SCM Agendaen on sustainable warehouse solutions (in Danish)

Sustainability has firmly made its way onto top management agendas across all types of businesses. Global warming has put a spotlight on reducing CO₂ emissions through various initiatives such as using green energy sources, recycling materials (e.g., through the circular economy), and reducing food waste. Surveys among Danish companies show that sustainability has become a true competitive factor and is considered a very important part of overall strategy. Sustainability also plays a key role for companies investing in automated warehouse systems—whether it’s a new build with new equipment or installing new equipment in existing facilities.

Podcast hosts Tina Højrup Kjær and Jan Stentoft have invited senior consultant Rudi Kjeldsen from Langebæk for a conversation about sustainable warehouse solutions.

Listen to the podcast here:

The podcast discusses why sustainability is important to integrate into projects involving automated warehouse management systems. Langebæk works with both “handprint” and ‘footprint.’ Handprint refers to the positive impact the company can create in customer solutions, and footprint refers to Langebæk’s own impact as a consultancy. In the podcast, Rudi Kjeldsen explains how they work with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) alongside customers and suppliers, so clients achieve the best warehouse solution for their needs. Sustainability is not just the responsibility of one company but of all companies in the supply chain. The discussion also touches on different types of customer projects, each incorporating sustainability in its own way, as well as the importance of thinking long-term in project planning.

Sustainability – A Part of Langebæk’s Technical Solutions

Langebæk has several different types of projects that directly or indirectly relate to sustainability. ‘We’ve recently looked at projects where we examined the possibility of reducing CO₂ emissions in the last mile, and we also have projects that investigate whether waste can be reduced within internal supply chains,’ says Rudi Kjeldsen.

For automation, warehouse, and distribution centre projects, CO₂ emissions are measured—before and after—as an indicator of how far the customer can go operationally with the potential future warehouse solutions. ‘We look at the baseline and compare it with the new potential solutions. Then we incorporate that into a business case, where sustainability is also included’, says Rudi Kjeldsen. The focus can be on how much energy the future system will consume compared to the current solution, as well as how many employees will be needed in the new, more efficient setup. The new solution should make the company more productive and thereby reduce its CO₂ footprint.

Important Aspects in the Decision-Making Process

It is important in this context to focus on who drives the sustainability agenda at the customer’s organisation. ‘Langebæk is relatively operationally oriented. Langebæk is not a management consulting firm, so we rarely develop growth strategies or strategic plans for the customer as such’, says Rudi Kjeldsen.

Langebæk typically enters the process a bit later, when the time comes to execute the growth strategy, and therefore looks at warehouse and logistics systems, for example. At the operational level, sustainability is not often on the agenda. It’s something that is typically handled elsewhere in the company or in specialised departments.

‘We find that operations can be caught in a dilemma—being measured on profitability, while also suddenly facing demands for sustainability. We often see that the dialogue comes too late, when top management has already discussed sustainable solutions, ambitions, or necessities, and it hasn't yet filtered down into the organisation at the operational level. That’s when we start asking the questions—where have you considered sustainability in the solution? How ready is the operational level to take on sustainability? It’s a shared responsibility—both top-down and bottom-up', says Rudi Kjeldsen.

Participants:

• Senior Consultant Rudi Kjeldsen, Langebæk
  • Hosts: Podcast editors Professor Jan Stentoft, SDU Kolding and Communications Consultant Tina Højrup Kjær, SDU Kolding