SSI SCHÄFER :: Intralogistics, Warehouse Automation & Intelligent Material Handling Solutions

SSI SCHÄFER is a global leader in intralogistics, warehouse automation, and intelligent material handling solutions. Established in 1937 in Germany as a manufacturer of steel shelving, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest family-owned providers of complete turnkey logistics systems. Today, SSI SCHÄFER operates in more than 70 countries with over 10,000 employees and offers end-to-end solutions ranging from static storage and manual systems to highly automated, robotics-driven warehouses. The company is particularly recognized for integrating robotics, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated software to create future-proof logistics centers that maximize efficiency, flexibility, and scalability for e-commerce, retail, food & beverage, automotive, and pharmaceutical industries.

SSI SCHÄFER’s robot-based products form a core pillar of its automation portfolio. The company develops and integrates a wide range of robotic technologies including Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), robotic picking stations, automated palletizing and depalletizing cells, and high-density shuttle systems. Their flagship AMR platform, the SSI WEASEL, is a flexible, scalable solution for internal transport that can operate safely alongside humans without fixed infrastructure. Newer generations of AMRs feature advanced navigation, fleet management through the WAMAS® software suite, and seamless integration with conveyors and automated storage systems.

A major strength lies in SSI SCHÄFER’s robotic piece-picking and palletizing solutions. Using sophisticated 3D vision systems, AI, and machine learning, their robotic cells can reliably handle thousands of different SKUs with varying shapes, sizes, and packaging types. These systems are deployed in goods-to-person and goods-to-robot workflows that dramatically increase throughput while reducing physical strain on workers. The company also offers the SSI Cuby shuttle system and Exyz pallet channel storage with robotic access, creating ultra-dense automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). Their portfolio includes collaborative robot applications (cobots) for mixed-case palletizing, order fulfillment, and returns processing.

All robotic solutions are orchestrated by SSI SCHÄFER’s proprietary WAMAS® logistics software, which provides warehouse management (WMS), warehouse control (WCS), and fleet management capabilities. This software enables real-time optimization, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision making across entire robotic fleets. Recent innovations focus on energy-efficient designs, modular robotics that can be rapidly deployed or reconfigured, and enhanced human-robot collaboration features that support hybrid workforces.

With decades of experience delivering complex, large-scale projects worldwide, SSI SCHÄFER differentiates itself through vertical integration — designing, manufacturing, installing, and supporting both the hardware and software components of its solutions. Their robotics strategy emphasizes modularity, reliability in 24/7 operations, and the ability to future-proof warehouses against rapidly changing market demands such as shorter delivery times and greater product variety. As supply chain automation accelerates globally, SSI SCHÄFER continues to expand its robotics capabilities, combining mechanical engineering excellence with cutting-edge AI to deliver some of the most advanced automated logistics solutions available today.