thyssenkrupp Schulte Celebrating 125 Years of Inventions

The versatile benefits and uses of steel in the age of industrialization were recognized by Mr Heinrich August Schulte at the end of the 19th century. By founding a small steel trading business in Dortmund on February 5, 1896, the young entrepreneur laid the foundation for today's thyssenkrupp Schulte GmbH. 125 years later, the company is Germany's biggest materials distribution and service provider with around 3,200 employees. The best example of this is the digital transformation, which is driven forward in a holistic and integrated manner within the company and further developed on the basis of individual customer needs. Digital solutions such as customer portals, web shops and apps are seamlessly integrated into the omnichannel strategy. Technical innovations such as the data analytics platform "alfred" for the ideal coordination of supply flows or the independently developed IIoT platform "toii" for greater efficiency of processing lines help to understand customer needs even better and optimize processes. In addition, thyssenkrupp Schulte is systematically continuing its "Materials as a Service" strategy with the expansion of its service business. Customers are offered integrated solutions along the entire value chain – from designing supply chains to taking over complete warehouse and inventory management. The fact that thyssenkrupp Schulte is also setting a new industry-wide standard in logistics is demonstrated by the materials distributor's new logistics center in northern Germany, which is scheduled to go into operation in May 2021. In the future, goods will be guided to the truck during loading and unloading. In addition, driverless transport systems will be used throughout the warehouse area. The optimized material flows and logistics processes will enable productivity to be increased significantly. "alfred" and "toii" are also used at the new site and ensure highly efficient processes in order processing. These and many other initiatives already give an idea of where thyssenkrupp Schulte's innovative journey may lead in the coming years and decades. Materials such as steel, stainless steel and nonferrous metals have become indispensable in the construction, automotive and industrial sectors. They are an integral part of numerous everyday objects and make the body of a car safer, agricultural machinery more robust, viewing platforms more spectacular, cranes and excavator shovels more stable, or canteen kitchens and cafeterias shinier.