HEUSENSTAMM – Automation technology provider, Dematic, is meeting the increased demand for intralogistics solutions with a new corporate organisation for the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Bernard Biolchini has been appointed the Executive Vice President (EVP). This new structure is expected to allow Dematic to be an even faster, more responsive partner for EMEA customers, with expanded availability for its systems, software, and services. It will also help accelerate the development of its technology solutions and digital services. The new structure will officially take effect on 1 January 2022.

“With the new organisational structure, we are setting the course for corporate and employee growth in the best possible way. Along with our long-established experience and expertise, we will be even better able to serve the EMEA region and expand our position a leader in intelligent automation technology,” said Hasan Dandashly, President, Dematic, and Executive Board Member of KION GROUP AG.

Current and expected future growth precipitated the change, with the Dematic EMEA region consisting now of eight markets, each with a strong local leader. “The new structure puts experts on the ground with precise knowledge of market challenges and conditions,” said Dandashly. “We now have more than 10,000 employees worldwide, 4,100 of them in EMEA and we continue to hire talent to help us meet the growth in the industry and specifically in this region,” said Dandashly.

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have led to a greater demand for automation solutions than before, with global sales growth of 32 percent for Dematic in 2020. The EMEA region accounted for a large share. E-commerce and e-food continue to promise growth rates above market expectations.

Bernard Biolchini has been named the EVP for the entire region. “With his unparalleled industry knowledge and leadership capabilities, Bernard has all the prerequisites to successfully guide Dematic EMEA into the future,” said Dandashly.

The French-Italian native, Biolchini, has worked in the logistics industry for seven years and has held international leadership positions at Dematic. Biolchini has moved back from North America where he was EVP for Americas Market and previously as Managing Director for Dematic Southern Europe. Prior to joining Dematic, Biolchini served as general manager for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. Prior to that, he was president of Invensys Controls Europe and senior sales director at Hewlett-Packard Europe. He earned his Master of Business Administration from the prestigious IAE Aix-en-Provence Business School. Biolchini, who has already started this new position, said, “I am looking forward to continuing the development of our highly motivated team to expand further profitable growth in the EMEA super region.”

Biolchini heads a flexible matrix organisation made up of different European functions in eight Dematic markets. Half of the functional leaders come from within the company and the other half were filled by external applicants: Andrea Campora (SVP Commercial EMEA), Alberto Rostagno (VP Customer Service EMEA), Oliver Thomas (Senior Director Legal EMEA), Nagy Bejjani (VP Finance EMEA), Dino Caprioni (VP Human Resources EMEA) and Markus Bacher (Senior Director Solution Development EMEA).

The European functional management positions are complemented by a team of eight market managers. For the UK and Ireland area, Steffen Thierfelder will be VP and Market Leader.