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What Jens says – an interview with a Solution Director

Sereact

4 min read

Jens

Since January 2024, Jens Pommerening has been an integral part of the Sereact team, initially joining as Lead Solution Architect before quickly stepping up as Solution Director. With a wealth of experience in implementing complex intralogistics solutions and a deep passion for automation, Jens has long been a key player in the industry. Even before officially joining Sereact, he was an enthusiastic fan of our technology – now, he’s actively shaping its future.

In this interview, Jens not only shares insights into his role at Sereact and the future of AI in logistics, but also gives us a glimpse into his personal journey and fun facts about him. We’ll also discover what inspired him to transition from an external sparring partner to a full-time team member. Get ready for some fascinating insights!

Jens, what initially sparked your interest in logistics, and how has this passion evolved over the years?  Logistics is the system that determines our entire life and all of history, even though it primarily takes place in the background. This has fascinated me greatly – this combination of being all-encompassing and indispensable, yet still somehow an underdog. The longer I work in logistics, the more this fascination grows. Especially as I continue to understand and discover the various aspects, challenges, and solutions that logistics encompasses.

What advice would you give to professionals who are just starting their careers in logistics and automation? One should always remain curious, and maintain the ability to question one's own beliefs and principles. Logistics is so volatile and full of innovation that what is considered the absolute truth today may be outdated tomorrow.

Looking ahead, what innovations do you believe will transform the way we manage intralogistic? Vision-language-action models such as our PickGPT at Sereact represent, without exaggeration, the next "Internet" moment for me. The ability to enable machines, robots, WMS systems, or other areas of logistics to draw conclusions and take actions based on available information is so disruptive that, in my opinion, no single person can fully grasp the entire potential.

What excites you the most about the future of technology and the role Sereact will play in shaping it? For me personally, Sereact is one of the very few European companies truly at the forefront of developing vision-language-action models, and doing so in my core discipline of logistics. I find it absolutely fascinating to spend every day discovering new possibilities, deriving products, and bringing them to life. Sereact has already delivered solutions in several areas as the first company in the world to do so, and I had the opportunity to be directly involved. There's nothing more exciting and motivating for me in a professional context.

What unique challenges do you expect to face as Solutions Director at Sereact, and how do you plan to tackle them? It's a challenging and absolutely fulfilling role because I have the opportunity to develop solutions based on a technology where, unlike many other fields, there are no established rules or boundaries yet. Of course, one of the biggest challenges is to focus my own resources and those of my team on the most important issues without getting lost in the multitude of possibilities. That's why I'm constantly trying to engage in discussions with a wide variety of people and departments, both within Sereact and in the broader market, to distill the most important directions for the development of our products from the overall noise.

What music or podcasts do you like to listen to at work and how do they affect your productivity? Since I collect vinyl records and love going to all kinds of concerts, I actually listen to a wide variety of music, depending on my mood and what I'm doing. For complex tasks, I often turn to techno (the Ritter Butzke playlist on Spotify is a top choice) or boom bap. For everyday work, I like to listen to punk, funk, 80s synth or pop.

Imagine a hypothetical scenario: If you could switch roles with any team member at Sereact for a day, who would it be and what aspect of their work would you be most curious about? I would love to swap places with one of our AI developers, as I'd like to gain a much deeper understanding of what really happens in the depths of AI. Also, I'd love to switch with our hardware team because I've always enjoyed tinkering and building things.

What leisure activities do you enjoy that help you unwind and recharge? I love hiking and it really helps me unwind. When I'm surrounded by greenery and hills, I can completely relax. Additionally, I really enjoy going to concerts and getting lost in the music, which has a similar calming effect to hiking.

What's your secret talent or a fun fact that might surprise your colleagues? Although I hardly do any sports anymore, I used to practice Shotokan Karate for 11 years. I'm actually only one test away from my first black belt (there are 10 different dan levels), and I used to compete in real tournaments, both in kata and kumite.

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