Image: Swissmem

The situation for the Swiss tech industry remains strained. So far this year, sales have declined by 4.2 percent and goods exports by 3.6 percent. According to Swissmem, the reasons are the economic weakness in the EU, and particularly in Germany. Exports of conveyor and storage technology were down by 6.3 percent.

From car jacks and mixers to Allen keys: Draper Tools offers equipment for the construction, automotive, mechanical engineering, and agricultural sectors. The British company continues to expand. With this growth come increasing logistical challenges. SSI Schäfer is there to support them.

Image: DHL/NYU

Despite global crises, DHL's "Connectedness Tracker," which provides analyses of global trade, reports an all-time high for world trade. It's hardly surprising that traded goods are now statistically traveling longer distances (an average of 4,970 km): sanctions are being circumvented by every possible (and impossible) means. This lengthens the routes.

Antalis Switzerland, a leading distributor of paper, packaging solutions, visual communication materials, and customized logistics, has replaced its mobile transport robots, built in 1982, with modern AGVs from the manufacturer Safelog. The manufacturer of the previous robots had gone bankrupt – with unexpected consequences.

Here, despite appearances, no patients are being transferred, but rather supplies for public and private hospitals. In Caltignaga, near Milan in the Italian Piedmont region, Dematic is reducing the storage space required for medical supplies at the hospital logistics provider Plurima by 75 percent.

In anticipation of the expected surge in deliveries during the Christmas holidays, DHL is also keeping its options open. This could include an early extension of its contract as the global logistics partner for the German Bobsleigh and Luge Federation (BSD), which is intended to extend beyond the 2026 Olympic Games.

Since 2019, Swiss Post has put eight new regional parcel centers into operation. In the coming years, it plans to focus on modernizing its largest and oldest sorting centers – and also explore further synergies with existing logistics centers.

Palletizing in deep-freeze warehouses is one of the most demanding operations within the supply chain. Deep-freeze warehouse operators limit the time their employees are allowed to work in extremely low temperatures, which, however, increases the costs and complexity of palletizing in this environment.

The Kion Group is sailing close to the wind with a slight increase in sales of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year – which is no small feat given the current economic climate. With sales of €8.435 billion, it has significantly improved its profitability in the first nine months of the fiscal year.

SWAN, the logistics software provider belonging to SSI Schäfer, now offers full technical integration of the AutoStore system with SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM). The AutoStore Warehouse Integration, the company states, offers maximum efficiency and flexibility in managing warehouse processes.

Control specialist HBC Radiomatic offers the new technos C radio remote control, an individually configurable combination for operating a wide variety of machines with a large range of functions – from concrete pumps to mobile cranes with extended functional safety capabilities.

The idea of ​​an integrated lithium-ion battery isn't entirely new. However, Linde MH has further lowered the Xi10 and Xi20 series, provided more legroom, and replaced the 48-volt battery with a 90-volt one. According to the manufacturer, lifting and lowering speeds are now 20 percent above the industry average.

Ferag's new spiral conveyor is designed to overcome considerable height differences of up to 12.2 m, enabling access to multi-story facilities, complex architectures, and storage configurations. Up to twelve reversing loops will allow it to navigate significant vertical height variations and layouts.

It looks like a "billion" contract, but it's just under: The supermarket chain Coles plans to invest 880 million Australian dollars (around 512 million Swiss francs) to establish a new distribution center with Witron to supply the states of Victoria and Tasmania with up to 4.6 million retail units per week.

 Photos: klk.

Nearly 20 years ago, Linde MH sent an E12 to E20 series electric forklift up the side of a water tower on rails on the island of Juist to demonstrate the drive system's performance. Now, the new Xi and E14 to E20 series have also undergone a kind of vertical launch. "Real rockets," so to speak.