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Day: 27 February 2023

limbiq Raises €1M to Accelerate Growth

Posted on by David Priestman

limbiq.com has closed its oversubscribed EUR 1 million pre-seed round with Motion Ventures and renowned angel investors.

The round is lead by Motion Ventures, a strategic global venture investment fund with a focus on early-stage investments in the maritime supply chain sector. Further backers are renowned Angel Investors such as Patrick Merkel, co-founder of Prologue solutions and Nikolaus D. Bayer, founder of IRIS Analytics and recently awarded BAND-Business Angel of the year.

limbiq was founded in 2020 with the ambition to create the world’s most flexible and efficient supply chain workflow solution to revolutionize communications in international logistics and to ease the daily pains of supply chain professionals that are facing increasingly broken supply chains, having to deal with unreliable offline data, thus lacking transparency and visibility at the core of their value chain.

The Germany-based company is serving to enterprises from industry, trade and logistics. What their B2B-customers share with hundreds of thousand other enterprises is having complex global supply chains and a lot of communication and data exchange related to it. This communication work is mainly done manually and offline, with email and excel sheets.

“Imagine, organizing one single container shipment from overseas requires an average of 50 emails, just to get it started,” says limbiq CEO Arne Oltmann, adding: “It is because legacy company software such as ERP or WMS come to limits when data exchange and communication with external partners across corporate boundaries is required. We’ve managed to cut this routine work by half. And by providing better transparency, we help our customers to reduce their working capital, avoid revenue losses due to delivery delays, thus leveraging their profitability.”

limbiq’s SCM solution is designed to digitize and streamline exactly these processes. Their AI-enhanced platform flexibly reads and analyses partner communication, thus integrating many heterogeneous data sources regardless of their format. This helps customers to digitally integrate large parts of their supply chain in a very flexible way and with little integration effort.

“Limbiq.com is leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to provide a more comprehensive overview of goods in the supply chain, combining both existing and alternative data to streamline processes. This innovation is crucial to a more resilient global economy, and limbiq.com is leading the charge to automate every day operational workflows,” says Shaun Hon, General Partner at Motion Ventures.

The funds will be used to accelerate the company’s growth plans to triple revenues in the next twelve month. limbiq plans to hire more staff in technology, including engineers and developers, and to grow the project management team to cope with the increasing demand.

limbiq Raises €1M to Accelerate Growth

Posted on by David Priestman

limbiq.com has closed its oversubscribed EUR 1 million pre-seed round with Motion Ventures and renowned angel investors.

The round is lead by Motion Ventures, a strategic global venture investment fund with a focus on early-stage investments in the maritime supply chain sector. Further backers are renowned Angel Investors such as Patrick Merkel, co-founder of Prologue solutions and Nikolaus D. Bayer, founder of IRIS Analytics and recently awarded BAND-Business Angel of the year.

limbiq was founded in 2020 with the ambition to create the world’s most flexible and efficient supply chain workflow solution to revolutionize communications in international logistics and to ease the daily pains of supply chain professionals that are facing increasingly broken supply chains, having to deal with unreliable offline data, thus lacking transparency and visibility at the core of their value chain.

The Germany-based company is serving to enterprises from industry, trade and logistics. What their B2B-customers share with hundreds of thousand other enterprises is having complex global supply chains and a lot of communication and data exchange related to it. This communication work is mainly done manually and offline, with email and excel sheets.

“Imagine, organizing one single container shipment from overseas requires an average of 50 emails, just to get it started,” says limbiq CEO Arne Oltmann, adding: “It is because legacy company software such as ERP or WMS come to limits when data exchange and communication with external partners across corporate boundaries is required. We’ve managed to cut this routine work by half. And by providing better transparency, we help our customers to reduce their working capital, avoid revenue losses due to delivery delays, thus leveraging their profitability.”

limbiq’s SCM solution is designed to digitize and streamline exactly these processes. Their AI-enhanced platform flexibly reads and analyses partner communication, thus integrating many heterogeneous data sources regardless of their format. This helps customers to digitally integrate large parts of their supply chain in a very flexible way and with little integration effort.

“Limbiq.com is leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to provide a more comprehensive overview of goods in the supply chain, combining both existing and alternative data to streamline processes. This innovation is crucial to a more resilient global economy, and limbiq.com is leading the charge to automate every day operational workflows,” says Shaun Hon, General Partner at Motion Ventures.

The funds will be used to accelerate the company’s growth plans to triple revenues in the next twelve month. limbiq plans to hire more staff in technology, including engineers and developers, and to grow the project management team to cope with the increasing demand.

SSI Schaefer Records Challenging 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

The SSI Schaefer Group, a German family-owned company established more than 85 years ago and a leading international solution provider for all segments of the intralogistics industry, reported an order intake of EUR 1.74 billion (-12.2%) for the fiscal year 2022, according to preliminary figures. The decline is mainly due to the fact that major projects in the Group’s largest business unit, Logistics Solutions, were postponed to 2023 and 2024, as several customers recorded low order intake due to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine and increased material prices.

Sales revenues dropped by 5.1% to EUR 1.81 billion, partly due to delayed project acceptance caused by materials shortages. All other business units – Products & Equipment, Customer Services, Waste & Packaging – reported higher revenues than in the previous year.

“The difficult market situation caused by the geopolitical crises and higher material and energy expenses in almost all business segments presented not only our company but also the entire intralogistics industry with major challenges in 2022,” says Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI Schaefer Group. “Nevertheless, our transformation process made good progress, especially in the areas of innovation and automation as well as in the strategically more important area of sustainability, where our extensive activities have been documented in the Group’s first Sustainability Report. Our task now is to consistently implement the measures we have initiated in order to continue our success story of the past years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all employees, who have once again showed great commitment last year to make the SSI Schaefer Group fit for the future.”

Creation of an innovation eco-system and progress in expanding the technology leadership

A key focus in the fiscal year 2022 was placed on strengthening the SSI Schaefer Group’s innovation capability. The aim was to play a leading role in shaping the digital and sustainable transformation in order to achieve the goal of technology leadership in the intralogistics sector, as set out in the Group’s strategy. To this end, the Group is building an innovation eco-system of cooperations with research partners such as Fraunhofer IML and various universities as well as with enterprises and start-ups as development partners. The employees play a key role in shaping the future of the SSI Schaefer Group by promoting a culture of innovation and stronger networking within the Group. In this context, the new international and interdisciplinary Data Science Team is an important element, which aims to bundle the Group-wide expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

An important milestone in the expansion of technology leadership is the recently signed agreement for the complete acquisition of DS Automotion GmbH by the SSI Schaefer Group. The full acquisition of DS Automotion, a leading provider of mobile robotics (AGV – Automated Guided Vehicles and AMR – Autonomous Mobile Robots), will take effect on March 1, 2023. It will strengthen the competitiveness and innovative power of the SSI Schaefer Group in robotics and automation, two segments that are pointing the way forward for the intralogistics industry.

The SSI Schaefer Group is a leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions. With headquarters located in Neunkirchen (Germany), SSI Schaefer employs approximately 10,000 associates globally, along with seven domestic and international production sites, and approximately 70 worldwide operating subsidiaries. Across six continents, SSI Schaefer develops and implements innovative industry-specific answers to its customers’ unique challenges. As a result, it plays a key role in shaping the future of materials handling.

SSI Schaefer Records Challenging 2022

Posted on by David Priestman

The SSI Schaefer Group, a German family-owned company established more than 85 years ago and a leading international solution provider for all segments of the intralogistics industry, reported an order intake of EUR 1.74 billion (-12.2%) for the fiscal year 2022, according to preliminary figures. The decline is mainly due to the fact that major projects in the Group’s largest business unit, Logistics Solutions, were postponed to 2023 and 2024, as several customers recorded low order intake due to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine and increased material prices.

Sales revenues dropped by 5.1% to EUR 1.81 billion, partly due to delayed project acceptance caused by materials shortages. All other business units – Products & Equipment, Customer Services, Waste & Packaging – reported higher revenues than in the previous year.

“The difficult market situation caused by the geopolitical crises and higher material and energy expenses in almost all business segments presented not only our company but also the entire intralogistics industry with major challenges in 2022,” says Steffen Bersch, CEO of the SSI Schaefer Group. “Nevertheless, our transformation process made good progress, especially in the areas of innovation and automation as well as in the strategically more important area of sustainability, where our extensive activities have been documented in the Group’s first Sustainability Report. Our task now is to consistently implement the measures we have initiated in order to continue our success story of the past years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all employees, who have once again showed great commitment last year to make the SSI Schaefer Group fit for the future.”

Creation of an innovation eco-system and progress in expanding the technology leadership

A key focus in the fiscal year 2022 was placed on strengthening the SSI Schaefer Group’s innovation capability. The aim was to play a leading role in shaping the digital and sustainable transformation in order to achieve the goal of technology leadership in the intralogistics sector, as set out in the Group’s strategy. To this end, the Group is building an innovation eco-system of cooperations with research partners such as Fraunhofer IML and various universities as well as with enterprises and start-ups as development partners. The employees play a key role in shaping the future of the SSI Schaefer Group by promoting a culture of innovation and stronger networking within the Group. In this context, the new international and interdisciplinary Data Science Team is an important element, which aims to bundle the Group-wide expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

An important milestone in the expansion of technology leadership is the recently signed agreement for the complete acquisition of DS Automotion GmbH by the SSI Schaefer Group. The full acquisition of DS Automotion, a leading provider of mobile robotics (AGV – Automated Guided Vehicles and AMR – Autonomous Mobile Robots), will take effect on March 1, 2023. It will strengthen the competitiveness and innovative power of the SSI Schaefer Group in robotics and automation, two segments that are pointing the way forward for the intralogistics industry.

The SSI Schaefer Group is a leading provider of modular warehousing and logistics solutions. With headquarters located in Neunkirchen (Germany), SSI Schaefer employs approximately 10,000 associates globally, along with seven domestic and international production sites, and approximately 70 worldwide operating subsidiaries. Across six continents, SSI Schaefer develops and implements innovative industry-specific answers to its customers’ unique challenges. As a result, it plays a key role in shaping the future of materials handling.

Gothenburg Named Top Swedish Logistics Location

Posted on by David Priestman

The Gothenburg region tops the list when leading Swedish industry magazine Intelligent Logistik annually ranks Sweden’s best logistics locations. As Sweden’s largest cargo hub, the Port of Gothenburg plays a decisive role in the award according to the jury, who state that the port’s infrastructure, investment program and growing cargo volumes form a good basis for future growth in the region.

“It is an honourable award that we place great value on, and it is of course nice to be recognized together with the region’s other actors in the field of logistics. Together, we create conditions for a strong freight hub that strengthens Swedish competitiveness and is the guarantor of Swedish industry’s access to the world,” says Jacob Minnhagen, senior business developer at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

The Port of Gothenburg handles 53% of Sweden’s total container freight and volume growth is stable with nine straight quarters of increased container throughput. The container terminal operated by APM Terminals is particularly highlighted in the justification, as well as the growing freight train traffic where the port reached an all-time high in 2022.

Good establishment opportunities

Access to logistics areas is crucial for the functionality of a logistics region, and hence an important assessment criterion in the designation of Sweden’s best logistics location. The growth in logistics space has been exceptionally large in recent years, notes the magazine, and in the past year additional new land for logistics establishments has been added – both in areas close to the port, as well as locations just outside Gothenburg, like Landvetter and Borås.

“In the port, for example, we are developing the Halvorsäng Logistics Park together with Castellum just ten minutes from the quayside, it will be an important addition to port-side logistics. Then the growth of logistics areas is also good further out in the region, which is very important. Overall, the future looks bright for the Gothenburg region and there are good opportunities to establish yourself here as a logistics operator in the long term as well,” says Jacob Minnhagen.

The high-profile list of the best logistics locations in Sweden has been published since 2001. The ranking is founded on access to a logistics base, flows and geography, infrastructure, land access, know-how and skills, and the collaborative climate throughout the region. The Helsingborg Region and Jönköping Region were ranked second and third.

Excerpt from the citation:
“The Gothenburg region has long been Sweden’s logistics capital with an excellent distribution location with access to the Nordics’ largest container port, which stood strong even through the pandemic; with stable container volumes and greatly increased train freight volumes. Upcoming multibillion-crown investments in the port with a fairway deepening also provide good conditions for future growth. Gothenburg has historically had exceptional growth for logistics, a development which, however, slowed somewhat in 2022 when only approx. 70,000 square meters were added in the region. In the past year, however, new land for logistics establishments has been added both around Landvetter and at Hisingen.”

Gothenburg Named Top Swedish Logistics Location

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Gothenburg region tops the list when leading Swedish industry magazine Intelligent Logistik annually ranks Sweden’s best logistics locations. As Sweden’s largest cargo hub, the Port of Gothenburg plays a decisive role in the award according to the jury, who state that the port’s infrastructure, investment program and growing cargo volumes form a good basis for future growth in the region.

“It is an honourable award that we place great value on, and it is of course nice to be recognized together with the region’s other actors in the field of logistics. Together, we create conditions for a strong freight hub that strengthens Swedish competitiveness and is the guarantor of Swedish industry’s access to the world,” says Jacob Minnhagen, senior business developer at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

The Port of Gothenburg handles 53% of Sweden’s total container freight and volume growth is stable with nine straight quarters of increased container throughput. The container terminal operated by APM Terminals is particularly highlighted in the justification, as well as the growing freight train traffic where the port reached an all-time high in 2022.

Good establishment opportunities

Access to logistics areas is crucial for the functionality of a logistics region, and hence an important assessment criterion in the designation of Sweden’s best logistics location. The growth in logistics space has been exceptionally large in recent years, notes the magazine, and in the past year additional new land for logistics establishments has been added – both in areas close to the port, as well as locations just outside Gothenburg, like Landvetter and Borås.

“In the port, for example, we are developing the Halvorsäng Logistics Park together with Castellum just ten minutes from the quayside, it will be an important addition to port-side logistics. Then the growth of logistics areas is also good further out in the region, which is very important. Overall, the future looks bright for the Gothenburg region and there are good opportunities to establish yourself here as a logistics operator in the long term as well,” says Jacob Minnhagen.

The high-profile list of the best logistics locations in Sweden has been published since 2001. The ranking is founded on access to a logistics base, flows and geography, infrastructure, land access, know-how and skills, and the collaborative climate throughout the region. The Helsingborg Region and Jönköping Region were ranked second and third.

Excerpt from the citation:
“The Gothenburg region has long been Sweden’s logistics capital with an excellent distribution location with access to the Nordics’ largest container port, which stood strong even through the pandemic; with stable container volumes and greatly increased train freight volumes. Upcoming multibillion-crown investments in the port with a fairway deepening also provide good conditions for future growth. Gothenburg has historically had exceptional growth for logistics, a development which, however, slowed somewhat in 2022 when only approx. 70,000 square meters were added in the region. In the past year, however, new land for logistics establishments has been added both around Landvetter and at Hisingen.”

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