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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.
New opportunity for humanoids
New opportunity for humanoids
Do we need humanoid robots? Logistics is focused on practicality. Beauty only scores points at beauty pageants. Nevertheless, humanoids could achieve a 10% market share. That the future " smart " was certainly beyond doubt at Viastore's Intralogistics Days.
Around 400 interested parties, ranging from operators of small and manual warehouses and facilities with low turnover to logistics managers of large companies that deliver several hundred thousand order lines a day, came to Stuttgart in mid-April to take a look into the future of logistics.
In addition to a diverse presentation program, live demonstrations, and an exhibition, several sessions focused on concrete applications. Topics ranged from the shop floor to the control center to logistics management. For example, cloud services make plant data from PLCs usable. A " Warehouse Fitness Dashboard " shows the plant's condition by recording faults over time. Many tools are based on machine learning/artificial intelligence (AI).
Viastore has been part of Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), one of the world's largest providers of material handling and automated intralogistics solutions, since 2022. As part of this network of established intralogistics brands, Viastore benefits from broad expertise, covering the entire range of applications in warehouses and logistics centers. In addition to storage and retrieval machines (SRMs), pallet shuttles, and conveyor technology, the portfolio also includes controllers, for example for monorail systems, and the HMI (Human Machine Interface) from viacontrol. The focus is always on high picking rates and maximum efficiency with minimal energy consumption.
With its software, Viastore places great emphasis on being deeply integrated into users' business processes and, in a world increasingly dependent on IT security, is promoting itself with a new term that outlines a scenario based on VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity). Viastore, it says, supports its customers in managing the chaotic and unpredictable effects of global challenges.
For example, strict regulations apply to protect IT and OT (Operational Technology) systems from attacks. Through IEC 62443 certification with an accredited partner, Viastore ensures that all systems comply with cybersecurity guidelines. Autonomous and flexible systems, it turns out, will continue to gain importance in intralogistics. Skilled labor shortages and limited space can be compensated for, for example, by robot-assisted processes and automated high-bay warehouses. This should ensure that even brownfield facilities remain productive over the long term.
Artificial intelligence, deep learning, and data mining will play an even greater role in controlling intralogistics systems in the future – across companies and in a non-proprietary manner. This ranges from virtual commissioning and training to self-learning positioning systems and fully automated picking workstations. The challenge: precisely defining requirements so that the machine code performs its tasks correctly. Artificial intelligence can also help here by reading and understanding the code more effectively, thus supporting troubleshooting.
The consensus is that collaboration between humans and machines can be further improved through suitable interfaces. In a study, the market research firm Gartner predicts that sales of humanoid robots in the intralogistics sector will reach ten percent in three years. Another example is the unloading of containers by industrial robots, especially in the fashion or online shipping industries, to significantly increase process speed.
