Europe’s largest intralogistics trade fair is once again open to visitors

This year’s LogiMAT trade fair has bustling aisles and clusters of people talking about the latest developments in intralogistics. Old acquaintances are reunited and chat excitedly in its panels and discussion forums. After years involving hundreds of video calls, the key figures from the intralogistics industry can once again meet in person at LogiMAT 2022. Trade visitors are being welcomed by more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries at Europe’s largest intralogistics trade fair. The show features an extensive program of events and is a vital sign that the industry is looking to the future more than ever after the years of the pandemic.

The KION Group is of course exhibiting there too with its STILL, Baoli, Linde Material Handling, and Dematic brands. A lot has happened in the past months—new innovative products, efficient solutions, and optimized systems have been developed to meet the tougher challenges of today and tomorrow. Smart and sustainable solutions are particularly important here. Dematic is focusing on customer requirements under the motto #Bringiton. At Linde Material Handling, this time it is all about electromobility, while STILL is presenting new picking concepts and Baoli is taking three new forklift models to LogiMAT. All the KION brands are united by a common vision of more sustainable and efficient intralogistics.

As close to reality as possible is the intention for the demonstrations of the new ACH series from the KION subsidiary STILL. The company is keen to persuade the trade audience of the benefits of its new generation of autonomous mobile robots. AMRs, such as the ACH series from STILL, are small, smart, and agile low-platform trucks that can act flexibly and with foresight in complex warehouse structures. STILL will be reconstructing the practical processes on its trade fair stand: the retrieval of products from the high-bay warehouse, transportation for further processing, and the subsequent return journey. In short, everyday situations in the warehouse and production halls of the world.

In these processes, the AMR trucks from the ACH series work together with automated vertical conveyors and handle horizontal transportation with remarkable precision. Their high-tech sensors enable the trucks to find their way around the warehouse independently and reliably, even in mixed working conditions. STILL is effortlessly demonstrating to the trade audience how the new AMR trucks perform in practice. With the ACH 06, ACH 10, and ACH 15 models with a load capacity of up to 1.5 metric tonnes, they can cover anything from lighter goods to heavy loads, and the necessary scalability is guaranteed. Another advantage of the ACH series is that their energy consumption is lower than that of other industrial trucks due to their lower empty weight. The AMRs also only need half the area compared to a manual forklift truck for picking up and depositing loads, which is an unbeatable advantage where space is tight. Compared to other (driverless) transport systems, the trucks can also be narrower, i.e., their total width is determined by that of their loads. The ACH trucks can also pick up and deposit their loads much faster: They need up to 30% less time for each pick-up and deposit operation. The trucks from the ACH series therefore have a higher throughput with reduced space requirements and are cost-effective to integrate into existing environments and systems.

"As a successful trade fair for intralogistics, LogiMAT is an indispensable dialogue and meeting platform for our customers and the relevant opinion leaders in the industry and a central trade fair highlight for STILL," says Frank Müller, Senior Vice President Brand Management STILL at KION ITS EMEA: "LogiMAT offers our customers, especially those from the closer catchment area of the trade fair, a good opportunity to finally experience intralogistics and innovations live from one source again after the two years without this opportunity."

The X20–X35 trucks from Linde Material Handling represent an entirely new type of electric forklift truck. They are the first on the market to match the performance and robustness of a conventional combustion engine in every regard. The fact that they are powerful and resistant to dust and dirt means that they are even suitable for the toughest outdoor applications. The X20–X35 trucks offer the best of both worlds: the performance, responsiveness, and robustness of a diesel or gas forklift combined with the dynamism, flexibility, and emission-free operation of an electric forklift truck. This means that customers now have a choice and can opt for a quiet, emission-free alternative, even for the most demanding applications, without having to compromise on performance.

The Linde X series is definitely turning heads at LogiMAT 2022. Although it is not the only one, as Linde MH is also presenting the automated Linde R-MATIC reach truck at the trade fair and proving to visitors that (even) greater efficiency can be achieved in picking processes. The growing number of software and consultancy solutions is also the subject of a lot of conversations. The comprehensive functions of the “Linde connect” fleet management systems and other assistance systems have now become integral to many companies’ warehouse systems.

Stefan Prokosch, SVP Brand Management Linde Material Handling at KION ITS EMEA, is excited about the first impressions of the fair: “It feels great being back here at the LogiMAT! In the past three years, we have mainly talked to our customers in virtual ways. But seeing each other in person is something completely different. You can explain the products much better. You can see how people react, you can see them smile. We have been missing that!”

The warehouse technology and automaton specialist is putting the customer at the heart of its activities under the motto #Bringiton and focusing on five challenges facing the industry. The need for greater digitalization and data transparency in supply chains and warehouses forms the subject of the first challenge. The second challenge (shortage of space and workers) addresses the need for efficient use of space and automation solutions, for which Dematic already offers established solutions in the form of its AutoStore and Micro-Fulfillment concepts. Adhering to delivery times with high turnover rates is the subject of the third challenge, which Dematic already meets with its extensive customer service and the analysis tools from the Dematic InSights platform. Where the fourth challenge is concerned, Dematic is emphasizing its potential as a long-term collaborator and skilled provider of end-to-end solutions whose decades of market experience make it a reliable partner even in periods of instability. The fifth challenge revolves around customers’ changed consumer behavior—anticipating it and handling it smoothly is also currently one of the main tasks for the industry.

Dematic is using new material flow solutions at the trade fair to show how customers can use competitive benefits to their own advantage. The focus here is on creating an interactive experience: The innovations are demonstrated live and made so real you could almost touch them through 3D configurations, 360 degree tours, and augmented reality applications. The specific and fully automated warehouse solutions from Dematic can therefore be demonstrated, tested out, and even controlled remotely on site at the trade fair.

The KION subsidiary is also showcasing its new service for visual inspections of warehouses to the public for the first time at LogiMAT. Regular safety checks and visual inspections can be carried out using drones. This significantly reduces the time and work involved in maintenance, without any drop in quality. Dematic will be demonstrating a live drone flight at the company headquarters in Heusenstamm, Germany, at LogiMAT. The live remote support capability will also be demonstrated at the same time.

Baoli became part of the KION Group ten years ago and since then has evolved into an international brand under the umbrella of the Group. The company, which was founded in the Chinese province of Jiangsu near Shanghai, is unveiling its KBE-N electric forklift truck, EP 15-03 electric hand pallet truck, and EP 20-111 electric pallet truck at this year’s LogiMAT. In doing so, Baoli is focusing on electromobility in the entry-level segment and its potential for intralogistics. Visitors to the trade fair can see the strengths of the trucks for themselves: In addition to its load capacity of between 2.0 and 2.5 metric tonnes, multiple operating profiles, and contemporary design, the KBE-N four-wheel forklift particularly impresses with its price/performance ratio.

The EP 15-03 is also leaving an impression on visitors: The electric hand pallet truck is suitable for moving goods in small and medium-sized warehouses, and is mainly intended for use in the wholesale and retail sectors. Compact, flexible, and sustainable: The hand pallet truck fitted with a lithium-ion battery boasts exceptional maneuverability. The EP 20-111—an electric pallet truck with a capacity of 2,000 kg, a foldable platform, and an armguard—is being presented for similar applications. It is specifically designed for moving loads over medium and long distances and has already been extensively put to the test in the wholesale sector. Efficient, extremely easy to maneuver and, above all, powerful!

“The pandemic has been such a long break that we all had to go through," says Christian Bischof, Managing Director Baoli EMEA. "Now it’s a fantastic feeling to be back, to be able to interact with customers. The LogiMAT is really crowded, and so is our Baoli booth. We’re really, really happy with the outcome so far!”

With their different areas of focus, the individual brands showcase the huge diversity of the KION Group as an unparalleled full-service provider of intralogistics, and impressively demonstrate how their individual portfolios and strengths complement one another.