Meet Lars Schmidt, Technical Manager, Warehouse

Lars Schmidt, Technical Manager for Schou’s one-year-old high-bay warehouse at Vision Park, has had a remarkable journey since joining the company in November 2023, just one month before the warehouse was officially commissioned. His employment began with a bold approach to the Supply Chain Director, Rune Skou Raun, where Lars stated, “You need someone like me.” Rune’s initial response was skeptical: “Why do I need that?” – but Lars’ experience and confidence secured him the position, which has proven to be a significant gain for Schou.

An Automation Specialist

With over 20 years of experience in automation and previous roles as Site Manager for high-bay warehouse systems, Lars has been responsible for the operation, maintenance, and optimization of the warehouse. He spent 16 years working for the supplier of this very facility, making him an expert in the field. The high-bay warehouse, which stands 42 meters tall and is fully automated, currently holds 20,000 pallets, equivalent to 50% of its capacity. At full capacity, it can handle 150 pallets inbound and 130 outbound per hour!

From Daily Operations to Development

While Lars initially focused on ensuring the daily operations of the high-bay warehouse, it now runs so smoothly that he can dedicate his time to new automation projects. “I aim to make myself redundant,” Lars says with a smile, referring to his goal of optimizing processes to make tasks as efficient as possible. This includes exploring and implementing robotics for tasks like container unloading and palletizing, which are currently done manually.

Driving Innovation

Lars’ ability to identify and test new machinery and technologies makes him a key driver of Schou’s development, constantly seeking to optimize and automate processes to improve the company’s workflows. Fortunately, there is still plenty of room to enhance the warehouse operations, ensuring that Lars’ dedication and expertise will continue to play a vital role.