Linde MH and Dematic in Hall 10 at LogiMAT 2023

The color red dominates the LogiMAT stand of the KION brand Linde Material Handling. Red trucks, red logo, red stand walls, the stand team are even wearing red shoes. However, there is also a lot of green on display at the Linde MH trade fair stand. The motto of the trade fair exhibit is “Green Performance”. Is this a contradiction in terms? Far from it. “At LogiMAT, we are demonstrating that customers can use our products and solutions to increase their handling performance whilst simultaneously cutting CO2,” says Stefan Prokosch, Senior Vice President Brand Management at Linde Material Handling, explaining his brand’s trade fair slogan. “Anyone who wants to present sustainable solutions must ensure cost-effectiveness. And cost-effectiveness needs performance,” Prokosch continues.

As a result, at Linde MH cost-effectiveness and performance do not preclude sustainability. This is demonstrated by the electric counterbalance truck and market leader Linde X35 – X50, which provides top material handling performance. “Sitting behind the wheel of an electric counterbalance truck like this is a really special experience. The truck is so quiet and environmentally-friendly, but harbors incredible power,” says Stefan Prokosch. Intralogistics in 2023 also feels different – not just in terms of what’s under foot, but how you use your hands. The Linde Steer Control can also be tested out on site. The steering concept is new, innovative, and replaces the conventional steering wheel with a mini-wheel or a joystick. This is a small (significant) revolution in the way that trucks are steered. Is it easy to get used to? Yes, even for experienced forklift drivers.

Other operations such as Linde connect:charger and Linde Energy Manager help Linde MH customers to avoid expensive peaks in electricity when charging the trucks and to plan their electricity requirements for the entire company. “This is particularly beneficial if the company produces its own (green) energy (for example with a photovoltaic system) and is prepared to become active on the energy market,” explains Stefan Prokosch.

As a result, red and green are a very good match at Linde MH. The color yellow also comes into play at LogiMAT as it is the brand color of the KION sister company Dematic, which specializes in fully automated storage systems and is presenting at the trade fair in Stuttgart for the first time in hall 10 like Linde MH. The stands of the two brands are only separated by a narrow aisle, and a practical example is used to show customers the synergies when combining technologies with various levels of automation.

The automated Linde R-MATIC reach truck takes a pallet from a pallet rack and transfers it to a goods distribution center, which is represented virtually on large LED screens at the trade fair. The autonomous Linde C-MATIC HP transport robot collects the load and positions it for the onward transport process. Finally, the R-MATIC puts the pallet back into the rack. During this process the autonomous reach truck effortlessly deals with narrow aisle and standing rack widths of less than three meters.

The scenario is impressively and perfectly orchestrated—one hand links with the other, as it were, and the autonomous trucks harmonize with each other. The holistic nature of the process is not only restricted to the Linde Material Handling stand. A few meters further on, at the Dematic trade fair stand, you can see the Linde MH showcase scenario a second time. However, this time is it completely virtual as a dashboard on a large LED screen. “Dematic software allows all processes within a warehouse to be depicted and analyzed virtually in real time,” explains Andrea Campora, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Dematic Southern Europe.

The message on the dashboard at the Dematic trade fair stand is clear, namely that Dematic can control all of the components of a warehouse from a single source. “Our software is compatible with the software used by our customers and partners,” promises Andrea Campora. She goes on to say, “anyone who uses Dematic will no longer need to have several individual software solutions in their warehouse that need to be laboriously harmonized with each other. Instead, they will only need one solution.”

In addition to managing warehouse operations, the Dematic software also controls the inventory management, allows for the automation of maintenance processes, and optimizes workflows. These strengths superbly complement the services offered by the sister brand Linde Material Handling. “Linde Material Handling and Dematic are each top brands in their own right,” says Andrea Campora. “But the cooperation between our brands means that we currently have one of the most attractive offers in this area, making us unbeatable together.”