Schachermayer is one of Europe’s leading wholesalers of technical and design products, serving thousands of customers every day from its logistics center in Linz, Austria. As demands increased, the company recognized that its operations were no longer positioned to support future growth.

The issue was the operational risk created by a material flow environment built on legacy systems with aging software whose long-term support could no longer be assured. Schachermayer needed a partner that could understand its operation, protect business continuity, and create a foundation for long-term performance.

Over many years, Schachermayer adapted its logistics processes to meet changing business requirements. As a result, its material flow environment became increasingly complex.

While the operation remained highly capable, maintaining the existing systems became progressively more difficult. Support for some solutions had ended, required specialists were becoming harder to find, and every change carried increased risk.

At the same time, expectations continued to rise. Greater throughput, flexibility, and faster response times demanded a more intelligent approach to material flow but existing control capabilities limited visibility and adaptability, making it harder to respond confidently to change.

These challenges were especially visible in container transport processes where multiple routing options required sophisticated decision making. Without the ability to balance flow and respond to disruptions, inefficiencies accumulated and bottlenecks became more difficult to avoid.

Dematic’s deep understanding of the operation and its challenges was immediately obvious. Rather than starting with technology, the Dematic team focused on understanding workflows, decision making, and improvement opportunities.

This gave Schachermayer confidence that modernization could be achieved without compromising service levels.

Schachermayer recognized that extending legacy systems would not address the underlying challenge. Its goal was to create a more resilient and adaptable operation with a foundation that could evolve with the business.

Together, Schachermayer and Dematic developed a modernization strategy to balance progress with operational stability.

Rather than pursuing a complete system replacement, the teams adopted a phased migration approach that reduced risk and protected business continuity.

The process began by creating a new connection to the warehouse management environment, allowing legacy and modern control logic to operate in parallel while individual areas were modernized in a controlled process.

As the project progressed, attention shifted to areas where routing decisions, order priorities, and material flow intelligence played a critical role. The focus was on orchestrating processes across the operation to sustain throughput, accuracy, and responsiveness. Dematic embedded intelligent decision-making capabilities that would dynamically adapt to changing conditions and automatically select alternative routes to reduce manual intervention. By optimizing flow and reducing inefficiency, the design also supports more sustainable daily operations.

A significant contributor to the project’s success was the use of a digital twin that reflected the operational environment. This allowed testing and optimization before implementation in live production — reducing rework, improving resource use, and minimizing risk during the transition.

The supporting technology environment was refreshed to strengthen performance and maintainability. Close collaboration between Schachermayer and Dematic ensured decisions remained aligned with operational priorities and business objectives.

Today, the modernized material flow environment delivers greater stability while responding intelligently to changing conditions across the facility. Material moves more smoothly, disruptions are managed more effectively, and visibility into performance improved significantly. Better flow and fewer inefficiencies help reduce operational waste and create consistent performance. Improved throughput in key areas delivers reliable fulfillment and greater operational confidence.

Schachermayer conducted a thorough evaluation process that considered several potential partners. Its decision depended not only on technical capability, but on the ability to understand the business and the realities of modernizing complex logistics while maintaining daily performance.

Dematic was able to translate business objectives into practical solutions. Its team demonstrated how a more intelligent approach to routing, prioritization, and material flow management could strengthen operational performance by creating a platform capable of growth.

Throughout the evaluation process, Dematic combined deep operational understanding with a clear focus on outcomes. Challenges were addressed openly, opportunities for improvement were identified proactively, and collaboration became the foundation for a trusted partnership. By focusing on operational realities rather than assumptions, the Dematic team built confidence in a solution that would deliver lasting value.

Beyond day-to-day performance, Schachermayer now has a platform that can evolve alongside the business. Greater visibility, increased adaptability, and reduced reliance on manual intervention create operational resilience and workforce efficiency.

The process combined new technology with a clear understanding of operational needs and a shared commitment to long-term outcomes. The result for Schachermayer? A strong partnership with Dematic and a strong foundation for future operations.