Geodis boosts its automation efforts

European logistics operator Geodis is boosting its automation efforts with the appointment of Antoine Pretin as group vice president for engineering, to oversee the growth in automating the company’s service offerings to customers

An engineer by trade, Pretin began his career in 2007 as a project manager at Sidel Cermex, before joining Fives Intralogistics and then Actemium Logistics – a VINCI Group company specializing in automated intralogistics solutions – in 2014, where he was head of the distribution business.

Philippe de Carné, Geodis’ Executive Vice President Business Development, Innovation & Business Excellence, commented: “Faced with the acceleration of e-commerce and new consumer demands, the automatization of logistics warehouses is an essential response to handle growing flows in an ever-shorter timeframe. With his experience, Antoine will contribute to an open and constructive dialogue between the Geodis teams and the various players in the field of automatization, to serve the needs of our customers around the world.”

Pretin commented: “The arrival of increasingly autonomous intelligent robots and a constant search for competitiveness are paving the way for increased automatization. Such solutions provide great leverage to improve performance and assist in order preparation in e-commerce warehouses, reducing repetitive tasks, but also gaining quality and reactivity.”

Geodis said it “has around fifty automated sites worldwide”.

The group is “a top-rated, global supply chain operator” offering Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport with a global network spanning 120 countries and €8.4 billion in annual sales.