DC Velocity - December 2015

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a partner for 2016 and beyond

Automation is key to a successful Supply Chain

We can see it every day – the variety of items in stores is exploding, online retail and home delivery make customers demand anything they desire and have it delivered as quickly as possible. Consequently, the demand and competition for labor and warehouse spaces is rapidly growing. At the same time, demographic trends are not making things easier. These trends will continue and most likely accelerate in 2016. Warehouse automation provided by WITRON helps many leading market players to become more successful – not only in logistics but in their entire business as transportation and store delivery become more efficient.

Automation alone is not the key

What seems contradictory to the previous paragraph is an important factor to consider when putting your trust into an automation integrator. Credibility, reliability and commitment are key factors that WITRON brings to the table. Decades of experience in servicing our clients, customized partner contracts including on-site teams and 24 hour support is what differentiates us from other players in the market.

20 Years of WITRON North America

Just as humbly as WITRON Informatik & Logistik started in 1971 in Parkstein Germany, the company also had a humble start in North America in 1995. Two decades ago, WITRON USA was nothing more than a handful of employees working out of an office trailer in Romulus, Michigan in order to integrate our first project for Cardinal Health. Everything that followed was undeniably impressive: WITRON has changed the logistics world in North America. We integrated distribution centers for nationally operating retail giants such as Kroger, Target, CVS or Supervalu as well as regional retailers such as Meijer and Sobeys, specialized distributors such as Future Electronics and Festo and manufacturers such as BMW, Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte or Bombardier Rotax. Overall, WITRON created 31 Fully Automated Distribution Centers and integrated 47 Manual Warehouses. Successively, WITRON grew from a few employees to a team of more than 420 people in 2015.

However, not only has WITRON transformed the supply chain landscape in North America, its presence on this continent also added new chapters to the company’s own success story. It was in the state of Arizona where the Order Picking Machinery (OPM) was first implemented in 2003. A breakthrough technology that eventually revolutionized the retail logistics business on both sides of the Atlantic.

In conclusion, the future looks just as bright as the past: With new projects being integrated and multiple new contracts signed in 2015, we are not resting on the laurels of the past two decades but see many more projects in and innovations in 2016.