How the Stephanus workshops are creating new perspectives with JTL

All of us come to a point in our lives where we need help. For some, this is when they start or return to work. Fortunately, there are institutions such as Stephanus-Werkstätten, a Christian non-profit organization that supports disadvantaged people with disabilities in (re)entering employment.

We are proud that our solutions are also used in such organizations and would like to show you in this article how the Stephanus workshops at the Grenzbergeweg location in Berlin learn how to use JTL-Wawi & Co. from the ground up.

How Corona turned Stephanus-Werkstätten into a fulfillment professional

Marco Fülle-Löwe, group leader in the Fulfillment department at Stephanus-Werkstätten, takes us into the workshops where his employees pick, pack and ship parcels. It all started here three years ago when coronavirus protective equipment had to be distributed throughout the foundation. The various departments ordered the required items from the fulfillment center set up specifically for this purpose and received them from here. The first request from outside soon followed. Today, the team stores and ships goods for 14 companies.

JTL on board right from the start

The fulfillment team has been supported by JTL software since the beginning. “For me,JTL-Wawi is like an additional employee that takes a lot of work off my hands and is constantly evolving. There is usually an update every two weeks where something is improved – I don’t know that from any other software,” says Marco. “We started with JTL-Wawi 1.4 and are now on version 1.8. It’s fascinating to see the huge leaps that have been made in the software.” The group managers taught themselves how to use the ERP system and the employees also use JTL on a daily basis. They quickly become so proficient in its use that they can even train new employees.

In addition to merchandise management, Stephanus-Werkstätten also uses the JTL-POS POS solution, the JTL-WMS warehouse management system and the JTL-Shop store system for location-based orders. JTL-WMS Mobile is used for picking and stocktaking. In the long term, a permanent inventory is to be introduced. This means that a small team will check and inventory storage locations every day. As over 30,000 items are now stored in the workshops, a clean year-end inventory would otherwise be almost impossible.

Growing step by step with tasks

The recipe for success at Stephanus-Werkstätten: Employees are introduced to the processes step by step, allowing them to continuously improve. There are four dispatch tables with increasing levels of difficulty for training. The next training step on the program is order picking. This is followed by incoming goods. This is the area with the greatest challenges, but also with the greatest learning effect. From here, the employees usually move on to an internship outside the workshop, where they can show what they have learned.

Marco deliberately doesn’t treat his employees with kid gloves: “For me, it’s important not to overburden the employees, but also to achieve a healthy level of stress. After all, you’re always exposed to stress on the open labor market. People with disabilities also have to learn how to deal with it.” This principle has proven its worth: 99% of program participants are ready for a successful entry into working life at the end of the program.

Good career opportunities in warehouse logistics

A look at the prevailing staff shortage, particularly in warehouse logistics, shows how important an institution like the Stephanus workshops is not only for the learners themselves, but also for society. The workshops currently have the highest placement rates in this area. With their deployment, the trained employees provide valuable support for skilled workers and save them a lot of manual work.

Thanks to JTL, the future looks very bright for our employees!

Shaping the future with JTL

The potential of the facility is far from exhausted. JTL will also play an important role in many planned major projects. Marco sees enormous growth opportunities for his location in JTL Plan&Produce in other areas of work and summarizes: “Thanks to JTL, the future looks very bright for our employees!”