Day: 30 September 2019

Global warehouse automation provider, KNAPP, received considerable interest from visitors in its latest solutions at IMHX 2019. The company exhibited its brand-new fulfilment workstation, Pick-it-Easy Evo, for the first time in the UK and also demonstrated its award-winning, AI-enabled redPILOT software.

“The four days at the NEC were productive for the KNAPP team,” commented Craig Rollason, Managing Director for KNAPP UK. “As well as welcoming a number of prospective clients on our stand, we had very positive meetings with existing customers, suppliers and associates.” Promoting its technologies for automated handling, storage and order fulfilment, the KNAPP team was joined on the stand by colleagues from sister company, Dürkopp Fördertechnik, which has expertise in garment logistics.

Ergonomic and error-free picking
Developed with experience from over 1000 workstations from its Pick-it-Easy series delivered around the world to date, KNAPP’s Pick-it-Easy Evo combines ergonomic design with intuitive operation to enable warehouse staff to work smart, not hard.

A multitude of functions can be performed with Pick-it-Easy Evo – from standard processes such as picking, decanting, consolidation and returns handling, to customer-specific operations. The new workstation is designed to handle a broad range of goods – containers, trays and cartons in various dimensions, with loads of up to 50 kg – while minimizing strain on workers by reducing stretching, stooping and lifting.

Pick-it-Easy Evo embodies KNAPP’s zero defect philosophy. LED displays and touch screens combine with KNAPP’s intuitive easyUse interface to ensure error-free, rapid and efficient processes, as well as shorter training time for new personnel. Additional quality assurance equipment is also available – including light curtains, scales, scanners and image recognition technology for photo documentation.

Developed to work in synergy with KNAPP’s OSR Shuttle™ Evo automated storage system, the Pick-it-Easy Evo can either have a traditional connection to the store through a pre-zone or it can be connected directly to the OSR Shuttle™ in order to save space.

AI-enabled software optimizes logistics
Developed by redPILOT GmbH – a start-up company within the KNAPP group – redPILOT software is designed to optimize warehouse logistics, with all experience gained being used for machine learning. The solution helps warehouse operators to use all available resources – such as systems, personnel, energy, space and materials – dynamically and intelligently in order to optimize performance in a context of constantly changing factors such as order structure, delivery dates and store optimizations. The machine learning enables bottlenecks to be eliminated and operations to be fully optimized over time.

The redPILOT solution can be seamlessly integrated into a client’s application regardless of which WMS, WCS or WES is in place, either being hosted as a cloud service or provided into the client’s existing hardware infrastructure. KNAPP’s KiSoft logistics software platform manages all processes – from goods-in to goods-out – and flexibly integrates various technologies.

KNAPP’s redPILOT software won the award for Best IT Innovation at the 2019 Material Handling Industry (MHI) Innovation Awards at ProMat in Chicago earlier this year. The solution has been commissioned at 47 logistics sites worldwide for customers in diverse industry sectors – including seven sites of the German supermarket chain, EDEKA.

KNAPP continues on growth trajectory
KNAPP AG’s order volume topped one billion euros for the first time in the company’s history in the business year 2018-2019. Net turnover rose by 34.5% to 954 million euros and profits were also up by an impressive 44.2%, with an EBIT of 65.2 million euros.

Headquartered in Graz, Austria, the KNAPP group now employs more than 4,500 staff worldwide, an increase of 50% since 2016. The group’s British subsidiary, KNAPP UK, has also grown considerably in the last three years. “Our headcount now stands at 230,” said Craig Rollason, Managing Director of KNAPP UK, “compared to 185 in 2016, and this total is projected to rise to over 290 next year.”

In the last financial year KNAPP, which has 41 locations around the world, invested over 43 million euros in buildings and facilities, and a further 48 million in R&D – an increase of 25%. The company’s sites in Leoben and Dobl (Austria) were both extended and its capacity in Poland, Slovenia and Croatia – among other locations – was expanded. In addition, a new headquarters building is planned for the US, one of KNAPP’s fastest-growing markets. The company’s US subsidiary is currently installing one of the largest systems ever delivered by KNAPP – for Digi-Key Electronics at Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The new facility has been designed with capacity to store 1.66 million SKUs using KNAPP’s OSR Shuttle™ Evo technology, with over 1000 shuttles being deployed to support goods-to-person order fulfilment.

KNAPP UK is currently installing intralogistics systems for Shop Direct in the retailer’s new, automated distribution centre at East Midlands Gateway. “This is one of the largest orders ever for KNAPP UK and delivery is progressing well with go-live planned for early in 2020,” commented Craig Rollason. “Other recent projects for KNAPP UK have included extensions or upgrades for John Lewis, M&S (Bradford), Alliance Healthcare, Well, Clarks and Phoenix Healthcare, as well as new projects for IKEA, M&S (Welham Green) and Debenhams.

DKV Mobility Services Group has acquired 25 percent of Spanish company VAT Services, which provides international toll billing for Spanish customers. The price has not been disclosed and the Alfaro family remains the majority shareholder of the company with 57 percent.

VAT Services is the leading company in Spain for the settlement of tolls, tax refunds and fuel. VAT Services achieved a turnover of more than 200 million euros in 2018, with more than 1,500 active customers and 36,000 OBUs installed worldwide.

“We are pleased to realize this strategic investment together with VAT Services. We look forward to further developing together,” says Marco van Kalleveen, CEO of DKV. VAT Services General Director Carlos Alfaro adds: “We expect the participation of DKV in VAT Services to provide a fundamental boost to the marketing of our portfolio, which will have a decisive influence on the expansion of our company on the Iberian Peninsula”.

A brand new name in warehousing and logistics has entered the UK market. Yantra Fulfilment is a newly formed third party logistics (3PL) provider, based just off junction 24 of the M1. The company says it has options on more than 100,000sq ft of space in the Midlands with a view to having 10 fulfilment centres strategically positioned across the UK.

Aimed at providing a flexible and cost effective fulfilment service, Yantra says it has invested heavily in the latest warehouse management technology to cater for the sharp rise in ecommerce, as well as traditional large volume palletised orders.

Heading up Yantra is commercial director Steve Smith (above), an experienced logistics professional, who has held a number of senior positions in warehousing and fulfilment over the past 20 years.

He said: “Consumer purchasing habits are changing, which means that warehousing and fulfilment needs to adapt to meet these new, more demanding, requirements. We’re helping businesses of all sizes compete in an ecommerce-driven market with our low cost fulfilment solution that offers unbeatable levels of speed and accuracy when it comes to order processing.”

At the heart of Yantra is a world class warehouse management system, ensuring stock is always in the right place at the right time for super-efficient picking, while all information is available in real-time, online. There are no up-front costs and customers are only charged based on actual monthly storage and activities.

The company has plans to be able to offer more than half a million square feet of warehouse space, covering 95 percent of the UK mainland population within an hour and a half drive time.

Smith added: “This is a bold new venture that brings class leading fulfilment to businesses of all shapes and sizes, through state-of-the-art technology at affordable prices.”

Paragon has further enhanced its capabilities within Eastern Europe by launching a Polish language option of its leading routing and scheduling software. With transport planning increasing in complexity across the industry, this latest version will enable transport planners to plan more efficiently in local language whether they are planning on behalf of a Polish operation, or locally for a global company.

The introduction of a Polish language interface means that Paragon’s routing and scheduling software is now available in 11 languages, supporting transport operations in 61 countries worldwide. The software is fully Unicode compliant so can be translated into any language, and for centrally deployed software environments, multiple users can access the single system at the same time using different language preferences.

William Salter, Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems commented: “We are constantly looking at ways of removing the barriers faced by planners, so they can complete their jobs simply and effectively. The Polish language option will enable local transport planning teams to plan more easily, in their preferred language, to help achieve greater levels of optimisation and efficiency.”

Earlier this year, Paragon launched the latest version of its routing and scheduling software. Among the developments in Version 6.10, there are a number of key features designed to enable transport operators to reduce planning time and make better use of resources. This is helping Paragon’s customers around the world to do more with less; enhance visibility of their fleet’s performance; and benefit from significant improvements in the user experience and software performance.

Ernst Schulze has taken up the reins as DP World’s UK Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Chris Lewis, who is retiring after 36 years in the ports industry.

Mr Schulze joins the global trade enabler’s UK operations, overseeing the Southampton and London Gateway container terminals, the Logistics Park at London Gateway and Community Network Services (CNS), which provides customs clearance and digital logistics services. He has moved from Ecuador where he has been heading up the development of DP World Posorja, the first deep-water port in the South American nation, which will sit adjacent to a 100 hectare logistics zone. He has also held senior port and logistics roles in Brazil, the Philippines, France, at the Port of Felixstowe and in the Netherlands.

Chris Lewis, the outgoing UK CEO, DP World, said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside so many brilliant customers and colleagues over the years. I have had a great time and i’m proud of everything we’ve achieved! I wish Ernst and the whole of the DP World group every success over the coming years.”