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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.
“Land transport” on the moon
“Land transport” on the moon
If humans return to the moon in the coming years, heavy transport on the lunar surface will be easier than on Earth due to the lower gravity. Dust, however, is likely to pose a greater problem. A laser could be used to 3D print roads and sinter the regolith to fit the surface.
An ESA project called PAVER – Paving the Road for Large Area Sintering of Regolith – has examined the feasibility of building lunar roads under the leadership of the German BAM Institute for Materials Research and Testing in collaboration with Aalen University in Germany. Also involved are a Liquifer Systems Group in Austria, the German TU Clausthal, and the DLR Institute of Materials Physics in Space.
The PAVER consortium used a 12-kilowatt carbon dioxide laser to melt simulated lunar dust into a glassy solid surface, thus constructing paved surfaces on the lunar surface. The laser serves as the light source for the experiments, replacing lunar sunlight, which could be concentrated using a Fresnel lens with a diameter of several meters to create a corresponding melt on the lunar surface.
In tests at BAM, the team achieved a spot size of 5–10 cm. Through trial and error, they developed a strategy using a laser beam with a diameter of 4.5 cm to create triangular geometric shapes with a hollow center and a size of approximately 2.5 m. These could interlock to create solid surfaces on large areas of the lunar surface, which could serve as roads or landing pads.
The project has now been reported in the scientific publication "Nature Scientific Reports," along with the assumption that astronauts on the moon will probably drive more than walk.
Lunar dust is ultrafine, abrasive, and clinging. During the Apollo era, dust clogged equipment and eroded spacesuits. When the Apollo 17 lunar rover lost its rear fender, the vehicle became so covered in swirling dust that it threatened to overheat until astronauts found an improvised solution using recycled lunar maps. The Soviet rover Lunokod 2 actually destroyed itself by overheating when its radiator became increasingly covered in dust.
All images: ESA.int/NASA
The Surveyor 3 lander was sandblasted with dust when the Apollo 12 lunar module touched down about 180 meters away. Current NASA models indicate that upon touchdown, the lunar landers' engine plumes could eject tons of dust, which might adhere to the lander surfaces and cover the entire landing area.
The idea of melting sand to build roads is not quite as brand new as it might seem in times of additive manufacturing and 3D printing: such methods were already being discussed for road construction on Mother Earth in 1933.
