, since the last IMHX, we have launched a webshop so customers can choose and buy our most popular tote lines over the internet, which provides fast track access to product. We plan to expand the range available online in the future. At the other end of the scale, for large, complex systems the solution design and quotation process could take several weeks or even months.

WLN – And finally, it’s three years to the next IMHX. Where do you see your market sector and your company going in that time?

We’ve heard a lot about the tremendous growth in E-commerce in recent years and, the fact is, it’s still growing at a considerable rate. Alongside our continued supply to traditional markets, we envisage supplying more e-com based solutions over the next three years and, undoubtedly, we will be investing in the development of more innovative systems to streamline operations in this very broad sector

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