There is no shortage of intralogistics companies that call themselves ”independent system integrators.” And Kristian Brink and Hans Gjers, two prominent industry veterans who joined Körber Supply Chain in August 2024, believe that their company goes the furthest of all when it comes to maintaining independence regarding various technology solutions—that is, remaining agnostic*.
– We have the freedom to choose the supplier we believe is best suited for each specific function. While we do have our own products within the Körber family—we manufacture our own pallet conveyors and AGVs, among other things – but we’re not tied to our own products, and we always put internal options up against external ones in a competitive bidding process,” explains Kristian Brink, Area Sales Manager at Körber Supply Chain.
Körber Supply Chain is a young brand and business unit that is part of the global Körber AG Group, which was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by Kurt A. Körber. During the 2000s, the group began expanding its offerings in logistics and supply chain, largely through acquisitions and the restructuring of various technology and software companies. In the spring of 2020, twelve group companies were consolidated into a new business unit named Körber Supply Chain.
“It’s a fairly new and relatively unknown brand. That’s why we’re facing a bit of an uphill battle as we seek to establish ourselves in Scandinavia,” says Hans Gjers, who is also an Area Sales Manager at Körber Supply Chain and, like Kristian, is tasked with building brand awareness and driving sales in Scandinavia.
Integrated End-to-End Solutions
At the heart of the Nordic operations is the Danish company Qubiqa Logistics, which was acquired by Körber in 2016, and whose patented flagship product, the Layer Picker, has become a global success story with over 800 installations worldwide. The Layer Picker solution, which automatically picks entire layers of products from pallets, is well-established and well-known, and there are now many similar solutions that have been developed for so-called ”layer picking.”.
– Many people here in Scandinavia are familiar with our Layer Picker, but otherwise we often lack reference points and reference projects when we enter into procurement processes in competition with the large, well-known players. “It takes time to build a portfolio of projects that reflects our ability to create integrated, end-to-end solutions consisting of software, automation solutions, and services,” Kristian notes.
Long-term commitment
The sales process is largely conducted through logistics consultants—the majority of projects are initiated this way—and the projects are large, generally starting at 50 million Swedish kronor and up. Decision-making processes are lengthy, and securing these projects requires a business case and internal buy-in. Despite this, Körber Supply Chain DK has already secured business in Scandinavia, some of which has not yet been publicly announced, while others are in the process of being finalized. Kristian and Hans are clear that they have embarked on a long-term initiative—a journey that takes time.
“We’re two salespeople covering all of Scandinavia. Right now, our job is to build visibility in the market and among consultants, and to build a portfolio of potential customers. At the same time, we’re expanding our service organization and local presence as projects come on board,” says Hans.
A remarkable detail
Hans and Kristian embrace agnosticism—which, in this context, means they are ”free thinkers” when it comes to intralogistics and warehouse solutions. The only exception to this principle is Safeline, a proprietary PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) protocol that enables the integration and control of products from different suppliers.
– That’s the difference between sending a request to a machine and actually controlling it. If, in a project, we purchase miniload shuttles from one supplier and cranes from another, we control them down to the module level. We’re responsible for the functionality all the way through,” says Hans, explaining why this capability is so important:
– Most other integrators link the individual components of a solution at the WCS level, but the more in-depth control is handled by the software of the various solution providers. This limits the ability to optimize, upgrade, and troubleshoot throughout the facility’s entire lifecycle. With Safeline, we have a unique ability to take full responsibility for the performance of the entire solution and ensure that everything works as intended.
Four Automation Trends
SCE asks Hans and Kristian to analyze trends in the automation market in Scandinavia. And there are four things they see as particularly prominent right now: interest in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs, AGVs, and cobots), growing interest in pallet automation, an increase in smaller automation projects, and growing interest in software, including AI.
– The growing interest in AMRs is quite natural, as the need for flexibility and scalability increases when market trends are difficult to predict. “The segment is currently dominated by providers whose solutions combine low investment costs with scalability and flexibility. We work with a number of partners in this area and select the vendors that best suit the customer’s specific needs,” says Kristian.
Volatility Drives Pallet Automation
Similarly, the growing interest in pallet automation has been driven by a more volatile business environment, in which the demand for availability is increasingly prioritized over cost-effectiveness and just-in-time.
“Storing larger volumes on pallets has definitely come into focus only in the very last few years, and this is largely because companies need to ensure their availability in an uncertain world,” says Kristian.
The third trend is that larger companies with existing automation systems are now beginning to automate areas that were previously considered too expensive or complex, and that even smaller companies are investing in automation.
“Projects that were ruled out for automation five years ago are now back on the agenda, and the thresholds are generally being lowered. These days, companies with strong growth and lower revenue can make a compelling business case for automation,” Hans explains.
Software is playing an increasingly important role
Another clear trend in the intralogistics industry is the growing interest in software. The increased access to usable data and new opportunities offered by AI and machine learning are obvious driving forces. Körber Supply Chain’s software offerings range from its proprietary WMS system, K.OneX, to a global SAP partnership. And an AI feature linked to Layer Picker was recently launched, allowing operators to ask open-ended questions directly to the system—a feature that will also be offered in other applications.
”You can type into a chat interface: ”What are the five most common defects in this machine?” or ”Why do we have so many defects on this carton?’ The system analyzes the collected operational data and provides concrete suggestions in response,” explains Kristian.
However, the enthusiasm is tempered. AI is a tool to support, not a substitute for, human expertise, and the quality of customers' data is often lacking.
“Master data and basic data quality are a major and underestimated project that customers need to tackle. No software, no matter how smart it is, can solve this for you,” Hans notes.
Körber’s breadth means that the software perspective extends beyond the automated warehouse—yard management, incoming shipments, and manual warehouses are also part of the picture. It’s a holistic approach that, they argue, requires precisely what defines their entire business concept: being open enough to see the customer’s full situation, without letting their own product catalog dictate the solution.
“Ultimately, we have to add value—not just be another link in the supply chain. We do that when we dare to choose what’s truly best for the customer—regardless of who manufactured it,” Kristian concludes.
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Text and interview by Marika Karlöf and Stefan Karlöf
*Agnostic is a word with religious roots that, in this context, can be described as being a free thinker who chooses the solutions that are best for the customer—regardless of what is included in their own portfolio of solutions.
