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Federal Councillor Beat Jans in Rupperswil
The Swiss Logistics by ASFL SVBL training center in Rupperswil recently hosted visits from Federal Councillor Beat Jans, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, Jérôme Cosandey, head of the Directorate of Labour at SECO, and Aargau government councillor Dieter Egli.
Even better than lithium-ion
At the world's largest industrial trade fair in Hanover, with 3,000 exhibitors, a young company called BTRY from Dübendorf won a startup award sponsored by the logistics provider Hermes. The founders impressed the judges with an ultra-thin, fully flexible energy storage system that is intended to enable numerous new applications.
Large containers for the «Jaguar»
At Claas in Bad Saulgau, machines for forage harvesting and headers for the forage harvester, which proudly bears the name " Jaguar ," are developed, tested, and manufactured. More staging area was needed at the assembly lines. Bito assisted with the switch to the large SL 86 hoppers.
System change at the drying tower
Automation, as mentioned, doesn't have to be complicated. Even simple, repetitive logistical processes can be carried out automatically with high-lift pallet trucks like the EXV iGo. Forklift manufacturer Still successfully implemented this at DP-Supply, a subsidiary of Deutsche Milchkontor DMK.
«Logistics Townhouse» for the city
It was just one of the numerous presentations at the German Material Flow Congress, which took place in Dortmund these days in parallel with the IFOY Test Camp: It was dedicated to a concept by Carl-Friedrich Rico zu Knyphausen, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Logivalue GmbH in Berlin: A « Retail Town House » for the city center.
Social responsibility
The production of razor blades was once a sharp business – today, Schmalz is the world market leader in vacuum technology, and its executives are committed to sustainability, education, and regional development . For this, they have now been awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
Swiss Packaging Award
Well packaged is half the battle. Submissions for the Swiss Packaging Award are open until May 15th. The award for the best packaging solutions is presented in the categories of sustainability, convenience, design, marketing, technology/construction/machine systems, and reusable packaging .
800 visitors at the test camp
Many participants of the test camp also took the opportunity to attend the 33rd Material Flow Congress – held for the first time in Dortmund – under the direction of Professor Johannes Fottner. A total of around 800 visitors came to Dortmund's Westfalenhalle to view approximately 100 innovations.
With my back against the wall
The shift to rail freight through the Alps has suffered significant setbacks recently. According to BLS Cargo, the main culprits are the dilapidated German infrastructure and the numerous line closures and construction sites along the north-south corridor. This is also impacting personnel policies.
Kion and Siemens together in a parallel universe
Kion will be the first company in Europe to use Siemens' new simulation software " Digital Twin Composer " , thereby also seeking a degree of independence from the US market, where NVIDIA has so far been the dominant solution for merging the digital and real worlds in smart warehouses.
«Logistics Townhouse» for the city
«Logistics Townhouse» for the city
It was just one of the numerous presentations at the German Material Flow Congress, which took place in Dortmund these days in parallel with the IFOY Test Camp: It was dedicated to a concept by Carl-Friedrich Rico zu Knyphausen, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Logivalue GmbH in Berlin: A « Retail Town House » for the city center.
It's well known that brick-and-mortar retail in city centers is facing a structural crisis: declining foot traffic, vacant storefronts, and the migration to online channels are leading to a loss of confidence in the business model of physical retail locations, says Knyphausen. " the cause of this problem doesn't lie in changing customer behavior—the desire for product interaction, advice, and social experiences remains unchanged—but rather in a systemic weakness of the retail infrastructure " Which sounds rather academic at first.
Systemic weaknesses
An alternative to conventional inner-city structures could be the " Logistics Townhouse " : a vertically integrated concept that combines automated micro-fulfillment with a premium retail experience in a single building. By combining shuttle warehouses on the upper floors (~75,000 SKUs) with a curated sales area on the ground floor and a high-speed bag conveyor system (replenishment in < 5 minutes), a fundamental increase in product availability is achieved – without increasing the sales area.
Historically grown
The concept solves the central dilemma of physical retail: the necessary compromise between sales floor space and warehousing. The Logistics Townhouse enables a 3- to 5-fold increase in the number of SKUs available in the store while simultaneously reducing inventory on the sales floor, thus allowing for a higher-quality " experience curation " .
New building typology
Based on an analysis of existing technologies (shuttle systems, pocket conveyors, WMS integration), zu Knyphausen presented the system architecture, material flow, and economic viability to the expert audience. The differentiation from existing approaches (dark stores, backroom MFC, flagship showrooms) highlighted the innovative dimension of a new building typology for urban retail.
All figures: logivalue
Because a large part of the physical retail sector can no longer withstand online competition. The analysis shows that the problem is not people – “ the problem ” according to Knyphausen, “ is the system ” The traditional retail response – expanding warehouse space, backyard deliveries, and nighttime restocking – is failing due to the fundamental scarcity and cost structure of urban real estate.
Vertically shifted bearings
The Logistics Townhouse combines experience and availability in one building. The basic idea: Warehousing is moved vertically – not behind the store, but above it. By utilizing the upper floors (1st and 2nd floors) of a typical inner-city building for an automated shuttle warehouse, a new infrastructure is created that combines online product range depth with a physical customer experience.
The townhouse consists of three functional levels: Ground floor (GF) Retail & Experience Curated presentation area, interaction zones, consultation areas, self-service terminals Connecting level Vertical transport Bag conveyor system with return and automated handover.
Integrated overhead conveyor
The upper floors (floors 1-2) house a fulfillment shuttle warehouse with a capacity of approximately 75,000 SKUs, equipped with an auto-picker and WMS. This vertical integration enables restocking of the sales floor in under 5 minutes – a fundamental break with the traditional logic of nightly or hourly deliveries.
Retail reinvented
The Logistics Townhouse is a building block of a new infrastructure for 21st-century urban retail. Zu Knyphausen, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Logivalue GmbH in Berlin, which specializes in warehouse automation and real estate, has over 25 years of experience in logistics and supply chain management, including operational leadership roles at Zalando, Arvato/Bertelsmann, DHL, and Delivery Hero.
“ Retail isn’t dying ” he says. “ Retail is being reinvented! ”
