Following two pilot projects designed to pave the way for the Edeka Group’s switch to the K.Motion software from Infios (Körber Group) for warehouse management, the matter has now been dropped. According to information of The Retail Optimiser, Germany’s largest grocery retail group has now decided to stick with SSI Schäfer as its main supplier of warehouse management systems after all.
Furthermore, the group also wants to explore SSI Schäfer’s robotics-based automated order picking – and, if appropriate, make the family-run company from the Siegerland region its second supplier of automated warehouses alongside Witron.
As in many other areas of Edeka Group, the retail cooperative does not rely on just one software manufacturer as a supplier for warehouse management systems. However, in most full-range distribution centres, where transport units for the stores are packed manually, SSI Schäfer’s Wamas system is in operation. In total, there are over 50 Edeka logistics sites controlled by Wamas.
Full automation so far only with Witron
Currently, all of the Group’s automated full-range distribution centres are managed exclusively with Witron. Edeka Rhein-Ruhr was a pioneer across Europe in the field of full automation of grocery distribution centres: the Witron-automated facility in Hamm was the first of its kind in the German retail sector when it went into operation in 2006. The group now operates seven Witron-automated warehouses: Hamm and Oberhausen (Edeka Rhein-Ruhr), Landsberg (Edeka Südbayern), Zarrentin and Neumünster (Edeka Nord), as well as Berbersdorf and Marktredwitz (Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen). An eighth fully automated Witron distribution centre, Edeka Hessenring is currently constructing in in Melsungen.
SSI Schäfer and Witron are and will continue to be the main suppliers of warehouse management systems for Edeka Group, which is working flat out to standardise its systems even further across all its regional cooperatives. There are exceptions for specialised warehouses, such as Edeka Nord’s distribution centre for meat and meat products in Lüttow-Valluhn. There, for instance, Edeka Nord relies on automation provided by Austrian specialist Knapp for the packing of reusable transport crates.
Specialised Wamas system for Edeka Group possible
Edeka Group had already decided to completely replace its main supplier, SSI Schäfer, with Infios (Körber). According to information of The Retail Optimiser, this decision has now been overturned by the Edeka IT committees. Tests carried out at the two warehouse sites using the system from the Körber Group did not yield the desired results that would have justified the massive switchover for the entire group and the associated costs, according to sources within the Edeka regions.
Edeka IT is currently entering into a development partnership with SSI Schäfer, which is intended to ensure that the group’s requirements are always taken into account in the further development of Wamas. It is also conceivable that the partners will jointly develop a specific version of Wamas for Edeka Group, which will be streamlined by omitting functions intended for other sectors and including only those features required by Edeka.
Rewe International relies on Infios from Körber Group
Infios (Körber)’s customers include the furniture retailer Poco and Rewe International (Billa), which has 40 logistics sites in Austria and Eastern Europe. The Retail Optimiser reported. dm Drogeriemarkt also operates some distribution centres using the Körber solution, but deploys other solutions at sites with a higher degree of automation. Rossmann relies on Infios from Körber Group at its Polish warehouse in Pyskowice.
In March 2025, ‘Körber Supply Chain Software’ was renamed Infios. In 2014, Körber acquired the German company Inconso, an established provider of warehouse management and supply chain execution software. Highjump Software was also acquired in 2017. From 2020, Körber consolidated these and other solutions under the Körber Supply Chain brand. In 2021, the joint venture Körber Supply Chain Software was established in partnership with KKR.
