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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 " (SPS) in Kansas City once again relied on Kasto saws and storage systems.
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.
Highest recognition for the bridge builder
Highest recognition for the bridge builder
Numerous innovations are attributed to Michael ten Hompel, head of the Fraunhofer IML. He is one of the inventors of shuttle technology in intralogistics, a driving force behind the Internet of Things and the Silicon Economy. He has now been awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit.
Professor ten Hompel, described as a "true bridge builder," fosters dialogue between science, business, and society. With great empathy and enthusiasm, he communicates complex scientific concepts in an easily understandable way, said Dortmund's Mayor Thomas Westphal at the award ceremony. His excellent interdisciplinary research has made a significant contribution to establishing logistics as one of seven scientific fields of expertise and to raising the international profile of the Ruhr region as a recognized center for logistics and IT.
Ten Hompel is the managing director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and holds the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing at the Technical University of Dortmund. After studying electrical engineering with a specialization in computer engineering at RWTH Aachen University, ten Hompel founded, among other companies, GamBit GmbH (now part of Vanderlande Industries) in 1988, where he remained managing partner until 2000. He received his doctorate from the University of Witten/Herdecke in 1991.
Since 2000, he has held the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehousing at TU Dortmund University and has been the director of the Fraunhofer IML, where he assumed the role of managing director in 2004. Since 2022, ten Hompel has also been the director of the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. He is a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering and has been a member of the international Logistics Hall of Fame since 2012. In 2017, he received an honorary doctorate from the Hungarian University of Miskolc, and in 2018, the gold honorary pin of the German Logistics Association. In 2020, ten Hompel received the Innovation Prize of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia "for his outstanding contributions to sustainable change in science, business, and society."
The "Silicon Economy" project has already led to the founding of the Open Logistics Foundation, a technology initiative of leading, internationally active logistics companies that promotes the collaborative development and commercial use of open-source logistics software and hardware.
The Order of Merit is the highest honor the Federal Republic of Germany bestows for services to the common good. It does not include a financial award.
