Sharing the value of end-to-end supply chain management

At the recent ProMat trade show in Chicago, manufacturing and supply chain leaders gathered to share perspectives on the industry's future and showcase cutting-edge technologies.

However, one theme quickly emerged: A convergence of macro trends and technological disruptions is adding new layers of complexity to an already complex industry. Supply chain volatility is rising, customers face greater pressure to be more efficient, and emerging AI technologies offer radical new possibilities. This moment of significant opportunity and risk demands a flexible approach to end-to-end supply chain management.

At Körber our ambition to make the world's supply chains move is more than a tagline—it's our commitment to creating responsive end-to-end supply chain ecosystems and providing an expansive suite of solutions designed to meet today’s complex logistical demands. In this dynamic environment, here’s how we're thinking differently about our customers’ evolving needs.

„Our differentiation is that we can insource solutions.“

Ananta Islam, CEO and Region President Americas, Körber Business Area Supply Chain

Delivering a fully open innovation ecosystem

At Körber, one of our greatest strengths is our comprehensive suite of supply chain solutions, all under one roof. As an equipment and product manufacturer, software developer, integration specialist, and technology consultant, we optimize our customers’ entire supply chain journey.

Ananta Islam, Chief Executive Officer and Region President Americas at Körber Business Area Supply Chain, says, “Our differentiation is that we can insource solutions. For example, when doing a warehouse integration job for clients, it’s our conveyor, we control the design, and we are the integrator. We’re an end-to-end solutions provider—and from a cost as well as a relationship perspective, that creates real efficiencies.”

At the core, the experts at Körber are problem solvers for clients. Our priority is always delivering measurable results, and we’re flexible about the approach that gets us there. As Alex Scholes, Head of Research & Development for North America at Körber Business Area Supply Chain, explains, “We’re here to solve logistical issues, not just provide equipment. Whether it’s with hardware, software, or AI, our goal is always to solve end-to-end solutions for our clients.”

Körber’s solutions are also vendor agonistic. Although offering a wide range of products and services in-house, we carefully assess each customer's needs and determine precisely where our solutions fit best. If we identify any gaps, we go to market and find something that works best.

„We’re here to solve logistical issues, not just provide equipment.“

Alex Scholes, Head of Research & Development North America, Körber Business Area Supply Chain

Codeveloping and cocreating with our customers

Increasingly, customers are coming to us for our expertise on reducing reliance on human capital, minimizing downtime in warehouses, enabling predictive maintenance, and optimizing the unloading process.

While continuous innovation is critical here (Körber invests 7% of the group’s revenue in R&D spend), some company- or facility-specific issues require customized solutions. In these cases, Körber’s experts work with customers on a consultative basis. Islam describes the process as “sending our technical folks to go out on a site, on the floor, with our customers and codevelop solutions.”

Sean Enslin, Senior Sales Representative at Körber Business Area Supply Chain, points to another benefit of codevelopment: “Not only do we tailor solutions for our customers, but we also ensure they’re future proof. As products or business cases change, we ensure that our codeveloped solutions can adapt without having to make any physical systems changes or improvements.”

„As products or business cases change, we ensure that our codeveloped solutions can adapt without having to make any physical systems changes or improvements.“

Sean Enslin, Senior Sales Representative, Körber Business Area Supply Chain

Integrating AI, but only with a purpose

AI continues to be a central theme in the industry. Alex Scholes underlines that Körber has been deploying AI-driven solutions for nearly two decades: “Our approach mirrors how we build end-to-end ecosystems. We begin by defining the real-world challenge, then pragmatically select the right tools, AI included, to solve it.”

However, Scholes observes, “There is a lot of hype around the large language models and agentic AI … and we believe large quantitative models [which can predict how systems will behave] will be the game changer.”

This insight guides Körber’s overall strategy for AI integration across the supply chain. It’s about exploring how technologies like large quantitative models combined with advanced sensors can enhance predictive maintenance, reduce downtime, and improve operational efficiency. This complements the existing portfolio of AI-powered solutions, including everything from operational analytics tools to Optical Character Recognition solutions for parcel processing.

Coming out of ProMat 2025, one thing is clear: The future of supply chain management will only become more complex. New technologies will continue reshaping our industry, creating opportunities for growth as well as new integration challenges. Yet, amid all this change, one thing remains certain: Körber will remain at the forefront of providing a broad range of proven, end-to-end supply chain solutions fitting any business size, strategy, or appetite for growth.

Article originaly published at koerber.com.

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