Der Logistik Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Karel De Jong from Jumbo and Johannes Meißner from Witron to unpack the real impact of next-generation warehousing. We dive deep into how centralization and automation are rewriting the rules of supply chain agility, with fresh food logistics as our stage. From overcoming labor shortages to integrating technology that keeps freshness at the forefront, we explore what it means to play the 'first violin' in the logistics orchestra. You'll hear firsthand how Jumbo's innovative facility became a model of efficiency and adaptability, and why the end consumer still calls the tune. Join us as we reveal the strategies, challenges, and future vision shaping the modern supply chain.

Richard Kearns always knows how his supply chains, his new warehouse in Hernando, Mississippi, or his logistics processes are performing - because he receives immediate feedback every single day. As Executive Vice President of Distribution & Logistics at Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), he serves demanding customers: the store operators are independent retailers who expect to be impressed by logistics performance every day. This is made possible by a highly automated full-range logistics center, designed and implemented by WITRON, which supplies 3,400 stores with a portfolio of currently 54,600 different dry, fresh, and frozen items. The facility is designed for a daily picking capacity of more than 460,000 cases and ranks among the most innovative and high-performance logistics centers in the United States. The results achieved are impressive. Labor and transportation costs have been significantly reduced.

At its distribution centers in Brisbane and Sydney, Coles uses state-of-the-art WITRON technology to pick 1.6 billion sales units annually from a dry goods range comprising 19,000 different items. More than 90 percent of these items are picked either fully automatically or at semi-automated workstations. The WITRON solution has fundamentally transformed not only the processes in the distribution centers but also enhanced efficiency and product availability in the stores. Working conditions for Coles’ employees have also significantly improved. As a result, nearly 18 million kilograms of manual lifting and carrying have been completely eliminated each week across the entire supply chain. By halving the required footprint compared to a manual warehouse, the ecological impact has been substantially reduced - enabling the implementation of a business model that is both economically viable and environmentally sustainable. A third, even larger logistics center is already under construction in Melbourne.

Food retailer Axfood and its logistics partner WITRON planned and implemented a forward-looking omnichannel distribution centre. From here, more than 1,500 stores and many thousands of end customers will be supplied with a wide range of over 22,000 dry, fresh and frozen items via click + collect and home delivery. The highly automated facility is designed for a daily picking performance of 1.6 million pick units.

He describes how the typical WITRON mentality - pragmatic, direct and often stubborn - helps to shape the company's success and the challenges that growing diversity brings with it.