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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.
“No spoon” without added value
“No spoon” without added value
Sounds banal, but there's an intelligent reason behind it: Nestlé produces sip and nutritional supplements at its Osthofen plant in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. The powder is automatically dispensed into the can. A measuring spoon is also added – ditto – to the can. A scanning system with a snapshot camera detects whether the spoon has actually been added. This makes sense on an assembly line.
“ The human eye can easily detect whether a spoon has been added ” says Marcus Kauf, automation engineer at Nestlé, “ but at a filling speed of over 80 cans per minute, this is no longer possible without error. ”
Until recently, a camera controlled the appliqués by counting the colored pixels on the plastic spoon. Recently, however, Nestlé began using colorless scoops to increase its recycling rate. So, grayish, shimmering, transparent spoons now sit on aluminum with a similar color on the closure flap... or are they? Difficult to identify on the wavy, embossed, and reflective metal—the traditional solution using sensory image processing reached its limits.
Photos: Sick/Nestlé
Now, an " artificial intelligence " quickly and reliably learns new patterns continuously by collecting a large amount of data, which is then incorporated directly into algorithms. With the integrated " dStudio " from the Sick AppSpace, a 2D snapshot camera (picoCam) trains its " thinking " The web service can " train " , in this case with images of the included spoons in a wide variety of positions. Just as humans ideally solve problems and make decisions, deep learning does the same – only many times faster.
" The learned decision algorithm " says expert Klaus Keitel, " is transferred to the camera system. This enables it to independently recognize the key image differences. " The camera can also be easily adapted to any new product by training a neural network for the new conditions. The intuitive user interface requires no special AI or image processing knowledge on the part of the user.
If the camera " no bucket " , the system stops automatically. Once the missing bucket has been added, the camera software also detects this, allowing the system to continue running without the need for a manual restart.
