Körber Supply Chain said it plans to share the latest developments to help businesses overcome supply chain complexity at Elevate Asia-Pacific (APAC) from Oct. 5 to 8, 2021. The Minneapolis-based company will also show its automation portfolio and integration services for supply chain and manufacturing operations at the first-ever global Automate! conference on Oct. 6.
As supply chains grow more complex, Körber said it “provides a broad range of proven, end-to-end supply chain solutions fitting any business size, strategy or appetite for growth.” These offerings include software, automation, voice, robotics, and materials handling technologies. The supply chain business area is a part of The Körber Group in Hamburg, Germany.
Körber at Elevate APAC
“The past 18 months have been challenging for retailers and logistics providers worldwide,” stated Nishan Wijemanne, managing director of software for APAC at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “In the APAC region, we've seen consumers place more demands on retailers and the supply chain than ever before. We've worked with businesses across the region to re-imagine and redefine their supply chain and have witnessed their success investing in our growing solutions portfolio.”
Elevate APAC will help define the future of automation in the region, according to Joe Couto, CEO for Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America at Körber Business Area Supply Chain.
“The APAC region is evolving rapidly,” he said. “As a result, businesses are being forced to innovate at record pace to keep up with changing consumer demands and habits. Körber is providing a benchmark for organizations across the region to position themselves strategically and gain a competitive advantage post-COVID-19.”
Körber cited successes across a variety of industries that it will discuss in the sessions at Elevate.
- Robotics – Covering use cases across cold chain/food distribution, e-commerce, retail, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs), Kӧrber will demonstrate the latest autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). It will include key insights from implementation.
- Voice - Voice-assisted picking technology is capturing the attention of some of APAC's largest retailers and 3PLs. Kӧrber will present its latest functionalities and show how to unlock revenue opportunities. It will also unveil its regional voice strategy.
- Software – Körber said it is innovating to ensure that its K.Motion warehouse management system (WMS) continues to adapt to customer needs.
More than 4,700 customers worldwide are re-imagining their supply chains, said Körber. At Elevate APAC, delegates will hear success stories from the following:
- Catch.com.au – The Australian e-commerce player added thousands of extra SKUs to its inventory in 2020 while dealing with record volumes. As a result, Catch is set to launch a new fulfilment center in New South Wales, which will feature Körber's automation portfolio.
- Officeworks – The retailer has been enhancing its online fulfilment capabilities with Körber's automation portfolio to keep up with the rising customer demand.
- Chemist Warehouse – The pharmacy retailer launched a same-day delivery service during COVID-19 restrictions. Attendees can learn how Körber worked with it to master in-store fulfilment.
- Bolloré Logistics – The 3PL partnered with Körber to fulfil up to 4,000 mixed e-commerce and retail order lines per day by creating an efficient AMR fulfilment model for a luxury goods retail client.
“Our customers are increasingly turning to automation to get on top of their supply chain challenges to keep up with demand,” noted Win Thian Chai, CEO of Automation Asia at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “We have already celebrated significant successes in the region, like automating Pet Lovers Centre's existing warehouse in Singapore, which increased capacity and throughput. We're looking forward to educating about the efficiency automation offers in the supply chain.”
At Pet Lovers Centre, the largest pet care retail chain in Southeast Asia, Körber custom-built a system that resulted in a 100% capacity and a 40% throughput increase in its warehouse.
Registration for Elevate APAC is available online. All the content and conference sessions will be available on demand until the end of 2021. These will also feature a number of roundtables, case studies, and panel discussions covering developments across the company's automation portfolio.
First Automate! to feature Körber customers
Beyond the Asia-Pacific region, Körber plans to showcase its global strategy and technology roadmap at the first-ever global Automate! conference on Oct. 6. The event will be online and free of charge.
Automate! will feature around 30 sessions, including a discussion on the pandemic and the importance of securing the supply chain, product deep dives, and virtual customer tours. In addition to the Pet Lovers Centre use case, Körber will cite the following deployments:
- German baked-goods producer Lieken, for which Körber built a new deep-freeze, high-bay warehouse that increased efficiency and throughput.
- Hungarian beverage producer HELL, whose fully automated, high-bay warehouse has capacity for more than 31,000 pallets and is one of the largest warehousing complexes in that country.
Körber said its sessions will address how the post-pandemic supply chains and manufacturers can thrive with emerging and digital technologies to automate and optimize workflows. The company will explain how materials handling automation is key to safety during the pandemic and beyond, as well as to recruiting, retaining, and training labor. It will also discuss protecting the cold chain against disruptions.
More information about the agenda and registration for Automate! is available online. All content will be available on demand for the next 60 days.
Many supply chains start to see automation benefits
However, many supply chains today are still largely manual, observed Körber.
“Not even half of businesses today can handle more than one supply chain challenge at a time,” said Dirk Hejnal, CEO of Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “Crucially, one in three still relies on manual methods for receiving, storing, picking, and packing. At the same time, they are facing growing challenges – from labor shortages to heightened customer expectations.”
Körber added that it has provided tailored solutions for markets such as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), bakery, beverage, cold chain, and tissue while considering businesses' individual needs.
In 2020, Körber reported an increase in order intake by 20%, which it said validated its customer-centric strategy and continuous investment in hardware, digital solutions and system integration.
Leading into 2022 and beyond, along with strengthening efforts in Europe and North America, Körber plans to focus on growing its Asia-Pacific presence, mainly in China and East Asia, including the development of a regional hub in Singapore.
“With our strong portfolio and integration expertise, Körber is uniquely positioned to support customers with operational challenges, turning complexities into strategic differentiators,” said Andreas Ebert, CEO of automation at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “Automated solutions will not only transform supply chains to be more resilient to disruptions, but also help businesses to increase efficiency and meet high customer demands and tighter delivery windows—worldwide.”
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