Still took advantage of the new format of the "Logistics Summit," which conveniently took place the previous week in Hamburg, to formulate pointed theses on automation and the circular economy "at the counter," as he did last year. The shortage of skilled workers is driving automation, he said. And "brownfield" is becoming a trend with "AI."

The term "brownfield," new to some, describes systems that integrate into an existing environment by adapting intelligently. The much-cited "artificial intelligence" is playing a valuable role here. With learning software algorithms, robotic systems are increasingly able to navigate conventional facilities without having to completely demolish the existing warehouse environment and turn everything upside down with expensive investments.

"Greenfield," often used by SAP, for example, when setting up completely new software to avoid the laborious task of adapting to existing structures, would therefore involve the introduction of entirely new systems, installations, and components without having to consider existing structures—a fresh start from scratch, so to speak. Many companies have shied away from this approach—not entirely without justification.

Following the successful premiere of the talk format in Berlin last year, Still performed two segments on the main stage at the CCH Hamburg Convention Center. The main driver for new automation projects is the shortage of skilled workers, which will not change in the long term, according to Frank Müller, Head of Brand Management at Still EMEA.

Against this backdrop, Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of the German Federal Association of Parcel and Express Logistics (BIEK), had the opportunity to put forward the thesis: "Anyone who fails to think of humans and machines as one when it comes to automation hasn't understood the future of logistics." In his view, labor shortages and rising personnel costs also make the automation of parcel centers unavoidable. The goal is not to lay off staff, but to reduce their workload.

The fact that many managers are currently rethinking their approach is also due to the fact that automation is becoming more affordable, Müller explains. In existing plants, automation projects will soon be possible in a short time and without major changes. "Brownfield" is becoming the trend, he says.

This is also a good opportunity to once again announce our collaboration with idealworks, the Munich-based specialist for autonomous mobile robots (AMR), known from IFOY. Still is now the international sales and service partner for these autonomous devices, which can independently transport loads of up to 1,000 kg.

Photos: Still / Impact

According to Florian Menold, projects with AMRs that are flexible and easily scalable pay for themselves quickly. According to the Managing Director for France at the pfenning logistics group, the situation is different for larger projects. Given the ever-shortening contract terms with customers, these are a challenge for contract logistics providers. According to Menold, large projects often only pay for themselves after five years. To enable contract logistics providers to easily integrate new customers with different goods into the logistics network, the manager would like more flexibility. "Automation is not yet flexible enough," he argued.

Intralogistics companies – and their customers – also need to rethink the topic of circularity. This was emphasized by scientist Christoph Küffner from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg in the second talk. "Climate protection begins today – there is no business as usual," the researcher emphasized. He predicted that in the coming years, more and more companies in logistics will operate according to the cradle-to-cradle circular economy principle.

Karl Knipfelberg reported that a rethink has already taken place at Still: "The future RXE is the first forklift truck to be designed in a circular manner," said the Vice President of Counterbalance & Energy at Kion ITS EMEA. According to a concept study, this could lead to carbon dioxide savings in the double-digit percentage range. "Sustainability measures only stabilize what already exists. Companies must implement an effective, functioning material cycle," he said. However, circularity must always be considered holistically – from product design through the supply chain, production, and customer use to reuse.

This philosophy is also finding its way into the commercial vehicle sector, as confirmed by Frank Albers, Managing Director of Sales & Marketing at Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone. Even during trailer design, consideration is given to everything from use to disposal. Key factors include weight, aerodynamics, and the reuse of materials after a trailer's first life, which lasts an average of eight years. An electric axle was also recently introduced there.

The feedback on the new “Theses at the Counter” has been extremely positive, says Frank Müller.

online here in the coming days