Intralogistics as a testing ground for innovation

“Intralogistics is a testing ground for innovative technology,” said Professor Johannes Fottner, Chair of Material Handling, Material Flow, and Logistics at the Technical University of Munich. The university is the long-standing host of the German Material Flow Forum organized by the Association of German Engineers (VDI), an event where scientists, manufacturers and customers meet to discuss the latest trends. And warehousing currently finds itself with many interesting trends: From artificial intelligence to machine learning and automation, almost any topic discussed in industrial circles or societal ones can be categorized as either ‘the future’ or ‘all hype’ and features prominently in the world of intralogistics.

This was apparent at the March forum, where scientists and engineers presented the latest research findings, intralogistics manufacturers promoted their new ideas and customers described the type of solutions they are looking for. Sometimes, all at same time, as was the case with QBIIK, an initiative where KION is also participating. QBIIK is a research partnership among universities and companies that aims to incorporate robotics into a picking platform. The autonomous iGo Neo truck from STILL provides the platform for a robotic arm. “This type of mobile robot on a mobile platform is the first of its kind,” said Jonathan Dziedzitz from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology at the project’s presentation.

Innovative products alone are not enough

In recent years, many long-established intralogistics engineering companies have had to learn how to work with software, which was a recurring theme at the event. Manufacturers are asking themselves what skills they need. Is it enough to be working on automation technology, or do they need to be looking further ahead to areas such as sensor systems, augmented reality and energy storage?

One aspect was very clear from many of the presentations: Innovative products alone are not enough. “They also have to fit in with the customers’ plans and process chains,” said Professor Fottner. Which explains why the way the industry is handling innovation and managing customer expectations was also discussed at the conference. How can intralogistics user demands for cutting-edge technology be realized in a rapidly advancing warehouse environment that leaves little room to test new ideas?

“The trend for the future must be to start from a stable, if not yet optimized, position,” Fottner believes.

And while many established manufacturers are working on models designed to encourage innovation, start-ups at the forum spoke of how they are trying to reduce the number of ideas so that their product development is faster and more reliable. What also became clear is that young innovators often find the transition from idea to actual product a challenge, which is why there is a growing number of partnerships between new and more established organizations.