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Tag: Koerber supply chain

Körber Supply Chain Expands in Portugal

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber Business Area Supply Chain celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest manufacturing facility in Portugal, marking a major milestone in the company’s continued investment in innovation, capacity, and people. Located in the Ermida Industrial Park in Santo Tirso, near Porto, the new site will serve as a flagship for Körber’s operational excellence.

The groundbreaking ceremony, held 2nd June, welcomed Körber’s Porto leadership team, the City Hall President Dr. Alberto Costa, and strategic partners to celebrate the beginning of the construction. With this symbolic event, Körber underscores its strategic commitment to long-term growth and industrial leadership.

“With the groundbreaking of our new facility in Santo Tirso, we are investing in state-of-the-art technology, a highly skilled workforce, and a strong future for Körber and the Porto region,” said Körber CEO Stephan Seifert. “This project underlines our global growth strategy and demonstrates our belief in Portugal’s potential and innovative spirit. Together with our teams, partners, and the local community, we aim to set new standards for the future.”

Factory for the future

Expected to be in operation by the second half of 2026, the new 11,400-square-metre site will significantly expand Körber Business Area Supply Chain’s logistics and manufacturing capacity. The facility will focus on the development and production of Körber’s state-of-the-art technology for supply chain solutions, including mechanical, electrical, and software automation integration.

Designed to accommodate up to 60 flexible workstations, the factory will also feature:

• A Research and Development area for prototyping and innovation
• State-of-the-art-showroom with automation technologies
• BREEAM “Very Good” certification for sustainability
• Advanced testing areas for each equipment stream


The new factory supports Körber’s strategic pillars of sustainable growth, best-in-class solutions, and operational excellence. It also positions Portugal as a key industrial and innovation hub within Körber’s global network.

“This investment will allow Körber to further strengthen our market position in Europe and globally, and highlights Körber’s confidence in Porto” said Helena Garriga, Körber Executive Board Member and President Business Area Supply Chain. “This is a strategic step to strengthen our leadership in the global intralogistics market.”

Körber is proactively strengthening its teams across the organization to support competitive growth, with plans to employ over 400 full-time staff in Porto by the end of 2025. New local job opportunities will span nearly every area of the business: Customer Service, Engineering, R&D, Manufacturing, Logistics, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Project Management, Solution Design, and Sales.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, foundation work will begin in July 2025, with operations expected to begin by the second half of 2026. Körber will continue to engage with Invest Santo Tirso and other regional partners to create new employment opportunities, invest in local skills development, and collaborate with universities and training institutions.

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New Supply Chain Software Brand

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber Supply Chain Software, a joint venture between Körber AG and KKR recently introduced its new company brand, Infios. Logistics Business spoke to Tim Moylan (pictured below), Chief Growth Officer, to learn about the thinking behind the re-brand.

Logistics Business: What was the thinking behind the new name? The letter ‘I’ is always very popular for software – any concerns about distinctiveness?

Tim Moylan: “Yes, the name Infios is intentional. ‘Info’ represents infinite possibilities and the critical role of information across modern supply chains. ‘OS’ nods to our role as a flexible, intelligent operating system that connects and orchestrates execution across transportation, warehousing, and beyond. While the letter ‘I’ is indeed popular in tech, we feel the name Infios properly conveys what we want to signal to our customers —both current and future. In the end, it’s more than a name — it’s a promise to deliver agility, scalability, and intelligence across the most dynamic parts of the supply chain.”

Logistics Business: Was the rebrand made necessary by the MercuryGate acquisition? What else drove it?

Moylan: “The rebrand reflects a broad transformation, signifying our commitment to delivering a fully connected, end-to-end, best-in-class supply chain execution platform — seamlessly integrating warehousing and fulfilment, transportation, order management and commerce, AMR and voice. With this transformation, Infios stands as a true supply chain execution leader, providing adaptable solutions that empower businesses of all sizes to simplify, optimize, and accelerate their supply chain operations. While the MercuryGate acquisition was a catalyst for the rebrand, we are very respectful of all our acquired companies. They all helped us reach the point where we could rebrand, and all the innovation they have delivered make us the supply chain execution powerhouse we are today.”

Logistics Business: Infios will still work closely with Körber for integrating warehouse automation. Will that be exclusive, both ways? How does the rebrand affect the relationship between the companies?

Moylan: “Our partnership with Körber remains strong and collaborative. Infios will continue to integrate with Körber’s warehouse automation offerings, just as we will with other partners. The relationship is not exclusive either way; it’s about delivering what’s best for customers. The rebrand clarifies our role in the ecosystem – we are focused on supply chain execution solutions, which means being open and agile in how we collaborate across the supply chain technology landscape.”

Tim Moylan, Infios

Logistics Business: What is the growth objective for Infios?

Moylan: “Our regional and solution diversity allows us to grow across many dimensions, closely aligned with the growth strategies of our customers. Our short-term focus is on strengthening our foundation, driving execution and delivering measurable impact. A key priority is enhancing customer success by improving implementation, support and account management, ensuring that our customers derive maximum value from our solutions. Innovation remains at the forefront, as we continue to advance our cloud, AI, and automation capabilities, making our solutions more adaptable and future-ready. Additionally, we are focused on driving revenue growth, expanding our market reach through a strong go-to-market strategy, increased cross-sell opportunities and deeper industry partnerships.”

Logistics Business: Will you be extending the product range/offering?

Moylan: “The rebrand is just the beginning. Infios will continue to build out our product ecosystem — strengthening our core offerings like TMS, WMS and OMS while also exploring adjacent areas that support end-to-end supply chain execution. We’re actively listening to customers and aligning our roadmap with what they need to thrive in an increasingly complex supply chain environment.”

Logistics Business: Do you anticipate further acquisitions?

Moylan: “We’re open to acquisitions that align with our mission and enhance our value to customers. As supply chains grow more interconnected, strategic acquisitions can help us accelerate innovation and expand capabilities. That said, we’re just as focused on organic growth — delivering consistent, scalable improvements to our platform and ensuring every customer gets the most from their investment with Infios.”

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Körber Supply Chain Software Rebrands as Infios

 

Infios Named in Magic Quadrant for WMS

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Infios, a global player in adaptable supply chain execution, today announced that it has been positioned as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) for the seventh consecutive year. Infios was recognized for its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision in the warehouse management space. Infios rebranded in March 2025 and is noted as Infios (Körber) in this report.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for WMS evaluates, “the WMS products across a range of criteria, including technology, functionality and usability. We consider the depth and flexibility of core capabilities such as receiving, put-away, picking, shipping, replenishment, quality assurance and cycle counting.” Leaders in the WMS market are present in a high percentage of new WMS deals, win a significant number of them and have a large and growing customer base.

“Our team’s unwavering commitment to innovation and customer success are driving the future of supply chain execution at Infios,” said Ed Auriemma, CEO of Infios. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, helping our clients navigate increasingly complex global supply chain challenges. Our rise to one of the highest positions on the Ability to Execute axis reflects our mission to deliver solutions that not only meet today’s needs but anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities.”

Infios integrates order management, warehousing and fulfillment and transportation management into a comprehensive suite of solutions, equipping businesses with the tools they need to navigate today’s complex supply chain landscape. Infios is dedicated to its customers, evolving with them to provide scalable, adaptable solutions that meet their changing needs. This flexibility enables customers to optimize every aspect of their operations with versatile, scalable, and future-ready capabilities.


“Infios’s software has a no-limit technology to the kind of creativity we can express in driving efficiency and adding clientele. We look forward to creating things together here… through the combination of what we love doing and Infios enables us to do,” said Julian Van Erlach, SVP Global Supply Chain at FabFitFun. “I would, without reservation, recommend Infios.”

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Körber Supply Chain Software Rebrands as Infios

 

Körber Supply Chain Software joins Zero100 Community

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Körber Supply Chain Software, a joint venture between Körber AG and KKR, and a global provider of adaptable supply chain execution solutions, has joined Zero100, a membership-based intelligence company connecting, informing, and inspiring the world’s supply chain leaders to accelerate progress on digital supply chain transformation.

As Körber Supply Chain Software transitions to its new brand – Infios – this collaboration will accelerate Infios’s artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability initiatives, driving forward its commitment to providing adaptable supply chain execution solutions that evolve with customer needs, and helping businesses reduce their environmental impact while enhancing operational efficiency.

As a member of the community, Infios will leverage Zero100’s expertise to integrate innovative sustainability practices and digital tools into its adaptable solutions. By harnessing advanced technologies such as AI and data analytics and providing businesses with the right level of flexibility and control to evolve and adapt solutions to their needs, Infios can help its customers optimize their entire supply chain ecosystem and create a more optimistic outlook.

“We are excited to partner with Zero100 to execute on our vision and our commitment to relentlessly make supply chains better,” said Ed Auriemma, Chief Executive Officer at Infios. “By growing with our customers, delivering adaptable solutions, thinking ahead, and purposefully innovating, we are equipping businesses with the tools to optimize operations, enhance resilience, and drive measurable sustainability impact. Together, we are shaping the future of smarter, more efficient, and more responsible supply chains.”

Infios’s comprehensive suite of solutions, including order management, warehousing and fulfillment, and transportation management, will be enhanced through access to Zero100’s data-driven research insights and advisory.

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Körber reveals first-of-its-kind software solutions

 

Körber in Gartner Magic Quadrant for WMS

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber, a global provider of warehouse management system (WMS) solutions, announced today that it has been positioned as a Leader for its Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems report again this year.

Körber was also recently acknowledged in the 2023 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). The ‘Voice of the Customer’ report, which aggregates user reviews into actionable insights, highlighted Körber with an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on 41 reviews, with 95% of reviewers willing to recommend Körber as of 31st August 2023. Placed in the upper-right corner of the “Voice of the Customer” grid, Körber was recognized as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice.

Körber provides a suite of end-to-end solutions spanning warehouse management, warehouse control, order management, robotics, voice and simulation to empower global businesses to further digitize and automate warehouses to meet today’s extensive supply chain pressures.

“More than 70% of companies state that their supply chain complexity has grown over the past year and more than 80% recognize the supply chain is mission critical,” said Sean Elliott, CTO Software, Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “We view our placement as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic QuadrantTM for Warehouse Management Systems as another milestone in our journey to enable companies to build and future-proof agile, efficient and resilient supply chains.”

As companies scramble to address rising consumer expectations, effective supply chain technology is of vital importance. Körber’s WMS solutions make it possible to meet and exceed their outcomes across all levels of complexity and scale, by catering to the unique needs of small businesses, global enterprises and third-party logistics providers, all driving to meet end consumer expectations. Körber’s comprehensive suite of supply chain solutions combine to ensure businesses have the technology at their fingertips to revolutionize the end-to-end supply chain–from source to doorstep delivery.

Examples include:
• Fabfitfun: US-based subscription business that deployed Körber’s WMS solution to manage enormous order volumes during multiple peak seasons each year.
• Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF): French wine exporting company relies on Körber’s WMS, Warehouse Control System (WCS), Voice and Gamification solutions to accelerate performance at 14 sites.
• Officeworks: Australian store chain offering office supplies, furniture and technology harnessed Körber’s WMS and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) to modernize their supply chain operations.
• REWE International: Austrian food and drugstore retailer deployed Körber’s WMS at 40 locations across Austria and Eastern Europe, bringing maximum flexibility to meet the grocery retail industry’s multi-layered demands.
• Titan Brands: American online retail company joined Körber to optimize the end customer experience through an integrated interplay of Körber’s WMS and Order Management System (OMS).

Supply chains are growing more complex by the day. Körber uniquely provides a broad range of proven end-to-end solutions tailored to help manage the supply chain as a competitive advantage. Fitting any business size, strategy or industry, our customers conquer the complexity of the supply chain thanks to our portfolio of software, voice, and robotics solutions – plus the expertise to tie it all together. Conquer supply chain complexity, with Körber.

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Körber Unveils Capabilities to Elevate Warehouse Operations

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber announced today the launch of three solutions set to augment and elevate warehouse operations. With a focus on innovation beyond Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), these products address common productivity and workflow pain points across the supply chain, unlocking new capabilities and offering enhanced functionalities.

Supply chain companies face increasing challenges, necessitating the addition of software solutions to extend WMS capabilities. Körber’s latest developments provide a holistic approach to supply chain execution, ensuring end-to-end visibility, scalability and flexibility.

With 82% of workers motivated by recognition, Kӧrber’s Gamification boosts productivity by encouraging worker engagement and introducing healthy competition. Management sets targets and milestones to encourage users to progress through the experience, as they collaborate as a team and accomplish tasks. This solution redefines worker engagement, emphasizing efficiency, productivity and employee satisfaction.

Sean Elliott, CTO and acting CEO Software, Körber Business Area Supply Chain, told us, “Whether it’s revolutionizing inventory placement with Slotting.IQ, boosting workforce engagement through Gamification, or combining automation with human workflows with UCS, Körber continues to drive warehouse innovation. Gamification, Slotting.IQ and Unified Control Systems increase efficiencies in the warehouse.”

Sean Elliott

Körber’s Slotting.IQ allows warehouses to harness management of complex inventories. Dynamic slotting algorithms optimize inventory placements, improving order-picking efficiency and accelerating order processing. By integrating with the WMS, re-slotting strategies can be implemented seamlessly and enhance overall operational productivity. Slotting.IQ’s automated approach also saves valuable time and resources compared to traditional, manual slotting methods.

Körber’s Unified Control System (UCS) provides a single point of management and control for fulfillment processes driven by warehouse staff, AMR and other automation technologies. It seamlessly orchestrates automated and manual workflows, enabling faster order processing and improving throughput. UCS integrates with the WMS and other warehouse technologies, to enable operational flexibility, streamline workflows and boost productivity.

“Körber’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of warehouse technology is reflected in these solutions,” said Elliott.

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WMS Partners with Supply Chain Advisor

Webinar: Empowering People, Enhancing Performance

Posted on by David Priestman

A new Webinar from Logistics Business is now available to watch on-demand. In association with Koerber Supply Chain and BES, Editor Peter MacLeod talks to Alex Parkinson, Business Analyst at Koerber about a warehouse upgrade project for BES in Birmingham. BES Operations Manager Steve Standley explains the before and after set-up for picking and ecommerce and what benefits automation, WMS and voice tech have brought.

Watch the Webinar here now.

BES are a plumbing, gas and heating trade supplier selling products and brands ranging from Bosch tools to Danfoss thermostats, Grohe taps to Grundfos pumps, Triton showers to Bostik glue. This inventory, in a 80,000 sq. ft. DC in central Birmingham, with 15000 SKUs and 1500 orders per day is a challenge in terms of suitable storage, picking and despatch. The company went from a paper-based operation to an automated voice and WMS solution in a project with Koerber Supply Chain.

The key benefits were:
• 15% reduction in total staff hours used
• 43% increase in productivity
• 88% reduction in training time for new staff
• 50% reduction in staff needed to check orders after picking
• 5 tonnes of paper saved per year (750,000 sheets) + printing costs
• Pick-up times on collection orders reduced to 30 minutes

Flexible Solution Required

“We brought technology to the workplace,” Operations Manager Steve Standley says. BES is a 45-year-old company and ecommerce took-off during covid. “Initially, for the extra orders, we just hired more staff. But that made us top-heavy for pick and pack. We needed to speed up and possibly reduce the head count,” he explains. The old system saw orders generate two copies of every despatch note. One went round the warehouse and one to the customer. There was a lot of walking involved as staff went round the facility to find and collect each item for an order. Having automated these processes considerable efficiencies have been made. BES upped staff pay and amended hours as well.

“It was a bit chicken and egg,” Standley says. “Should we introduce technology first or introduce efficient practises?” A new picking solution was required to help with the additional volumes. Installation, which commenced in March 2023 and was completed last August, needed to be done whilst order numbers continued to grow. “Testing was straightforward. Training is easy. Showing new starters the aisle and stock locations is the main thing.”

Empowering People
Empowering People

Major customers order in big quantities. Plumbers purchase parts for regular jobs. Consumers buy items for home delivery. BES ship via DX for odd sized and large products (overnight via the DX network), DPD for regular parcels and Royal Mail for items under 2kg. The decision was made to divide the DC into four zones, accordingly, from bulk down to small, plus a VIP area. Workers now wheel a roll cage of small or medium totes to the appropriate zone to pick into up to 20 totes at a time, before returning to the loading area.

Order Prioritisation

Another challenge for the upgrade project was to reduce the time taken to pick items meant for collection by customers on-site to be halved, to just 30 minutes. Instead of printed orders being sifted through, the new picking system recognises the warehouse’s own postcode as the destination. “It then jumps to the front of the queue to pick immediately,” Standley informs. “Its hard to get the balance between collection orders and ones for delivery. An unique balance is achieved.”

The new system includes Koerber WMS, voice tech, modules and middleware, plus the four Kardex Megamat carousels (pictured) that were already in use at the DC. The picker no longer needs to input part numbers on the carousel’s control panel. This is a no-touch solution thanks to the Koerber API ordering items in batches. Quite a lot of work was done by Koerber in achieving this interface. “We did have two staff per machine,” Standley continues, “now one person goes to it (and says ‘Ready’) when around 30 orders are ready. So they can go, pick elsewhere and come back. There’s less walking involved.”

What about fast-moving items and stock location? “We wanted accuracy. Quality was paramount.” Standley emphasised. “Phase 2 of the project will take us further, handling inbound products from suppliers and maybe having a dedicated area for fast-movers. We’re also looking at same-day delivery options.”

Watch more webinars here

Körber Celebrates Milestone with Geek+

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber and Geek+ are celebrating the third anniversary of their strategic partnership. Geek+ is one of Körber’s trusted global robotic partners, making this anniversary an important milestone in Körber’s journey to provide businesses worldwide with efficient, scalable and sustainable end-to-end logistics solutions.

With more than 30 implementations in eight regions and thousands of bots successfully deployed, Körber and Geek+ continue to revolutionise warehouse operations through an extensive portfolio of Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) solutions. Through this partnership, customers have seen productivity gains in excess of 100%, accuracy improvements of up to 99.99% and a reduction in walking distances of up to 82% across the warehouse.

Customers throughout Europe, America and Asia Pacific are currently advancing their supply chain operations with flexible automation solutions from Körber and Geek+, relying on the combined expertise of a global leader in AMR technology and Körber’s broad capabilities in end-to-end consulting, conceptualisation, integration and support. By increasing picking accuracy, reducing labour costs, and improving productivity and efficiency, robotics also help create safer and more ergonomic workplaces where warehouse associates can avoid tedious and risky tasks, focus on more value-added activities, and enjoy a more collaborative and satisfying work environment.

One example includes the implementation of a highly innovative logistics software and automation landscape for the biggest 3PL eCommerce warehouse in Eastern Central Europe, run by 3PL logistics start-up Boxy. András Táncsics, CEO of Boxy, stated: “Relying on cutting-edge technology provided by Körber, together with partners like Geek+, has helped us to maintain an efficient flow of goods, enhanced shipping performance, and reliability in light of the steady growing pressure of customer demands. We truly believe that these types of automation and software solutions are the future of the industry and our competitive edge on the market. Therefore, we keep a close eye on these technologies together with our partners and always try to be in the forefront of innovation.”

Recent customer successes also include one of the largest AMR deployments in Eastern Europe at DB Schenker, one of the leading global logistics service providers. In Australia, Körber and Geek+ have collaborated with leading Australian retailers such as Officeworks. In North America, S&S Activewear, a leading wholesale distributor of apparel and accessories, will rely on a high velocity picking system from Geek+ with Körber’s expertise in the design, deployment and support of this transformative system to meet evolving demand and optimize fulfilment.

“The supply chain has undergone tremendous changes in recent years, with an ever-increasing demand for efficiency and productivity while continually requiring more sustainable practices. We need innovative solutions to answer new challenges to be cost-efficient and competitive while also sustainable. Driven by huge developments in AI and machine learning, robots can help by addressing these challenges, at scale,” said Lit Fung, VP and Managing Director, Overseas Business at Geek+.

“Particularly in the growing eCommerce segment, robotics continues to be a true gamechanger for the logistics landscape to introduce greener, safer and more ergonomic operations,” said John Santagate, Vice President Robotics at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with one of the leading global AMR providers, helping companies worldwide optimise their operational success and conquer their supply chain complexities.”

Geek+ entered its first global partnership with Körber in 2020, with expansion rapidly accelerating since then – showcased by 30,000 robots deployed that helped save 140,000 tons of carbon emissions and 16 million KwH in energy in 2022. Together with Geek+’ growing portfolio of robotic solutions, Körber continues to enhance access to an unparalleled breadth and depth of supply chain solutions, spanning warehouse management, warehouse control, simulation and voice, to help those who move goods do good.

Körber reveals first-of-its-kind software solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

Körber will unveil the future of warehouse management, control and simulation, robotics, as well as voice at its first in-person European supply chain networking event – 11-13 October 2022 – in Rotterdam.

“Supply chains influence every aspect of a business’s success,” says Michael Brandl, Executive Vice President EMEA Operations at Körber Supply Chain Software. “That requires flawless execution – only possible with software and services enabling resilience, flexibility and agility. From employee engagement, end user experience, digitization, process or asset optimization, all the way to sustainability, Körber provides the software solutions to conquer supply chain complexity.”

In light of these trends, Körber will demonstrate its latest advances and solution roadmap, including:

  • The cloud: Körber’s SaaS solutions increase efficiency, reliability, resilience, green practices and cybersecurity. This will bolster the capabilities of its full suite of supply chain solutions.
  • Unified Control System (UCS): Coming in 2023, the UCS will uniquely integrate and control different working models – including fixed automation, voice systems, and 3rd party AMR systems – under a single solution.
  • K.Sight CLASS for operations: A preview of new advances connects data on daily operations from the WMS for real-time planning and design. The result is immediate visibility into operational health and stronger strategic planning.
  • Enspire Commerce platform: Including one of the industry’s most renowned order management systems (OMS), the platform enables order visibility across channels and actionable data. This is heightened when used in tandem with Kӧrber’s fulfilment solutions.
  • myShipinfo: The freight audit payment (FAP) service complements OMS and WMS capabilities for unparalleled levels of last-mile profitability, control, intelligence and customer experience.

Businesses and opinion leaders across industries, company sizes and needs will present how they are revolutionising supply chains with these software solutions from Körber. This includes:

  • Roland Berger’s results of the industry’s first Supply Chain Benchmarking Report, developed on behalf of Körber. The report reveals what distinguishes the world’s most sophisticated supply chains.
  • Boxy’s roll-out of the first e-commerce fulfilment solution integrating and managing pick by light, put to light, goods-to-person (G2P) Geek+ AMRs and parcel sorting Libiao AMRs under the supervision of one unified control system.
  • Hermes Fulfilment’s use of the K.Motion WMS and the K.Motion YMS to keep pace with consumers’ expectations for convenience, speed and choice.
  • Yusen Logistics’ experience with K.Sight CLASS to simulate warehouse operations for unrivalled cost and time savings.
  • Coperion’s partnership with Körber, enabling various warehouses by using the K.Motion ISL (Integrated Site Logistics) solution in the digital factory for supply chain visibility to mitigate disruptions from customer demand, product shortages or unplanned events.
  • C-LOG’s end-to-end software suite, including K.Motion WMS, WCS and DOM to support growth and performance for third-party logistics.

Körber Elevate EMEA is aimed at supply chain executives, decision makers and IT and systems managers. The programme and registration form are available by CLICKING HERE.

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