Experts develop IT for expanded Central Logistics

Cranes, site fences and construction workers in yellow vests are the visible side of construction during the expansion of Central Logistics in Zeulenroda. Yet the invisible side of the project is at least of equal importance: Developing a state-of-the-art IT landscape. Industrial Engineer Jonas Döring from Logistics and Business Information Systems Technician Daniel Seidel from the IT department explain how this can be achieved while the business continues to operate.

What is the role of the IT project segment within the overall project of expanding Central Logistics?

Jonas: It plays a crucial role: Without IT we would just have buildings – nowadays, nothing runs without IT. Since early 2025 we have been analyzing processes, defining new workflows and preparing for technical implementation.

What is changing specifically for the IT landscape in Logistics?

Jonas: We are going to acquire an automatic packaging machine, which is entirely new for us and needs to be connected. A new shuttle storage system. New order picking stations. Everything has to be rethought. Processes are almost entirely transformed: How do we send things out of the warehouse? How do we receive them at the warehouse?  Where do we package them? And so on.

Daniel: All that will have an impact on the systems. Plus there are new workspaces being created, for example, which need to be equipped with technology and networks. On the one hand, we have to convert everything to the new system, and on the other hand we also have to lay new cables. Both of these are part of the process.

You work very closely together: Who does what?

Jonas: Above all, I take care of how the process should run in the end, and which IT technologies we should use. I keep the big picture in mind and test new elements within the production system.

Daniel: My job is adjusting these processes in the system. Jonas sometimes asks me: “Daniel, I want to do this and that...how can we implement that in the system?” And then I consider how it can be done. I also coordinate collaboration with service providers and “translate” how we envision what our work will look like in the future. 

What milestones have you reached in the past months?

Jonas: In May, we fully updated the old SAP/ERP system for the first time, so we should be able to proceed for the next several years without any major updates. This has provided a foundation that is essential before any development can take place.

Daniel: And what was equally important: We established workflows for everyday project routines and defined how to achieve the transition between the old and new systems. 

What is your greatest challenge on this project?

Daniel: This is practically like performing open heart surgery – we’re dealing with the production system that keeps our Logistics department up and running on a daily basis. We come in with tests every week. We take advantage of break times to disrupt operations as little as possible. The worst case scenario would be for employees to come back from their break and find that nothing is working.

Jonas: That’s why we test with small IT packages: If an error occurs, this tells us more precisely what we need to look at. The most complex aspect will be the interplay between old and new. You can imagine it like switching from a race track onto the highway – entirely different speeds and timing. We have to reconcile all of this.

When I hear all this, I ask myself: How well are you both sleeping?

Daniel: [laughs] Ahh...actually quite well.

Jonas: Me too, actually. We have skilled partners and experts on each of our teams who are assisting us.

What’s the next step for you?

Jonas: We are currently developing the processes for the new shuttle storage system and the new order picking stations. The plan is to carry out initial tests on the new facilities in 2027. Before that, we will simulate the processes in test systems and using a 3D model.