WAGNER Switzerland AG
WWW.LOGISTICSINNOVATION.ORG
The online magazine for Switzerland, the EU and the rest of the world
Flexible Automation in Bern
At Logistics & Automation on January 28th/29th in Bern, Dematic will present its flexible automation portfolio with solutions for new customers and for expanding existing systems, its autonomous mobile robots (AMR), AutoStore systems and pallet shuttles.
"Adjustments are unavoidable"
Zalando calls it "a difficult but necessary decision": the logistics center in Erfurt, Germany, is to be closed by the end of September. For more than ten years, 2,700 employees there made a significant contribution to the company's success. Now, restructuring is underway.
Fleet management in three stages
Forklift manufacturer Still, with its broad portfolio of in-house solutions for these situations, is calling on logistics companies at the start of the new year to operate their vehicle fleets efficiently and make the best possible use of potential savings. If necessary, this can of course be supported by AI.
Beumer expands production in China
The 90th anniversary of material flow solutions specialist Beumer and the 20th anniversary of its presence in China not only coincide. At the end of 2025, a new, state-of-the-art production facility also went into operation in Taicang, China, which is intended to expand Beumer's global production capacities.
A vibrant industry platform in every respect
On January 28th and 29th, "Logistics & Automation" will once again present future approaches to corporate logistics. Organizer Easyfairs discusses (part 3) with Peter Spycher, President of the Swiss Intralogistics Association, the leading Swiss platform for (intra)logistics, materials handling technology, and warehouse automation.
2900 product channels under control
SSI Schäfer is realizing a highly dynamic warehouse for the French pharmaceutical distributor CERP as a greenfield project with a high degree of automation, featuring a shuttle system and over 90,000 storage locations at its core, two piece picking robots, three pick stations and over 2900 product channels.
Bruno Jacques is the new head of healthcare
Bruno Jacques is the new CEO of Yusen Logistics Healthcare (Europe) and Vice Managing Director of Yusen Logistics Europe. He joined Yusen Logistics in 2018 as Managing Director of Yusen Logistics Benelux and Nordics, and at the beginning of 2024 his responsibilities were expanded to include Germany and Switzerland.
Sea freight with biofuel
The formula for biodiesel made from residual and waste materials is "Ucome" (Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester) , which reputable suppliers claim offers CO₂ savings of over 90% compared to fossil diesel. DHL and CMA CGM now intend to accelerate the use of this biofuel.
With royal blessing
Not a battery-powered train the size of a model railway circling the Christmas tree, but seven real Mireo Plus B trains from Siemens: King Frederik of Denmark today inaugurated the trains that will replace the old diesel fleet in West Jutland and provide quiet, emission-free rail transport there.
Material Flow Congress integrated
The German Material Flow Congress will have a more live character in 2026, taking place as part of the Intralogistics Test Camp at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. During the conference, 25 speakers will discuss the trends of 2026 in technical logistics on April 15th and 16th.
«Tolkien» for the twin harbor
«Tolkien» for the twin harbor
Calling the project "Tolkien" is certainly a clever move – even if it's not about J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world in "The Lord of the Rings." The "hobbits" here, so to speak, are Andreas Gade and Daniel Scheible from Fraunhofer IML, who have developed a digital twin for ports.
Shortly before the end of the research project, which is scheduled for February 2026, the development work and data evaluations at Fraunhofer IML are currently being completed successively.
The digital twin being developed in "Tolkien" aims to create a data and information foundation to enable the participating port operators to make strategic and data-driven decisions. According to the IML, the digital twin also offers added value to port businesses in their operational and tactical management.
Added value in day-to-day operations
At the start of the project, three business scenarios were initially defined (“digital waterside traffic recording”, “digital traffic recording of the port railway” and “emission monitoring of a logistics area”) and supplemented by a fourth scenario (“digital roadside traffic recording”) in the port of Trier.
Photos (2): Port of Trier
This scenario emerged from the DiVer-HT project, funded by the Digital Test Fields in Ports (DigiTest) program, through the installation and connection of cameras along the port railway and road infrastructure. The camera technology enables traffic analysis at two road junctions within the port, allowing for the identification of traffic volumes and peak times, for example. This provides a transparent overview of traffic patterns.
Automated processes
As part of the Trier port railway scenario, an email service was put into operation, which automatically informs port residents about train arrivals and departures shortly after passing through the rail OCR gate via wagon and container numbers, which has an impact on operational processes.
To increase emissions transparency, extensive traffic and environmental data from the Duisburg port areas, collected by sensors installed by duisport's DigiTest project Setri, were continuously evaluated.
This allows for location-based analyses of air pollutants, analysis of traffic patterns, and data-based recording of area-specific traffic flows to create transparency and support the development of recommendations for action.
The work is rounded off by the analysis of waterborne traffic based on AIS data. The findings will be used, similarly to road and rail traffic, to identify traffic peaks, pinpoint bottlenecks, and create transparency.
Robust sensor database
The Tolkien project has resulted in a robust sensor database covering road, rail, waterway, and environmental parameters – serving as a basis for data-driven decisions in inland ports. Project partners include Duisburger Hafen AG, Trierer Hafengesellschaft mbH, NautilusLog GmbH, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML..
