Can do culture

Dematic CEO Stephen Reeve is widely respected as a thought leader and driver of change as the organisation builds its brand and strengthens its global position.

Responsible for the operation of Dematic throughout Asia Pacific, Reeve began his logistics career in factory work and qualified as a mechanical engineer. Joining Dematic (then Colby) in 1992, Reeve’s career evolved through a series of leadership roles including heading the company’s Engineering and Sales divisions.

“When I first entered the Logistics industry I naively thought I knew more about the industry than I really did,” Reeve recalls, “I figured probably four or five years and I’d know all I need to know. It soon dawned on me how wrong I was, and I’ve been learning ever since.”

Throughout its changes of ownership, from Colby to Siemens and ultimately Dematic, Reeve says the company has retained founder Gerry Hatton’s ‘can do’ approach. “Nothing is impossible,” he enthuses. “Our team is committed to understanding and satisfying the business objectives of our customers.” “Dematic is committed to providing Innovative solutions for its clients. As an example, in the late 90s, we developed a new pick to light system which subsequently won Australian Design Awards for both software and hardware,” Reeve explains. “And even in mature markets we have registered global patents for unique products like drive in rack and protect-a-rack which are stronger, safer and more economical.”

Celebrating a 40-year track record of success, Reeve says Dematic is constantly pushing the boundaries in terms of what can be achieved through new technologies, systems and software. “But the real key to the company’s success undoubtedly lies in its great team of people,” he says. “All strategic advantage stems from innovation and people hold the key to innovation,” Reeve adds. “Two heads are always better than one, so getting teams of people working together is the fastest and most effective way to innovate.” “While Dematic can be proud of its achievements, many instances of innovation occur in collaboration with customers,” Reeve says.

“One particular customer, with whom we have a very close relationship, embraced our collaborative approach and we worked as part of their team (at their premises) for over a year. Together we developed one of the most innovative systems of its type in Australia - arguably the world.” Dematic Australia belongs to the Global Dematic group, one of the largest logistics businesses in the world,” Reeve says. “We constantly draw on world’s best practice and tailor it to the Australian market. In turn, this provides our customers a competitive advantage.”

Reeve draws a distinction between leadership and management skills. “In my opinion, successful CEOs need to be both exceptional leaders and exceptional managers,” he says. “A leader is visionary, lighting the way for others to follow, while a good manager makes strong business decisions for the present.” “Either way, today’s CEOs must have good all round capabilities, be aware of global and local trends and able to capitalise on opportunities that arise. They need to be compassionate, in touch with their staff and customers and good communicators. Above all, CEOs need to be passionate about their industry, rather than just their pay cheque,” he says.

According to Reeve, Dematic will continue to focus on providing solutions that provide its customers a significant competitive edge. Additional growth will occur by supporting customers “outside the warehouse walls”, and from emerging industries where our expertise can be applied,” Reeve says. “Dematic’s vision is to be seen as The Clear Partner Of Choice.”

For more information, please contact Carole McCormick:
carole.mccormick@dematic.com
Ph. 61 (2) 9486 5463