Month: September 2020

The world is evolving, and along with it, so are the needs in industry, logistics and e-commerce. That is the reason given for B2A Technology becoming the Alstef Group. Following the acquisition of the New Zealand company Glidepath and the appointment of Nicolas Breton as Chief Operating Officer, the group has chosen a new name to address these new challenges and drive its development. This new name is part of a new corporate project which focuses on meeting customers’ needs, providing a wider range of solutions and mobilizing all its teams worldwide.

Alstef Group has increased the global scope and scale of skills between its different entities to better support its customers in their challenges. The ability to share in a greater pool of resources
may permit the company to be closer to its customers, more responsive, and to take on larger-scale projects. “The historic commercial success achieved with the automated baggage handling system of Santa Lucia Airport in Mexico is symbolic of Alstef Group’s new strength. By having our teams in France and New Zealand working together, we will succeed in delivering the largest project in our history within a record time,” says Pierre Marol, President of Alstef Group.

In line with this new strategy, the product range for airports will be rationalized to keep only the best products from each entity providing customers with an optimized solution. Customers need the best software solution to improve their productivity, meet their deadlines and adapt to a fast-changing world. So additionally, Alstef Group is accelerating its own investment in IT by strengthening its teams and committing to the redesign and harmonization of its software suites. In doing so Alstef Group is working towards more intelligent management of its customers’ facilities.

As a reputable provider of automated turnkey solutions for airport, intralogistics and healthcare markets, Alstef Group has recently – significantly – expanded its range of solutions and is not
planning to stop there. Robotic and automated order picking is a major challenge for industrial and logistics players today, and Alstef Group has demonstrated its ability to design and implement intelligent systems for many customers. “The COVID crisis has highlighted the competitive advantage of customers for whom we have installed robotic solutions. A 3PL customer told me recently that they would not have been able to handle the incredible volume fluctuations of the last few months without our installation,” said Nicolas Breton, Chief Operating Officer of Alstef Group.
As a key player in the heterogeneous pallet preparation, Alstef Group continues its expansion in the world of parcels and articles thanks to its partnership with Autostore, and has the clear ambition to provide solutions to e-commerce operators.

Schoeller Allibert, a European leader in the production of recyclable, reusable and returnable plastic packaging solutions, has launched the latest innovation in its industry-standard Maxinest® family of returnable packaging solutions in the UK, the Maxinest E-Tail. Designed to deliver enhanced logistics efficiency, hygiene and sustainability for today’s challenged retail supply chains, the Maxinest E-tail also meets the needs of the growing micro-fulfilment sector.

Jon Walkington, Sales and Marketing Director at Schoeller Allibert, said: “Online shopping has clearly played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lockdowns across the world forcing stores to close and many businesses looking to online sales to keep them afloat. According to a recent study of 4,500 shoppers by global research firm EPiServer, 38% of UK consumers are now buying online at least once a week, more than any other region surveyed. In the US it is 26%, Benelux 22%, Australia 21%, Germany 20% and Sweden 20%. This means that there is a critical need for retailers to manage this exceptional level of e-commerce and everyone is facing supply chain complexity. We are responding to this need with an innovative tote that will help future proof retailer e-commerce operations.”

First, the new Maxinest® E-tail design can be combined with dividers to ensure multiple customer orders can be stored separately in a single container. This ensures it is a highly versatile option for manual and automated handling applications alike. Second, it has a very high nesting ratio of 80% meaning return transportation costs and the logistics carbon footprint are minimised. It is also fully interoperable with the rest of the Maxinest® family, a key consideration when the original Maxinest® is the most proven and popular retailer tote available. To boost hygiene, the Maxinest® E-tail tote incorporates a clever floor design that is flat and non-vented for easy cleaning and to contain any spilt liquids.

Increasing safety and ease of use in operations, the design includes a 6-way handle system – 4 on the end wall and 2 on the long wall. A lower handle recess on the short side also offers easy removal if located on high racking and access is required. Extending the product’s functionality and performance, the Maxinest® E-tail bail arms are manufactured from a special material for increased stacking strength and less deflection. Another key to its success is a flat twin skin, ribbed base to minimise deflection under load and enable use on high-speed conveyors.

LogiMAT, International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management, is being postponed until early summer 2021 as a precaution amid the ongoing coronavirus. LogiMAT 2021 will now take place at Messe Stuttgart June 22–24, 2021.

The health and safety strategy developed by both the event organizer EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH as well as Landesmesse Stuttgart  give utmost priority to the well-being of exhibitors and visitors and eliminate any obstacle to holding the event as planned. But the latest figures from Germany’s disease control and prevention center do not give us the security needed for exhibitors and our visitors from abroad to move forward into the final planning phase for March 2021 with confidence. That is why LogiMAT, in keeping with its reputation as one of the most important international industry events for intralogistics worldwide, will be postponed until June 22–24, 2021. 

 “The Messe Stuttgart convention center has outstanding safety standards in place. The air circulation and ventilation system meets all specifications, and the venue can easily comply with the other strict hygiene requirements. So as far as that is concerned, there is nothing to prevent us from hosting the event in March 2021,” explains Michael Ruchty, Exhibition Director of LogiMAT Stuttgart.  “A key factor in LogiMAT’s reputation is its international character. At present, it is not possible to predict how long the travel restrictions will remain in March 2021. They will have an impact on the expected number of industry professionals from abroad who will wish to attend. That is one of the main reasons for making this decision early.”

LogiMAT will take place in March once again starting in 2022.

LogiMAT, International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management, is being postponed until early summer 2021 as a precaution amid the ongoing coronavirus. LogiMAT 2021 will now take place at Messe Stuttgart June 22–24, 2021.

The health and safety strategy developed by both the event organizer EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH as well as Landesmesse Stuttgart  give utmost priority to the well-being of exhibitors and visitors and eliminate any obstacle to holding the event as planned. But the latest figures from Germany’s disease control and prevention center do not give us the security needed for exhibitors and our visitors from abroad to move forward into the final planning phase for March 2021 with confidence. That is why LogiMAT, in keeping with its reputation as one of the most important international industry events for intralogistics worldwide, will be postponed until June 22–24, 2021. 

 “The Messe Stuttgart convention center has outstanding safety standards in place. The air circulation and ventilation system meets all specifications, and the venue can easily comply with the other strict hygiene requirements. So as far as that is concerned, there is nothing to prevent us from hosting the event in March 2021,” explains Michael Ruchty, Exhibition Director of LogiMAT Stuttgart.  “A key factor in LogiMAT’s reputation is its international character. At present, it is not possible to predict how long the travel restrictions will remain in March 2021. They will have an impact on the expected number of industry professionals from abroad who will wish to attend. That is one of the main reasons for making this decision early.”

LogiMAT will take place in March once again starting in 2022.

Extreme temperatures often make day-to-day work more difficult in the logistics sector. When storing and transporting fresh and frozen foods, it is essential that an uninterrupted cold chain is in place. However, low ambient temperatures like those prevalent in refrigerated environments, also pose huge challenges for drive batteries and the operators of electric forklift trucks. In order to tackle this, Fronius Perfect Charging has developed a cold logistics option for its Selectiva battery charging system, which ensures that both the battery and the forklift truck work optimally even in very low temperatures.

 Low temperatures drastically reduce the performance and service life of drive batteries. This means they usually do not have sufficient energy for a whole shift. At minus 15 degrees, for example, batteries only perform at around 60 percent of their usual capacity. To counteract this drop in performance, Fronius is now offering its own specially developed cold logistics option for its Selectiva 4.0 devices. The battery charging system with pre-set temperature sensors automatically selects the correct amount of energy to optimally charge the battery. This means batteries and forklift trucks are ready for use at all times without long waiting times.

Thanks to Fronius’ RI charging process, the Selectiva devices flexibly charge lead-acid batteries of different sizes, voltage and capacity, which facilitates assignment and reduces operating errors. Additional special features like the cold logistics option enable the reliable operation of forklift trucks even in difficult environments. Users thus benefit from high availability of their forklift truck fleet and can reduce their operating costs in the long term at the same time.