WITRON continues to be successful

With an increase of 14.3 percent compared to the previous year, sales rose to 1.2 billion euros. In addition, 800 new colleagues were hired worldwide, taking the total number of employees to 5,900. In order to maintain the future demand for skilled workers, 110 new apprentices received employment contracts in 18 apprenticed professions. The Flow Picking Machinery solution attracted attention, winning two prestigious logistics awards.

The basis for the healthy growth continues to be the numerous WITRON food retail customers from Europe, North America, and Australia who rely on the automated distribution centers of the logistics lifetime partner from Parkstein - both in the dry goods range as well as in the fresh and frozen food area. WITRON’s end-to-end solutions were convincing due to multiple advantages in terms of premium consumer service, cost-efficiency, quality, and sustainability - both for employees and the environment. In addition, innovative omni-channel solutions and the successful implementation of Brownfield projects contributed to the positive business development. 

Particularly worth mentioning is the trust of regular customers in the quality and reliability of WITRON. Thus, two North American retailers ordered what is now the fifth distribution center.  A Spanish retailer has already realized its 14th project together with WITRON. 

Thanks to a very good order forecast and existing framework agreements, it was possible to compensate very well for the supply crisis on the international purchasing markets and to reliably meet the deadlines promised to WITRON customers. 

Enhancement of the production depth

The Voit Stefan GmbH from Pleystein becomes part of the WITRON Group and will be integrated in terms of personnel and organization. By acquiring the family-owned company from the Upper Palatinate (Germany) known as “Der Stahlfertiger”, WITRON has come even closer to its goal of being able to offer customers an ever-greater production depth “from a single source”. In addition to its original core business, Voit Stefan GmbH will support WITRON, the general contractor for logistics, in the production of platform constructions, the production of accessory parts for AS/RS steel construction, as well as in the production of parts for conveyor system elements. The internationally operating Voit Stefan GmbH, founded in 2002, currently employs more than 80 staff members and processes between 10,000 and 12,000 tons of steel annually on a production area of 25,000 square meters.  

Own pallet stacker cranes

The product range in the field of stacker cranes will also be expanded. To date, the product range exclusively included high-quality tote and tray stacker cranes for OPM, DPS, and AIO solutions. In the future, the newly developed pallet stacker cranes for automated high bay warehouse, CPS, and shipping buffer systems will also be on the production schedule. These have been purchased from external suppliers in the past.

Innovations can also be reported regarding cloud-based warehouse management solutions, the expansion of platform economics, the digitalization of processes in the control world, and an even more transparent usability and user experience of WITRON applications. 

European logistics project of the year

WITRON and the French food retailer E.LECLERC Socamil received a prestigious award. In March 2022, the two companies already won the renowned French logistics award “Rois de la Supply Chain”. The success of the project partners continued in November 2022 with winning the “European Logistics Association Award” in the category “Project of the Year”. The ELA award is considered the “Champions League” among international logistics awards. The two companies were able to convince with the design and implementation of the fully automated omni-channel / multi-temperature distribution center in Castelnaudary - including the first integration of the world debut “Flow Picking Machinery”. The jury particularly highlighted the enormous customer benefit that was achieved with the project: High degree of automation as well as ergonomic work processes to compensate for the shortage of skilled workers, a delivery service with maximum quality for stores and consumers, as well as comprehensive sustainability due to lower space requirement, less waste, optimal truck utilization due to much more densely packed store pallets, and the resulting CO₂ reduction.