AutoStore™ Announces New Chief Operation Officer

AutoStore Chief Operating Officer Jone Gjerde has decided to step down and retire as of June 30, 2022.

Gjerde has been with AutoStore since 2011, and has been pivotal in the buildup and optimization of the high quality production facilities and operations for AutoStore in Poland, in addition to other responsibilities throughout his time with AutoStore. CEO Karl Johan Lier says, “It’s been quite a journey together since Jone started. Jone’s contribution within R&D, but not least within Operations, has been extremely important to us. I would like to thank him for his excellent service, and wish him a well-deserved new era of retirement”.

Israel Losada Salvador has been externally recruited to be Gjerde's successor and will start with AutoStore this summer. Salvador is currently the CEO in Norsun after having been COO at Kitron for many years. A veteran in the industry, Salvador is looking forward to getting into the role and learning the operations. Salvador will lead operations to the next milestone of its journey, taking production from one site in Poland, where AutoStore is driven by operational excellence, to extending the capacity in Poland during 2022. In addition to his business and industry knowledge, he also has previous experience in selecting and setting up new production sites globally during his time with Kitron, as well as extensive international experience.

In addition to delivering the same quality levels and meeting the methodologies currently adhered to, Salvador will be responsible for evaluating the current supply chain setup to identify key strategic improvements to increase robustness. He will also team with Product on further developments on product and production initiatives and Service and Support will continue to be managed by the COO position.

Salvador is originally from Spain and is married with 2 children. “It’s an exciting time for me to join Autostore as I see a great trajectory for success,” Salvador shares. “I feel fortunate to work for a very dynamic, high-growth company with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.”

“We are lucky to have Israel join our growing team during a time of growth and scaling of our business in line with market demand. I trust Israel will make a significant impact in his organization as well as to the company overall. Israel also knows the industry and individuals in the company already, and I’m confident it’s a good match for both parties”, Lier said.

​​​​​​​Salvador will be based out of the Oslo office.