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MAGA in the approach path
German technology remains highly regarded when it comes to rapid material handling, the elimination of weaknesses, and service quality. Following successful projects in Oklahoma and Texas, the steel trader " Steel and Pipe Supply " once again relied on saws and storage systems from the Rhine Valley in Kansas City.
Rent warehouse equipment instead of buying it
Bito is launching an offensive with an economical alternative for companies that want to re-equip, expand, or temporarily supplement their warehouse and production areas, but don't want to tie up their capital long-term: renting instead of buying is the motto. The advantages – especially in " dynamic times " – are obvious.
«Kanpai» with sake on the pharmaceutical chain
Logistics provider Yusen is presenting an expanded global platform for the healthcare sector at LogiPharma in Vienna, where companies such as Novartis, Bayer, Takeda, and hospital supplier UCB are currently participating. The platform focuses on the professional delivery of specialized healthcare solutions.
Streamlined logistics
Coop's own rail connection for urban logistics in Zurich, streamlined logistics vehicles and the outsourcing of all operating room logistics in a cooperation between the Seeschau Clinic and the Swiss Post are the projects that are entering the final sprint for this year's Swiss Logistics Award from GS1.
Vacuum technology makes mobility possible
Compressed air has traditionally been used primarily for fixed installations. Schmalz's vacuum grippers also mainly operate with lines that often have to run across halls and facilities. However, mobile robotics increasingly requires flexible solutions – a need that Schmalz now intends to address more effectively.
A foray into drive technology
Safelog, the specialists for software for controlling intralogistics processes, have entered into a cooperation with the drive experts from SEW Eurodrive at LogiMAT in order to jointly develop a high-performance software for controlling mobile and stationary processes in intralogistics.
Networking with perspectives
“Never walk alone” could be the motto of a networking event hosted by the consulting experts from “Adnovum”, where the Digital Product Passport (DPP), cybersecurity and IT opportunities with Petra Merino (GS1 Switzerland) and security expert Andreas Achterholt are on the agenda on May 7th in Zurich.
Maintenance in Austria
With a new workshop in Obersiebenbrunn near Vienna, rail manufacturer Stadler is expanding its capacity for the commissioning, approval, and servicing of modern rail vehicles in Austria. The workshop has been used to maintain Westbahn's high-speed trains since March 2026.
Idealworks pushes into the US market
Idealworks, part of the Munich-based Agile Robots Group, with more than 1,700 AMRs and AGVs worldwide and one of the pioneers in industrial automation through AI in robot-controlled logistics processes, has founded a US company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
New chain belt sorting
At LogiMAT, conveyor technology provider Interroll attracted attention with a new chain-belt sorting system developed after the acquisition of Sortteq. Together with MCP Play, this creates a material flow ecosystem that combines single-item transport with intelligent sorting.
Noise forecasts for night logistics
Noise forecasts for night logistics
Last autumn, a user day hosted by Fraunhofer IML focused on "low-noise logistics." Now, a think tank for mobility, transport & logistics, an innovation circle of the Logistics Initiative Bavaria, has taken a closer look at "low-noise night logistics."
Measure noise levels
Daniela Kirsch,
team leader for "Urban Logistics and Electromobility" at Fraunhofer IML, had recap the current state of research. While streets and loading zones are overloaded during the day, quiet night and off-peak logistics can deliver goods efficiently and in a way that is compatible with urban environments. Electric trucks and low-noise loading and unloading equipment can thus make a significant contribution to emission-free, livable urban logistics. The basic idea is to use quieter commercial vehicles with alternative drive technologies for deliveries after 10 p.m. and before 6 a.m.
Low-noise alternatives
In October, participants at the user day in Dortmund were able to see for themselves the effectiveness of special quiet-running rollers for roll containers and a low-noise floor for The differences in noise levels were visualized using an acoustic
Researchers at the rolling cart
Fraunhofer IML also presented a state-funded project there, "SNAP – Silent Night Analysis and Planning," which is intended to support companies and municipalities in assessing the potential for extending operating hours and the impact on their tours.
Study recapitulated
, the opportunities of such low-noise logistics were once again discussed in an online conference with several dozen participants from logistics providers, the Munich Mobility Department, consulting firms and the and Commerce, with IML team leader Daniela Kirsch and accompanied by CNA manager Johannes Kraus
Image: Fraunhofer IML
The study, called GeNaLog, isn't exactly brand new. In urban areas, delivery traffic often operates within very narrow time windows, limiting deliveries to markets, retailers, and restaurants . The main sources of noise are usually the opening and closing of the driver's door, the radio, driving over the loading platform with loading equipment, and the opening and closing of the loading platform itself. Often, the only solution is to minimize these noise sources as much as possible through driver training combined with work instructions .
Consider limit values
The impact of the liftgate on the ground can be dampened, if necessary, by using rubber mats. The liftgate itself, as well as the box body, can be technically adapted for quiet deliveries by applying a noise-reducing coating. Roll containers and insulated roll containers can be retrofitted with low-noise rollers, and the pallets can be transported to the branches using low-noise electric pallet trucks.
Photo: IML
Logistics companies will find it interesting that, for example, by taking noise limits into account, where the respective sound impacts on adjacent residential areas are visualized on a map, delivery times can be increased from two to three by adding nighttime delivery windows, and thus the total number of vehicles required can possibly be reduced.
«Isophone» investigates
As part of the GeNaLog study, researchers used microphones and cameras to create "isophone" maps of passing trucks ranging from 7 to 40 tons. The first part of the results was presented in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2020. A second part is expected to follow next summer.
Despite the thoroughness in determining noise limits and immission protection values, a participant's inquiry revealed that the establishment of "urban hubs" distributed throughout the city, neighborhood-based transshipment points using smaller trucks, or other fundamental structural changes in urban traffic were only touched upon very briefly in the study.
On the drawing board...Fig.: IML
The topic is highly complex, especially since in Germany, with its federal structures, operators and applicants in cities and municipalities repeatedly encounter different building regulations that must be taken into account when setting up delivery zones.
"Last chance" for "default payers"
Quieter working methods also include waste disposal logistics, one participant remarked at the very end. Bizarre, but realistic: in some places, the problem has arisen "that some people only put their bins out when they hear the garbage truck in the distance." This "last chance" for "delinquent" waste collectors would naturally disappear if the collection vehicle consistently remained below a certain noise level and was therefore only noticed when it was almost gone.
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