March 2022

Seasonality returning to troubled timber sector

Posted on 14 March, 2022 by David Priestman

There are early signs of wood availability returning to established seasonal patterns, according to the Timber Packaging & Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) – although significant challenges in the market remain.

The independent AFRY index reported the price of home-grown pallet timber decreased by a further 0.1% in February 2022. Historically, prices traditionally come down during Q1, before rising again as demand for fencing timber grows towards the summer – due to the series of powerful storms in February this market has already started to see demand increasing.

However, supply chain difficulties continue to impact on the sector, including strong demand for timber from competing markets; higher raw material costs; widespread shortages of staff; rising energy costs; fuel costs – not helped by the cessation of the use of red diesel throughout the sector; availability of nails; and ongoing severe availability and price issues in the shipping industry.

The developing conflict in Ukraine has created further instability, as detailed in a recent release from the European Federation of Wooden Pallet & Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB).

TIMCON President John Dye said: “After the past two turbulent years, the signs of more seasonal trade flows and predictability in the market are welcome. However, we are aware that the trading climate remains difficult, with ongoing pressures affecting the supply of timber.

“The tragic events in Ukraine have added a further challenge, with closed sawmills and generally disrupted trading with this source country impacting on usual wood supplies into Europe. Meanwhile, economic sanctions will have a significant effect on Russia and Belarus.

“TIMCON is monitoring this complicated and evolving situation and will continue to keep its members informed about the latest developments affecting timber pallet and packaging businesses.”

Global challenges and developments are among the topics that will be discussed in the forthcoming TIMCON general meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Manchester at the end of March.

Organisations confirmed to present latest timber sector developments at the event include COILLTE and CONFOR. The agenda will also cover the industry’s role as a leader in sustainable practices, as supply chains increase their emphasis on recovery and reuse of pallets.

“During the pandemic, TIMCON has demonstrated to its membership how vital it is for our sector’s businesses to be part of a strong industry association, which keeps them informed and equipped, and represents them on the national, and international, stage,” said Dye. “The excellent programme we have lined up for our general meeting is yet another part of our ongoing essential service to the sector. We are really looking forward to hosting it and discussing with members how we can support them further in the months and years to come.”

TIMCON retained close to 100% of its membership during the pandemic and it expects further members to join, particularly from the packaging segment of the industry.

UgoWork achieves Li-ion certification for forklifts

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by David Priestman

UgoWork, a Canadian energy solutions provider specialised in lithium-ion batteries for industrial trucks, has announced that its 36V and 48V lithium-ion batteries are now certified UL 2580, the Standard for Batteries for Use in Electric Vehicles.

UgoWork worked with UL to obtain third-party, science-backed certification for its 36V (Class I and II) and 48V (Class I) lithium-ion batteries for electric forklift trucks and fleets. The products passed the meticulous tests, which include fire propagation testing, drop testing, vibration and shock testing, and crush testing. Achieving UL’s 2580 certification helps demonstrate to customers the scientific approach to confirming its solutions adhere to strict robustness and safety norms.

“Obtaining this certification, in addition to the certification for our 24V model, is once again the proof of our commitment to safety, where there’s no shortcut acceptable,” explained Philippe Beauchamp, UgoWork’s President and CEO. “Forklift manufacturers don’t mess around with safety, and we are extremely proud of all our recent approvals to better serve our clients who deserve the best, and the safest for their team members.”

UgoWork will showcase its latest innovations at MODEX in Atlanta, GA, on March 28-31.

UgoWork achieves Li-ion certification for forklifts

Posted on 11 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

UgoWork will showcase its latest innovations at MODEX in Atlanta, GA, on March 28-31.

LYDIA Voice becomes #1 Android voice solution

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by Keith McKinley

Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG) has seen its LYDIA Voice application take the crown as the world’s number one pick-by-voice solution on Android devices. Over the past 12 months, EPG has secured a number of major customers from across industry, including merchandise management, food and beverage, global retail giants and manufacturing. Thanks to these new implementations on Android devices, LYDIA Voice has now become the voice solution of choice.

EPG has sealed a number of major contracts in the past 12 months, with a number of global retailers and producers of general goods, food and specialities as well as beverages, healthcare products and industrial components now placing their trust in the innovative LYDIA Voice software.

“Our business in Europe has been growing solidly for many years, and last year we were also able to gain a number of large-scale US clients with global operations,” explains Tim Just, CEO Voice Solutions at EPG. “As such, we sold a huge amount of LYDIA Voice users to warehouses, distribution hubs and fulfilment centres. Given the number of Android devices that our clients use to run the LYDIA Voice software, our technology is now the world’s most frequently used pick-by-voice solution.”

The noticeable surge in implementations is due to the fact that LYDIA Voice has become the leading voice recognition technology, he explains. LYDIA Voice is the world’s only pick-by-voice solution to feature voice recognition based on neural networks and deep learning, therefore delivering outstanding results.

In combination with the VOXTER Vantage, the perfect hardware for LYDIA Voice, EPG offers the most advanced all-in-one package on the voice market. The mobile voice computer works in perfect harmony with the software and is based on an optimised version of the Android operating system. The device is designed to be used for 100% voice-controlled processes.

Alongside developing its own voice hardware, EPG also places a great deal of importance on device independence – an aspect that Just sees as additional driver behind the growth. The company’s close collaboration with Zebra Technologies also contributed to the growing success, he suggests.

“Unlike other suppliers of voice-controlled picking software who require customers to use their hardware, we give our customers the freedom and flexibility to choose the optimal device platform for their workflows and processes,” explains Just.

LYDIA Voice underwent successful testing on a variety of mobile devices offered by leading providers, such as Zebra and Samsung. Most devices support multi-modal use, meaning they can be used for various applications in different parts of a company. The advantage for companies is that it’s easier to manage, maintain and update even a high number of devices.

“Customers can continue using the hardware they already have and just implement the LYDIA Voice users on their existing Android devices, provided they support these voice applications. For many of our customers, this is a big advantage in terms of investment costs, administration and maintenance,” explains Just.

In addition to supporting various Android devices, LYDIA Voice can also be used in combination with the LYDIA VoiceWear picking vest, which eliminates the need for headsets. This offers additional important benefits that also contributed to the technology’s market dominance.

“With our patented LYDIA VoiceWear technology, we’re the only pick-by-voice provider to offer a reliable solution without headsets,” Just says. The smart solution further enhances the overall user experience for employees,” explains Just, noting how companies are having to work increasingly hard to attract and retain staff over the long term.

“LYDIA Voice delivers near-perfect voice recognition rates for over 50 different languages. Users of other voice applications are still faced with outdated, lengthy voice training sessions for each employee. But we haven’t needed anything like that for over a decade,” explains Just.

“That’s why LYDIA Voice offers huge benefits, especially at companies where staff speak many different languages or regional dialects. Our system delivers outstanding voice recognition performance, enabling new staff to be onboarded much faster – even if they don’t, or only partly, speak the official language.”

As part of numerous pilot projects, customers compared LYDIA Voice with older-generation voice solutions. “All users of the older systems confirmed that LYDIA Voice delivered a productivity boost of 8-15%,” says Just.

EPG customers who have switched to LYDIA Voice have all reported noticeable improvements in voice recognition and overall staff satisfaction. The technology also provides companies with flexibility in their deployment of seasonal and temporary workers. In addition, LYDIA Voice can be seamlessly connected to all ERP and WMS systems.

LYDIA Voice becomes #1 Android voice solution

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by David Priestman

Partnership promises “new opportunities” for intralogistics

Posted on 11 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

A partnership between NAiSE and start-up company symovo is enabling the automation and robotisation of intralogistics.

The automation of intralogistics is becoming a growing need for companies. Due to the increase in the volume of work, the use of smart and multi-purpose AGVs is becoming more and more present. Intralogistics, as one of the departments of large companies, requires great efficiency, elimination of accidents, protection of employees, all means of transport and goods.

In the coming period, NAiSE and symovo will cooperate on many innovative projects and are currently working together to align the NAiSE Traffic product and symovo’s robotic system. This combination of products can lead each intralogistics to a new dimension of technology 4.0.

NAiSE is a company that offers three products for intralogistics: NAiSE Traffic (nominated for an IFOY Award in 2022), NAiSE Tracking and NAiSE Safety. They make intralogistics automated and completely safe for all participants in traffic, which leads to 30% more efficiency, and all this means 20% less costs for companies.

Partnership promises “new opportunities” for intralogistics

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by David Priestman

A partnership between NAiSE and start-up company symovo is enabling the automation and robotisation of intralogistics.

Major UK logistics hub approved

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by David Priestman

Warrington Borough Council has approved developer Langtree’s planning application – subject to non-intervention by the Secretary of State – to develop a major new logistics hub in south Warrington, UK that will create more than 4,000 new jobs.

The £180m development, called Six56 Warrington, will provide approximately 3.1m sq ft of new warehousing and distribution space. Its approval now unlocks £7.1m a year in new rates income for investment in local services by Warrington Council.

The development is on land bounded by junction 20 of the M6 and junction 9 of the M56 motorways. The application for the scheme followed a series of well-attended public consultation events which helped shape its final design.

The scheme will focus on providing space for logistics businesses, explained John Downes, Langtree’s group chief executive. “It’s where the greatest demand lies and the jobs are much more diverse and better paid than people perhaps realise,” he said.

“The average salary in the sector is around £29,000 and in a scheme of this type there will be a wide variety of roles available, from entry-level up to senior technical and managerial roles. This development is about ensuring that Warrington remains a competitive and relevant economy as the world of work evolves.”

And, says Downes, it is Langtree’s ambition to ‘go one step further’, ensuring jobs in the local supply chain, too.

“The impact of our investment will be multiplied if we can engage local suppliers in the construction and operation of the scheme and we are committed to ensuring as many contracts as possible go to local firms,” added Downes.

New employment sites are needed to maintain Warrington’s position as one of the UK’s most successful local economies and continue its track record of attracting new employers and jobs to the area, the local council believes.

The scheme will now be referred to the Secretary of State to determine whether he intends to “call it in” for his own assessment. Following approval there would be an intensive period of work involved before the construction of units could begin, including reserved matters applications, significant highway and transport improvements and public realm improvements in and around the site.

Major UK logistics hub approved

Posted on 11 March, 2022 by Keith McKinley

And, says Downes, it is Langtree’s ambition to ‘go one step further’, ensuring jobs in the local supply chain, too.

STILL establishes own 5G network

Posted on 10 March, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

In order to participate in various research projects, develop innovative products and implement a smart factory, the intralogistics provider STILL has now set up its own 5G network at its Hamburg headquarters.

Already today, we see largely autonomous transport vehicles in production halls and warehouses. However, their capabilities still remain inferior to those of humans, as many processes still need to be learned and are not intelligent in every respect. Therefore, many suppliers are striving to fill this gap and make vehicles even more intelligent.

This broader vision of autonomously driving transport vehicles, however, can only be realised with very powerful mobile networks in order to move large amounts of data safely, promptly and efficiently. For this reason, STILL, which has always been very intensively involved in the development of innovative logistics and production solutions, has now installed its own 5G-SA campus network at its corporate headquarters in Hamburg.

“This 5G network, with which we are once again underlining our innovativeness, as 5G is not yet widespread in industry today, will on the one hand help us to take autonomously running logistics processes to a new level for our customers,” says Ansgar Bergmann, STILL expert for data and networking, describing the most important reasons for installing the company’s own 5G network.

“To this end, we have already been participating in numerous international research projects for many years that explore the idea of Industry 4.0. On the other hand, we will optimise our production with super-fast data transmission technology. In future, wireless production robots and people will be able to work together smoothly there in the sense of the ‘smart factory’ thanks to fast wireless communication.”

Innumerable technological approaches

Particularly interesting, according to Bergmann, are the performance and reliability aspects of 5G, as it is a licensed frequency spectrum for the user. “These are interesting, for example, in indoor logistics when integrating driverless transport systems. The operator is thus better supported than was previously possible with WLAN. Entire AGV fleets can be coordinated in real time and the control and route data can be managed in an edge cloud of the company,” says the expert.

Further possible applications include robotics, collaboration between humans and machines, and imaging processes for environment recognition.

Numerous new scenarios

Industry 4.0 approaches are also noticeably boosted by 5G technology. This optimises the step from classic to fully automated systems because Industry 4.0 is primarily based on data technology processes, and it is precisely these that are supported by 5G. All systems and products in the field of automation, process transparency, pay per use, predictive maintenance or consulting will be further advanced by 5G.

New visions, especially those based on machine learning, for which this data transfer boost is targeted, will soon be implemented by STILL in real existing technology. To this end, the company is involved in numerous international research projects, such as the ARIBIC project. The aim is to make better use of the data that automated guided vehicles (AGVs) collect via their sensors and cameras during their journeys through the warehouse. For example, digital twins of the environment are created that process relevant information in real time.

“These processes generate enormous amounts of data that must be transmitted at a very high speed. Without our new 5G data network, some approaches are not even possible. The previous technologies are usually quite susceptible to interference, which makes our work more difficult,” says Bergmann.

New CampusOS flagship project

Only a few weeks ago, at the beginning of 2022, the CampusOS lighthouse project was launched, which will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with €18.1m over the next three years. Its goal is to build a modular ecosystem for open 5G campus networks based on open radio technologies and interoperable network components. It is intended to help strengthen the digital sovereignty of German companies.

To this end, various scenarios of regular operation at industrial project partners are being evaluated. STILL is, of course, one of the participants. The technology company is testing and evaluating the low-latency and resilient control of vehicles and the transmission of videos at very high data rates.

Bergmann: “This will be the first time our new 5G network is put to the test and will be benchmarked against other solutions. I am quite sure, however, that our system will pass this test with flying colours. Through these activities, STILL will also expand its expertise to advise its customers in this field of technology.”

Innumerable technological approaches

Numerous new scenarios

New CampusOS flagship project

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