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Staffing needs almost halved
The US cooperative Associated Wholesale Grocers keeps 54,600 dry goods, fresh produce, and frozen food items in stock for its 1,100 members using a highly automated, full-range logistics center . The facility is designed for a daily picking capacity of more than 460,000 retail units.
Knowledge transfer in the Seychelles
Natural hazards are increasingly occurring worldwide in the form of floods, landslides, forest fires, storms, earthquakes, and rockfalls. Acute crisis management is required, but so are long-term strategies for transportation routes, where Gasser Felstechnik provides assistance in the Seychelles.
German Design Award for Traigo-i
Following the Red Dot Design Award 2025, Toyota Material Handling's new 48-volt counterbalance forklift, Traigo_i, has now also received the German Design Award 2026 in the Excellent Product Design – Industry category. The focus: the complete integration of lithium-ion technology.
Long-term contracts at SBB Cargo
Numerous SBB Cargo Switzerland transport customers, such as Migros, have signed new single wagonload (EWLV) contracts with terms of up to ten years. New contracts have also reportedly been concluded with fenaco, Stahl Gerlafingen, and the Swiss saltworks.
Cooperation with Capra Robotics
Frei Fördertechnik announces its future collaboration with the Danish robotics specialist Capra. "This expands our portfolio to include mobile robot platforms that bring even greater flexibility and efficiency to production and logistics," says Michael Schüpbach, Head of Automation & Robotics. The AMRs are versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications.
SSI subsidiary continues to consistently rely on SAP
Since 2021, the software specialists at SWAN have been part of the SSI Schäfer Group, responsible for the SAP projects of the globally active intralogistics experts and supporting companies in implementing future-proof solutions – from highly automated distribution centers to integrated production logistics. The course is right.
Arne Sturm will be the new CEO in Hirschthal
Jungheinrich Switzerland will have a new managing director as of January 1, 2026. Arne Sturm will succeed Martin Weber, who is leaving the company after 18 years – eleven of them as managing director – at his own request to pursue new topics and challenges.
Another 50 million for new TGW headquarters
TGW Logistics is currently investing €100 million in expanding its production capacity at its headquarters in Austria. Now, with an expansion of the existing office building at the site, a five-story office building with 14,000 m² of usable space is being constructed for around €50 million, with completion expected by the second half of 2028.
AutoStore for Belgian hospitals
AutoStore system for Maria Middelares, a non-profit medical organization in Belgium, and Aalter in East Flanders, about 60 km west of Brussels.
Reliable data instead of empty phrases.
The Basel Logistics Cluster of the Basel Chamber of Commerce (HKBB), together with the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, industry associations, and infrastructure operators, has published a guide to sustainable logistics in the Basel region. Supply chain expert Daniel Bubendorf explains why such a guide is needed.
Tokyo without dust and dirt
Tokyo without dust and dirt
Eavesdropping - almost pointless.
In contrast to construction sites where the employees are busy lining their own pockets, the pocket conveyor belt in the Japanese capital serves a purely technical purpose: It transports bulk material for flood protection through a residential area .
20 m deep, 190 m long, and 90 m wide—the size of a small reservoir—and is expected to hold 150,000 cubic meters of water upon completion. Like other metropolitan areas around the world, Tokyo is increasingly made primarily of one building material: concrete. For years, numerous rivers in the Tokyo metropolitan area have been built over or regulated to create living space. As a result, the risk of flooding is increasing. To counteract this danger and protect living spaces for residents, the city is building the underground retention basin. Continental is contributing by supplying a special conveyor belt that will safely, cleanly, and quietly transport the excavated retention basin's spoil.
For the basin, several thousand tons of soil meter- long Sicon pocket conveyor belt installed last December . The system, which is over 750 meters long in total, is expected to be operational in a few weeks. The excavated material, at a rate of 280 tons per hour, will be transported via the conveyor belt at a speed of 1.4 seconds per meter across the residential area to a nearby main road, where it will be collected by trucks.
The Sicon conveyor belt is enclosed from the feed point to the discharge point. It can curve up to 180 degrees and, as in other projects, can be adapted to virtually any environment. "Corners and edges can be avoided without additional transfer points, and curve radii of less than one meter can be achieved," explains Gabriele Hennig-Juman from Continental's sales team for conveyor belt systems in the Asia-Pacific region.
The belt is manufactured in Northeim, Germany, and shipped from there to Japan. The local contractors are Continental's local Japanese-German joint venture, Bando-Scholtz, and Furukawa Industrial Machinery Systems, a Japanese specialist in steel construction and industrial equipment, who jointly coordinate and carry out all work for the end customer – the city of Tokyo. An international service team from Continental and Bando Chemicals provides on-site support during assembly, continuous belt closure, and commissioning. "The belt meets special requirements in terms of cost-effectiveness and environmental compatibility. It takes into account both ecological aspects and the preservation of the local people's quality of life," says Masaaki Ogino, CEO of Bando-Scholtz Corporation.
Images: Continental
Without the conveyor system, countless trucks would have to spend months driving through the residential area to reach the construction site, resulting in a worse CO2 footprint and more noise pollution, and potentially increasing the risk of traffic accidents – especially in the very limited infrastructure of the residential area.
Tokyo has long since grown into one of the world's largest metropolitan areas – with almost ten million inhabitants in the city and another 30 million in the surrounding area. Living and working space is scarce. This is also the case in Machida, a suburb southwest of Tokyo. Around 450,000 people live here, located about 50 kilometers from the city center. Vast residential areas stretch across the hilly Tama Hills with the nearby Tama River. For many years, the city has been regularly hit by torrential rain, high water, and flooding – with power outages, damage to infrastructure, and potential risks for the people living there. The underground retention basin on the Sakai River is intended to protect residents from flooding in the future. Completion is scheduled for 2024.
