“Who among you has ever put an AGV into operation?” asks Christoph Hock, head of software at Linde MH, addressing the approximately 75 attendees – until a young consultant from Lugano volunteers. He is allowed to send the upgraded L-Matic into operation.

The term "programming" is no longer entirely accurate here. According to the young IT specialists, no specific "programming" skills are needed to integrate the robot assistant into the process and material flow of the desired goods handling using the available tools.

Show the way

Linde Material Handling organized the «Automation Summit» in its relatively new «Experience Hub» in Aschaffenburg to showcase the forklift manufacturer's broad vehicle portfolio, flexible software, innovative AI solutions and individual automation solutions to customers, consultants and trade media through lectures and live demonstrations.

To offer technologies tailored to the specific needs of each company requires a deeper understanding of the processes involved. Even though, according to Christoph Hock, AI now means that it only takes a few mouse clicks and some interconnected menu items to show the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) where to go.

A somewhat deeper understanding 

Remo Berlanda, a logistics, technology, and strategy consultant from Ticino who traveled from Switzerland, readily seized the opportunity to guide the L-Matic. There were still some initial difficulties with cornering and anticipating positioning, but these were easily mastered after a few minutes.

 Everything is displayed on the screen in real time.

Even the forklift testing experts present were initially hesitant to use the screen-based control system, which displays a real-time representation of the surrounding warehouse environment. However, under Kion's direction, with the help of NVIDIA and Accenture, it was possible not only to display the vehicle's live environment in high quality, rather than just cartoon-like quality, without significant latency, but also to link the associated analysis of the point cloud provided by the LiDAR so precisely that aisles, shelf spacing, and heights are displayed on the monitor with centimeter-level accuracy. This data can then be quickly incorporated into the planning of an entire warehouse and used as the basis for the implementation of a system and its functionality in a digital "beforehand" model.

Gap between information and reality

It is hardly surprising that this software- and sensor-based science fiction marvel must first be examined in person – and repeatedly – ​​to gain confidence in its highly precise reproduction. The combination of perception levels does indeed appear to be one of the essential advances made possible by AI and new computing capacities, one that will establish the anticipatory intelligence of such systems and the tasks they will be able to handle in the future, further increasing their complexity.

 Photos: klk.

At the same time, the pace of digitalization is naturally increasing, while expectations are rising. And yet, a gap still exists between the amount of data and information made available to people and what ultimately emerges as reality.

Ulrike Just, Head of Sales at Linde MH, has a little dig at what communication scientists in the dawning media age called "cognitive dissonance" decades ago, referring to the need to impart as much knowledge as possible in the shortest possible time, which nevertheless does not always lead to the desired result.

Only eight seconds "on reception"

“We know,” she says, “that the average human attention span is now only eight seconds”Researchers, however, have found that goldfish, with their gill-breathing eyes, have an average attention span of nine seconds. Not everyone currently fiddling with their phone will get the joke.

On the other hand, just a few years ago, the forklift driver was essentially "master of his own destiny" among the boxes, pallets, and product locations. Today, the flow of materials is orchestrated by warehouse management, explains Just. "It's good that there are still people around," says Engineering Manager Andreas Schneider.   

 For indoor and outdoor use.

But Ulrike Just is convinced that there has never been a better time to invest in the automation of material flow processes. "The systems have become significantly simpler and more cost-effective, and project planning and implementation times have been noticeably reduced. (...) For companies that already have several years of automation experience, there is also the opportunity to actively advance new technologies with Linde MH as a partner," the manager explains. Meanwhile, according to Linde's Head of Strategy, Thorsten Rochelmeyer, there are also around 130 manufacturers building Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). In this context, the ease and expertise with which automation is communicated becomes crucial.

Plan and implement with precision

 Together with AMRs, shuttle solutions, stationary automation, and racking systems, a comprehensive, modular system is available, enabling the precise planning and implementation of a wide variety of customer projects. At the same time, it is also possible to create custom solutions for specific customer requirements.

 New vehicle developments are already in the pipeline. The innovative Linde RoCaP, which aims to achieve a breakthrough in automated order picking in warehouses, was showcased live in Aschaffenburg. As previously reported, Linde MH and the drugstore chain Rossmann are launching the vehicle jointly. It is based on the automated Linde L-Matic HD k high-lift pallet truck and additionally features an intelligent robotic arm permanently attached to the fork carriage. The overall design is anything but small, compact, or "cute"—it is a substantial, awe-inspiring behemoth. It lifts packages from the shelves and places them on the pallet rack. A load handling attachment for roll containers was specially designed for use at Rossmann. Because the Linde RoCaP can operate alongside manually operated forklifts, it significantly reduces the workload for warehouse employees, particularly when picking heavy packages.  

An awe-inspiring colossus

Another event highlight was a preview of the first automated counterbalance forklift. Designed for outdoor use, the Linde E-Matic is slated for market launch in 2027. Equipped with a lifting capacity of 2.3 tons, a sideshifter, a lithium-ion battery, and comprehensive navigation and safety technology, the robust vehicle will initially handle horizontal transport between storage points on the floor or stationary conveyor systems.

Pre-series projects with selected customers will begin as early as 2026, and their experiences will be directly incorporated into further development and series production. In subsequent expansion phases, the Linde E-Matic will then take on additional tasks – for example, moving between indoor and outdoor areas, overcoming steep inclines, storing and retrieving goods in racking or block storage, and loading and unloading trucks from the side.

“With the first counterbalance forklift, automation has now reached the core product of the Linde brand,” announced the top brand representative of Linde MH with evident pride. “As the first major manufacturer of industrial trucks, we intend to mass-produce the vehicle. This fulfills a frequently expressed wish of our customers and reinforces our claim to be a technological leader in the industry.”

www.linde-mh.ch