May 2022

Sitma ready for LogiMAT after Milan success

Posted on 20 May, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Having very successfully concluded IPACK-IMA, the first in-person edition after almost three years, Sitma is now ready for LogiMAT (Stand C46 in Hall 5).

The event – a must for the intralogistics and e-commerce world – will be held from 31 May to 2nd June in Stuttgart, where the Sitma team will keep on focusing on its brand new Paper E-Wrap (pictured), the packaging wrapper with paper that already attracted great interest in Milan.

LogiMAT is a key step in Sitma’s strategy, which is fully committed to developing turnkey solutions for the e-commerce sector.

The aspects most appreciated about the semi-automatic Paper E-Wrap solution for e-commerce packaging are:

Compact design: with a footprint just over 5 metres, the machine comes with a power supply, a packaging feature and labelling device. It immediately stands out for its modern and modular design with small overall dimensions.
Simple process and use: just place the products on the feeder belt and the machine takes care of the rest: it reads the barcode, sends label printing and application inputs, measures the 3 dimensions of the product(s) fed and packages – and Bob’s your uncle.
Sustainable: it works with heat-sealing paper, which therefore does not require additional glue. The result is a fully recyclable package.
Customisable: depending on the different production needs, it is able to manage either single or multiple products, it can print promotional and/or administrative documents in-line and automatically add them to the order. Plus, it can come with scales and labelling systems.
Suitable for any industry: with the Paper E-Wrap you can package objects and products from different e-commerce sectors, such as clothing and footwear, books and media, and consumer electronics – versatility is the key word.

Sitma’s offer for the logistics sector does not just include cutting-edge machines such as E-Wrap, previewed in Milan. It also comprises a wide range of sorting systems that are ideal for automating modern logistics centres. Wrapper’s portfolio includes units featuring top performance levels such as Fast Pack, which – depending on the type of object to be packaged – can reach up to 3,600 pieces/hour.

Along with their ergonomic design and high degree of flexibility, a feature shared by Sitma’s range of wrappers is once again the ability to create packages based on their contents. This allows for optimisation in terms of space and materials, a gain for both customers and for the environment.

Today, Sitma says it has unique know-how in using paper-based materials, which allows it to offer its customers an alternative to traditional plastic film employed for packaging purposes. Forty years of experience in packaging have also given it a mechanical expertise that stands as a benchmark in the automation sector and allows the company to develop customised solutions that are both high-tech and highly flexible. Its current expertise does not just stem from decades of experience, but also from its forward-looking approach to the market. This has always led the company not only to follow, but to anticipate trends. This is why Sitma was among the first companies in the sector to develop e-commerce solutions, which have now given it a competitive edge.

Sitma ready for LogiMAT after Milan success

Posted on 20 May, 2022 by David Priestman

Having very successfully concluded IPACK-IMA, the first in-person edition after almost three years, Sitma is now ready for LogiMAT (Stand C46 in Hall 5).

LogiMAT is a key step in Sitma’s strategy, which is fully committed to developing turnkey solutions for the e-commerce sector.

The aspects most appreciated about the semi-automatic Paper E-Wrap solution for e-commerce packaging are:

Compact design: with a footprint just over 5 metres, the machine comes with a power supply, a packaging feature and labelling device. It immediately stands out for its modern and modular design with small overall dimensions.
Simple process and use: just place the products on the feeder belt and the machine takes care of the rest: it reads the barcode, sends label printing and application inputs, measures the 3 dimensions of the product(s) fed and packages – and Bob’s your uncle.
Sustainable: it works with heat-sealing paper, which therefore does not require additional glue. The result is a fully recyclable package.
Customisable: depending on the different production needs, it is able to manage either single or multiple products, it can print promotional and/or administrative documents in-line and automatically add them to the order. Plus, it can come with scales and labelling systems.
Suitable for any industry: with the Paper E-Wrap you can package objects and products from different e-commerce sectors, such as clothing and footwear, books and media, and consumer electronics – versatility is the key word.

NORD presents innovative drive solutions at LogiMAT

Posted on 20 May, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The specialist LogiMAT exhibition in Stuttgart offers a comprehensive overview of the intralogistics and process management market, and as one of the market leaders for drive technology, NORD will be there to present its solutions for the industry. The exhibition highlights include the revolutionary and patented DuoDrive geared motor, the highly efficient IE5+ synchronous motor, the NORDAC ON/ON+ decentralised frequency inverter (pictured), as well as an intelligent concept for status-oriented maintenance according to Industry 4.0.

Modern automated intralogistics systems place high demands on drives in horizontal as well as vertical conveyor technology. NORD Drivesystems provide the industry with innovative drive solutions, combining reliability with profitability. The DuoDrive is setting new standards for intralogistics. The innovative and patented geared motor integrates a high-efficiency IE5+ synchronous motor into the single-stage helical gear unit housing. This not only guarantees a compact size and minimal noise emissions but also high power density and overall high system efficiency. Together with its simple plug-and-play commissioning, the complete DuoDrive solution results in a significant reduction in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared to other drive systems.

Economic Solution for IIoT environments

The decentralised NORDAC ON/ON+ frequency inverter was specially developed by NORD for the requirements of horizontal conveyor technology. An integrated Ethernet interface, full pluggability and a very compact design make it the smart inverter for decentralised use in Intralogistics. The frequency inverter can be mounted directly on the drive housing and covers lower power ranges of up to 1.0kW. The combination with the IE5+ synchronous motor (NORDAC ON+) enables significant efficiency potential.

Downtime avoidance is also one of the decisive targets in intralogistics. To increase system availability, NORD has designed “Condition Monitoring For Predictive Maintenance”. The integrated PLC in NORD frequency inverters can process data in connected sensors and actuators, initiate autonomous control sequences and communicate drive and application data to the control centre, networked components or to cloud storage. This allows continuous condition monitoring and therefore forms the basis for predictive maintenance concepts as well as optimum plant dimensioning. Impermissible operating states can be recognised early, unplanned downtimes can be avoided and maintenance becomes predictive.

These and more drive solutions will be presented by NORD Drivesystems from 31st May to 2nd June 2022 at LogiMAT in Stuttgart (Stand D10 in Hall 03).

NORD presents innovative drive solutions at LogiMAT

Posted on 20 May, 2022 by David Priestman

Economic Solution for IIoT environments

These and more drive solutions will be presented by NORD Drivesystems from 31st May to 2nd June 2022 at LogiMAT in Stuttgart (Stand D10 in Hall 03).

Smart scanning software set to be a game-changer

Posted on 20 May, 20224 August, 2025 by Keith McKinley

In logistics, the flow of information matters as much as the flow of goods. The advent of barcode scanning software that can run on multiple types of camera-enabled, smart devices is set to be a game-changer.

Logistics starts with orders. Increasingly, these orders are being generated by apps on smartphones with integrated barcode software to scan items, catalogues and lists. These apps are created by suppliers to run on almost any smartphone or tablet. Using the app generates an order that passes to fulfilment.

At the heart of fulfilment is the warehouse and distribution centre. The tracking of shipments through these centres used to be done with heavy, expensive, handheld computers and scanners. Their value was limited by the small numbers of these special devices available in each site. Barcode scanning software solves this problem by running on different devices wherever needed. Low-priced Android smartphones can be supplied to every worker for regular or occasional manual scanning and can be scaled-up quickly for peak. Fixed ‘gate’ or camera portals in receiving can scan pallet or parcel labels as they are unloaded. Forklifts with cameras can scan pallets as they are moved and scan the location barcodes at putaway.

Fixed cameras can scan barcodes on items moving on conveyors and in automated storage systems. Robots and drones can perform continuous inventory counts and highlight errors. Picking robots or cobots, with camera scanning, help find and pick inventory or verify the items being picked. Warehouse managers who have implemented these new scanning technologies know that their WMS system can then be trusted to be a true digital image of the warehouse and the information leveraged to reduce warehouse costs, and better serve both suppliers and customers.

At the end of the chain, goods are delivered to customers. Delivery methods continue to expand and they now include Pick-Up and Drop-Off (PUDO), Buy Online Pick-up In-Store (BOPIS), part load, pallet delivery and, of course, last-mile, parcel delivery. In all of these, barcodes are scanned to ensure the items match the order and to provide confirmation of delivery. Here again, smartphones and apps are becoming the standard tools to control these processes at very modest costs (especially if the hardware is a BYOD model).

The right hardware for camera scanning is relatively easy to find. Smartphones with scanning apps are already very able scanning platforms. For fixed and robotics solutions, industrial cameras with standard single board PCs or Jetson-type industrial computers running Linux provide the solution. The hardware is generic and so can be easily sourced. Even alternative second sources can be specified – a significant advantage compared to dedicated barcode scanners that by their nature are single sourced.

While finding the hardware is relatively easy, the barcode scanning software itself still has a tough job to do given the particular demands of this industry and its often-difficult environmental conditions. Dirty, damaged, marked barcode labels and the large distances between cameras and barcodes (especially in warehouses) add particular scanning challenges. Also, many of the above solutions require reading multibarcode shipping labels and multiple labels per image (as on a full pallet of marked items). Whatever the conditions, the barcode scanning software must read all of the barcodes, all the time, in any orientation.

Viziotix barcode software provides fast, efficient and accurate scanning on all of these different devices. Advanced computer-vision algorithms work on the high-resolution cameras used in nearly all smartphones and automation solutions, and provide higher scanning performance than the old dedicated barcode equipment – often with more than 5% higher read rates and up to 10x faster scan times. With high read rates, long-distance scanning and the ability to scan 10s or 100s of barcodes in a single image, Viziotix is ideal for these manual and automation applications. Whole pallets can be read in one scan by a gate-reader. Smartphones can scan multiple parcels for sortation and van loading in one scan. Robots and drones can quickly scan thousands of locations as they move around the aisles of a warehouse.

“We are leading the digitisation of the warehouse and logistics chain,” says Cedric Mollon, CEO at Viziotix. “Errorfree logistics is now a real, attainable goal and there are considerable, measurable, cost savings in eliminating errors, lost shipments, cycle-counts and manual corrective actions. Not to mention the value generated by the resulting better customer service. Our barcode scanning software is enabling all kinds of new solutions at every touchpoint in the logistics chain.”

Wiliot launches battery-assisted version of IoT tag

Posted on 19 May, 2022 by Keith McKinley

Wiliot, the Internet of Things pioneer whose IoT platform is enabling trillions of everyday “things” to gain intelligence and harness the power of the cloud, has announced a milestone expansion of its product portfolio with the introduction of a Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel, developed in partnership with leading smart tag manufacturer Identiv.

The new Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel joins the company’s flagship Battery-Free IoT Pixel to address specific IoT applications that are best served by battery power. It is a major step forward for the company as it scales its vision for a future of the IoT, where all products are connected to the internet and embedded with cloud intelligence.

This introduction marks a rapid innovation cycle for Wiliot, following the company’s March 2022 launch of its Version 2 Battery-Free IoT Pixel – a stamp-sized computer that costs pennies and powers itself by harvesting and recycling energy from radio waves. This solution, recently recognized by the SXSW 2022 Innovation Awards, is currently being adopted by many of the world’s leading retail, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical brands.

The Wiliot Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel uses the same exceptionally-efficient chip as the Battery-Free IoT Pixel, but it augments it with a tiny printed battery. The tags are smaller than a business card and broadcast the same standard Bluetooth beacon as the company’s Battery-Free IoT Pixel.

“Wiliot was founded on the mission to transform industries by embedding everything with cloud intelligence using our IoT pixel tagging technology,” stated Roee Zeiler, Wiliot’s CFO. “We began by tackling this challenge with battery-free technology, which significantly reduced barriers to IoT adoption and will scale the IoT from billions to trillions.”

This new battery-assisted tag reduces the cost of bringing Bluetooth standards-based continuous connectivity and intelligence to things by 10X, whereas the battery-free product cuts the cost of Bluetooth standard integration by 100X.

Continued Zeiler, “We’ve always understood that certain applications are best addressed with battery-assisted technology – which is why this launch is a milestone for Wiliot, Identiv, and the industry. Now, with a portfolio that includes battery-free and battery-assisted pixels, we’re one step closer to achieving our goal of creating an Internet of Trillions of Things (IoT2).”

Unlike the battery-free version, the Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel doesn’t require bridges or any other source of radio waves to harvest energy from. All they require is a device with a Bluetooth radio to read their transmission – any phone, Bluetooth gateway, or Wi-Fi access point. As such, since any BLE reader can be configured to read a Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel, and no additional infrastructure is required, the entry price and complexity of tagging things is close to zero.

The product promises to bridge between the worlds of battery-free and battery powered tags, allowing solution providers to start using the Wiliot Cloud to deploy solutions more easily to new places that may not have been accessible before.

While Battery-Free IoT Pixels address the tracking of low-priced products – clothing, food, medicine, and more – this launch enables tracking of medium value to higher value assets such as temporary promotional signage, certain returnable transport items, IT assets, and retail assets – which benefit from the boosted connectivity yet can also better absorb the battery-assisted pixel’s higher price-point.

Compared with conventional Bluetooth tags, Wiliot’s Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel is thinner (1.3mm at its thickest), lower cost, and more physically flexible – so they can easily attach to products on a production line at speed and in volume using a label applicator. Compared with conventional Bluetooth beacons, Wiliot’s new battery-assisted beacon features extremely low power consumption that enables longer lifetime in a smaller form factor.

The first Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel will be mass-produced by leading smart tag manufacturer Identiv, which is known for focusing on more sophisticated and specialist tag designs. Limited availability of the Battery-Assisted IoT Pixels will begin next month, while larger quantities will be ready for roll-out by the end of year.

“Identiv always strives to innovate, and our contribution to this new era of Bluetooth-based IoT is an outcome of the scalable manufacturing standards, unique processes, and expertise we have mastered in the NFC and RFID ecosystem. Bluetooth is pervasive, and this new product offers the advantages of providing infrastructure-free temperature sensing, tracking, and traceability. We are proud to collaborate with Wiliot and scale solutions into many Internet of Things deployments,” said Amir Khoshniyati, VP and GM Transponders, Identiv.

The Wiliot Battery-Assisted IoT Pixel tag will be available directly from Identiv and will use the same Wiliot cloud services to manage scale, privacy and sensing, that brings intelligence to products and packaging that were previously offline.

Wiliot launches battery-assisted version of IoT tag

Posted on 19 May, 2022 by David Priestman

Hyster launching new forklift at LogiMAT

Posted on 19 May, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Hyster will show a new A Series lift truck for the first time at LogiMAT 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany. Visitors to the show from 31 May to 2 June 2022 will get a chance to see a model that lifts 3.5 tonnes from the new line of tough, scalable, counterbalanced lift trucks at the Hyster stand.

In Hall 10 at Stand C10, experts will be on hand to discuss how Hyster can “Power YOUR Possibilities” with a range of more than 140 counterbalance lift trucks, warehouse equipment and container handlers.

On the stand, the much anticipated Hyster H3.5A will be revealed alongside the “lithium-ion ready” P3.0S Platform Pallet Truck designed for businesses cross docking, loading and unloading trailers or order picking in the warehouse. The P3.0S on show features a fixed platform with side protection for the operator, but there are options available including rear protection or a folding platform with side arms.

In addition, attendees can learn about the different power options for Hyster forklifts and warehouse equipment. For instance, Li.ON FORCE, a lithium-ion battery from Sunlight Group, has recently been added as an option for selected 24V, 48V, and 80V Hyster equipment giving customers more ways to select the best battery technology for their application. The batteries can be linked to Hyster lift trucks using the CANbus communication to optimise battery management. Real-time battery monitoring data and remote access is also available with the Sunlight Group’s GLocal telematics solution.

“We are excited to bring together some of our newest developments and diverse global industry experience at LogiMAT, showing how we support our customers’ specific needs with different solutions,” says Rainer Marian, Director Network Development at Hyster Europe.

Hyster launching new forklift at LogiMAT

Posted on 19 May, 2022 by David Priestman

Clever software drives AMR efficiency

Posted on 19 May, 202225 July, 2025 by David Priestman

In production environments, intralogistics activities performed by humans are often non-value adding according to Lean methodology. Implementing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to perform these warehouse transport activities is a way to reduce those costs. But to let those AMRs work as efficiently as possible, clever software is a must.

MoviĜo Robotics says it is an AMR manufacturer that constantly aims to maximise the hourly performance of its AMRs. The Dutch company constantly looks for ways to improve the efficiency of the fleet with clever innovations, and has recently launched three new ones.

The first is smart lifting technology. This enables its Ŝharko10 to adapt its lift height depending on the payload characteristics, so it always lifts the payload with the minimal amount of time needed. A normal lift has two positions: up and down. MoviĜo Robotics’ technology made the lifting height variable, so every lift movement that does not require to go to its maximum height saves time. The lift technology also adapts its riding height on the move. With the repetitive work of AMR’s, this can create several minutes of extra capacity per vehicle per hour.

One of the main areas that MoviĜo Robotics aims to improve constantly is its order management software. Paul Van der Hulst, Co-Owner & Managing Director of MoviĜo Robotics bv, says: “Our solutions focus primarily on production companies, and their processes can be very complex. This requires clever order management software to ensure all transports are done efficiently and more importantly: on time.

“Costs of a production line standstill due to lack of raw materials can be significant. We found standard order management software inadequate and not flexible enough.”

Software Director Ronald de Koning elaborates: “Our software can assign tasks based on multiple priorities, due time, time limits, time windows, actual location of the AMR compared to others, and upcoming tasks. Order lines are managed real-time. Imagine a Ŝharko driving from the warehouse to a production line to pick-up finished goods. Halfway through its mission, an order for raw materials for the same production line is created. We can interrupt the original mission and switch to the high-priority one. So, it first collects raw materials, brings it to the production line and then collects the finished goods. So, we constantly check to optimise the orders, to create optimal performance.”

But MoviĜo doesn’t only look for ways to optimise the efficiency of the vehicle, but also reduce manual input. One way to do this is through vision.

“Our camera software manages buffer locations and communicates an available location to the Ŝharko,” adds de Koning. “This enables locations to be used by AMRs and humans simultaneously without manual location management.”

But MoviĜo’s Intelligent Camera Kit can do more clever things. It detects a pallet on a certain location and automatically generates an order. Its latest update enables the system to detect if a pallet is empty and automatically generates a replenishment order.

Van der Hulst concludes: “I hate it when vehicles drive empty, because you purchase an AMR to do as much transports as possible. Even worse are Ŝharko that stand still, for example when there is no night shift. At one customer that doesn’t work at night, the Ŝharko vacuums their production facility at night. If it adds to the return on investment, we have no problem with that.”

Economic Solution for IIoT environments

Economic Solution for IIoT environments

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