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Staffing needs almost halved
The US cooperative Associated Wholesale Grocers keeps 54,600 dry goods, fresh produce, and frozen food items in stock for its 1,100 members using a highly automated, full-range logistics center . The facility is designed for a daily picking capacity of more than 460,000 retail units.
Knowledge transfer in the Seychelles
Natural hazards are increasingly occurring worldwide in the form of floods, landslides, forest fires, storms, earthquakes, and rockfalls. Acute crisis management is required, but so are long-term strategies for transportation routes, where Gasser Felstechnik provides assistance in the Seychelles.
German Design Award for Traigo-i
Following the Red Dot Design Award 2025, Toyota Material Handling's new 48-volt counterbalance forklift, Traigo_i, has now also received the German Design Award 2026 in the Excellent Product Design – Industry category. The focus: the complete integration of lithium-ion technology.
Long-term contracts at SBB Cargo
Numerous SBB Cargo Switzerland transport customers, such as Migros, have signed new single wagonload (EWLV) contracts with terms of up to ten years. New contracts have also reportedly been concluded with fenaco, Stahl Gerlafingen, and the Swiss saltworks.
Cooperation with Capra Robotics
Frei Fördertechnik announces its future collaboration with the Danish robotics specialist Capra. "This expands our portfolio to include mobile robot platforms that bring even greater flexibility and efficiency to production and logistics," says Michael Schüpbach, Head of Automation & Robotics. The AMRs are versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications.
SSI subsidiary continues to consistently rely on SAP
Since 2021, the software specialists at SWAN have been part of the SSI Schäfer Group, responsible for the SAP projects of the globally active intralogistics experts and supporting companies in implementing future-proof solutions – from highly automated distribution centers to integrated production logistics. The course is right.
Arne Sturm will be the new CEO in Hirschthal
Jungheinrich Switzerland will have a new managing director as of January 1, 2026. Arne Sturm will succeed Martin Weber, who is leaving the company after 18 years – eleven of them as managing director – at his own request to pursue new topics and challenges.
Another 50 million for new TGW headquarters
TGW Logistics is currently investing €100 million in expanding its production capacity at its headquarters in Austria. Now, with an expansion of the existing office building at the site, a five-story office building with 14,000 m² of usable space is being constructed for around €50 million, with completion expected by the second half of 2028.
AutoStore for Belgian hospitals
AutoStore system for Maria Middelares, a non-profit medical organization in Belgium, and Aalter in East Flanders, about 60 km west of Brussels.
Reliable data instead of empty phrases.
The Basel Logistics Cluster of the Basel Chamber of Commerce (HKBB), together with the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, industry associations, and infrastructure operators, has published a guide to sustainable logistics in the Basel region. Supply chain expert Daniel Bubendorf explains why such a guide is needed.
By elevator into the limestone cave
By elevator into the limestone cave
An escalator would not have been practical. For example, Thyssen Krupp Elevator at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the US state of New Mexico developed vertical cave access using two traction elevators that transport visitors to the World Heritage Site approximately 230 meters (approximately 67 floors) below.
The two-year renovation project included, among other things, the installation of two elevators—the announced depth of which is as high as the Hoover Dam. The elevators reach a speed of almost 215 meters per minute.
Photo: NPS Carlsbad Caverns / P.Jones
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the Chihuahuan Desert in the US state of New Mexico consists of more than 100 limestone caves. They are of equal interest to science and tourism – the park welcomes nearly 500,000 visitors annually. Until recently, the affected cave was served by an elevator system dating back to 1955, which urgently needed to be modernized to ensure the safety and comfort of its passengers.
Due to the extreme conditions of the cave landscape, installing the elevators required special engineering expertise. Among the challenges was the transport of materials to the cave floor using the "reverse construction method," a specially developed technique requiring exceptional precision and meticulous planning.
Photo: TK Elevator
Each individual part had to be carefully transported through the existing elevator shaft and then assembled underground. Absolute precision was paramount to ensure the future structure's stability—and to avoid any negative impact on the cave's sensitive ecosystems during and after construction.
TK Elevator modernized key existing components such as the divider beams, rails, cables, machinery, car slings, and the elevator roof. Given the prevailing high humidity, galvanized stainless steel was used to ensure the new installation would be as durable as possible.
Six TK Elevator employees meticulously implemented every step, adhering to strict safety regulations. The planning phase focused on a detailed risk assessment and emergency plans to prevent potential hazards. The crew's safety-oriented and precise work ensured that no environmental damage occurred, and at the end of the process, a new, fast, and efficient traction elevator system could begin operation.
“The building was as special as the surrounding area itself,” says Jeremy Rainwater, CEO Americas at TK Elevator.
