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April 15, 2026

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.

April 15, 2026

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.

April 15, 2026

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.

April 15, 2026

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.

April 14, 2026

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.

April 13, 2026

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. 

April 10, 2026

“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.

April 10, 2026

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.

April 10, 2026

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.

April 9, 2026

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.



Layout for data exchange



WAGNER Switzerland AG






Layout for data exchange

April 15, 2024

 VDA 5050 layout1During the mesh-up

When robotic vehicles from different manufacturers "meet," everything now seems to be "all right": VDA 5050 provides a protocol for communication. But questions remain. A "Layout Interchange Format" (LIF) is now intended to regulate the form in which everything is transmitted.

VDA 5050 currently regulates the method of exchanging status and driving information, but not how the underlying course layout should be described and exchanged. This aspect has previously had to be clarified individually between the project partners during the implementation of projects using VDA 5050. In practice, this can cause real headaches.

"The Layout Interchange Format – LIF for short – now offers a way to transmit the vehicle information necessary for connection to the control system in a standardized data format.".

 

VDA 5050_Layout2Photos: klk.

 

“This ensures greater clarity and transparency between project participants when implementing a heterogeneous fleet with VDA 5050,” says Wolfgang Hillinger, board member of the Mobile Robots division in the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association and managing director of DS Automotion GmbH.

LIF contains information on how the vehicle integrator's vehicle can interact with its environment and navigate within a map layout. At the same time, the clear separation between defining the course layout and the tasks of the central control system ensures clearly defined responsibilities and roles within the project.

www.vdma.org




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