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Month: June 2023

Fifth Red Dot for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks

Posted on by David Priestman

The EDiA XL electric counterbalance from Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks has picked up its second honour in recent months after being named winner of a Red Dot design award for 2023.

This latest accolade means the entire current EDiA range: the 1.4–2.0-tonne EDiA EM, the 2.5–3.5-tonne EDiA EX, and the 4.0–5.5-tonne EDiA XL, have all been granted use of the famous Red Dot. A much sought-after mark, it has become an internationally recognised symbol of outstanding design over its 60+ year history, signifying excellence in aesthetics, functionality, or innovation.
A truly next-generation forklift, EDiA XL is a step forward for what is possible with electric trucks, offering performance and productivity beyond IC engine models thanks to cutting-edge developments such as AutoBoost and Adaptive Lit Control, combined with the green, efficient benefits of electricity. The Red Dot jury was highly impressed by EDiA XL’s clean and modern design and outstanding ergonomics, creating an incredibly driver-focused truck.

In fact, ergonomics has been a key feature of all the EDiA wins, highlighting Mitsubishi Forklift Truck’s commitment to ensuring operators always remain at their most comfortable, even through the longest shifts.

EDiA EX was a winner in 2015 thanks to its pioneering features, such as the Sensitive Drive System, excellent all-round visibility, and fluid, intuitive operation. 360-degree steering on the EDiA EM and its outstanding adaptation to different loads and driving conditions impressed the jury in 2019 when it gained a Red Dot of its own. And this addition to EDiA XL’s growing trophy cabinet follows October’s win at the UK Material Handling awards where it took home the title in the Environment category thanks to a blend of unique technology, class-leading performance, and quiet, emission-free operation.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is a brand of Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. Ltd. (ML) who design, manufacture, sell and distribute a comprehensive range of high-quality, innovative warehouse equipment, IC/ electric counterbalance forklifts and AGV solutions. With 11,000 employees and total sales of around £2,777 million GBP (As of March 2022), ML is the world’s fourth-largest industrial truck manufacturer.

The equipment supplied for European materials handling solutions in logistics and warehousing are designed and produced at the group’s production facilities in Sweden, Spain, Finland, China and Japan. Consequently, our spread of customers are involved in storage and distribution warehousing (Raw material and finished goods) as well as manufacturing with interests that include the production of food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, metal & automotive and the building industry.

IFOY Test Report: ff Fördersysteme

Posted on by Keith McKinley

It’s the turn of ff Fördersysteme’s 3D conveyor and drive system in the spotlight as we continue our run-through of all the IFOY Award finalists ahead of the announcement ceremony in Dortmund on June 22nd.

Category: Start-up of the Year

IFOY Test Report

ff Fördersysteme offers a flexible basic system for conveyor and transport systems of all kinds. On the basis of a three-dimensionally movable chain and a guide system consisting of straight and curved segments, conveyor sections that are precisely adapted to the respective requirements can be implemented without interfaces in the smallest of spaces. By adapting the system with various transport drivers, it is suitable for a wide variety of applications.

The basis of the conveyor system is a patented, three-dimensionally movable drive chain. The free movement of the chain is made possible by an axial axis of rotation. In contrast to conventional conveyor chains, this 3D chain can thus twist on a helical path and run straight into it on a continuing path. This allows the conveyor chain to follow any guideway and curvature in space.

The chain consists of two chain links, which are connected to each other by means of an axial pin. These links can be manufactured in different sizes and materials depending on the requirements. The chain is guided in an aluminium profile. This profile is open on one side so that a carrier for the transported material can be placed directly on the conveyor chain. The load is transferred via the guide rail.

The modular 3D chain drive system consists of straight and curved components that can be flexibly linked together, allowing a system to be converted or retrofitted as required. This allows the tightest radii and any inclines to be mastered and the shortest possible conveying distance to be realised. No interfaces, interruptions and associated drives, sensors, etc. are necessary. By attaching different transport carriers such as conveyor belts, plastic boxes, overhead conveyors and possibly even a lightweight robot, the system can be used in a wide variety of ways. The technology thus also offers the possibility of converting an existing conveyor system or managing an entire production process with a single basic system.

Innovation: The simplicity, flexible use by means of different transport attachments and the three-dimensionality of the system are particularly noteworthy. Most conveyor lines, with curves, ramps, elevators, etc., consist of a large number of combined modules. Each module usually has its own drive and sensors. This results in numerous transfer points and all drives must be integrated into one control system. Gradients are often only possible to a limited extent.

The ff conveyor sections consist of a single drive train, which can be designed three-dimensionally in space as required and can be linked to various transport attachments. Whether transporting, tilting, swivelling, rotating: various tasks can be solved in one track. 3D systems offered on the market do not offer full freedom of movement and are also mostly designed for a specific application. This opens up new possibilities in plant design with ff conveyor systems. An example application could be a spiral conveyor that can travel up a transport path once and back down again in the same piece. This endless loop allows such a system to serve once as a buffer, packages can be fed in, but also removed again. This results in enormous space savings.

Market relevance: The 3D chain drive offers a technical and economic alternative in many areas. For example, the system can be used in the industrial sector, but also in passenger transportation. In the field of passenger transportation, this technology can be used as a new drive technology for a three-dimensional escalator.

Main advantages for the customer: ff Fördersysteme offers a basic system for installations that are not only designed and built for a specific purpose. Flexible adaptation allows them to be converted to meet a wide variety of requirements – today transporting battery components, tomorrow parts for a hydrogen drive. The three-dimensional mobility eliminates the need for a modular design of a conveyor system. This results in significantly reduced engineering and equipment requirements with enormous cost and resource advantages. The possibility of new routing also offers additional space advantages. Last but not least, the assembly, installation and maintenance effort is low.

IFOY test verdict: ff Fördersysteme offers a flexible basic system for conveyor and transport systems of all kinds. Based on a three-dimensionally movable chain and a guide system consisting of straight and curved segments, conveyor lines precisely adapted to the respective requirements can be realised in a very confined space without interfaces. The adaptation of the system with various transport carriers makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: Optimally suited for complex existing buildings due to the very flexible geometry and the high number of degrees of freedom. However, it is certainly not a standard solution for every application. In the environment of limited space, for example for future urban solutions, certainly of importance, but also here dependent on the price. The envisaged area of passenger transportation also sounds particularly interesting, although this is not yet described further in conceptual terms.

Customer benefit: All spatial directions and even a rotary movement around its own axis can be implemented. This means that a high degree of space economy can be achieved. Furthermore, the chain and the chain carrier can be designed for virtually any application. This means that practically any load carrier is possible in the field of small load transport. Possible applications can be found in various industrial sectors, both as a pure drive element in multidimensional conveyors or, with the appropriate load carrier, as an independent conveyor system.

Novelty / Innovation: Very good, patented idea for driving multidimensional conveyors with a maximum number of degrees of freedom. Due to the special design, the drive motor can be accommodated almost anywhere, drives positively and almost without polygon effect. This results in very smooth running for a chain conveyor. The design itself is a clear leap forward in innovation, but the application and available construction kit has yet to be developed. It should be possible to cover long distances with a closed drive train, although the maximum lengths that can be implemented have not yet been described in detail.

Functionality / Type of implementation: Since this is a start-up category, the idea has so far only been implemented as a prototype, and the chain guide has been realised as a 3D print. Even as a prototype, the high-quality, robust design is clearly evident, which is also suitable for dynamic and demanding industrial use and certainly ensures a long service life with all its flexibility.

Verdict: Nice, purely mechanical idea, which can certainly offer great advantages for specific applications due to the very flexible geometry. However, the cost side is quite little known, also the performance can only be estimated. The product is still at a very early stage. The innovative leap is definitely neatly present in the mechanical area, but as an overall system it is still difficult to estimate.

Market relevance Ø
Customer benefit +
Novelty / Innovation +
Functionality / Type of implementation +
[KEY: ++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / — not available]

IFOY Test Report: ff Fördersysteme

Posted on by David Priestman

It’s the turn of ff Fördersysteme’s 3D conveyor and drive system in the spotlight as we continue our run-through of all the IFOY Award finalists ahead of the announcement ceremony in Dortmund on June 22nd.

Category: Start-up of the Year

IFOY Test Report

ff Fördersysteme offers a flexible basic system for conveyor and transport systems of all kinds. On the basis of a three-dimensionally movable chain and a guide system consisting of straight and curved segments, conveyor sections that are precisely adapted to the respective requirements can be implemented without interfaces in the smallest of spaces. By adapting the system with various transport drivers, it is suitable for a wide variety of applications.

The basis of the conveyor system is a patented, three-dimensionally movable drive chain. The free movement of the chain is made possible by an axial axis of rotation. In contrast to conventional conveyor chains, this 3D chain can thus twist on a helical path and run straight into it on a continuing path. This allows the conveyor chain to follow any guideway and curvature in space.

The chain consists of two chain links, which are connected to each other by means of an axial pin. These links can be manufactured in different sizes and materials depending on the requirements. The chain is guided in an aluminium profile. This profile is open on one side so that a carrier for the transported material can be placed directly on the conveyor chain. The load is transferred via the guide rail.

The modular 3D chain drive system consists of straight and curved components that can be flexibly linked together, allowing a system to be converted or retrofitted as required. This allows the tightest radii and any inclines to be mastered and the shortest possible conveying distance to be realised. No interfaces, interruptions and associated drives, sensors, etc. are necessary. By attaching different transport carriers such as conveyor belts, plastic boxes, overhead conveyors and possibly even a lightweight robot, the system can be used in a wide variety of ways. The technology thus also offers the possibility of converting an existing conveyor system or managing an entire production process with a single basic system.

Innovation: The simplicity, flexible use by means of different transport attachments and the three-dimensionality of the system are particularly noteworthy. Most conveyor lines, with curves, ramps, elevators, etc., consist of a large number of combined modules. Each module usually has its own drive and sensors. This results in numerous transfer points and all drives must be integrated into one control system. Gradients are often only possible to a limited extent.

The ff conveyor sections consist of a single drive train, which can be designed three-dimensionally in space as required and can be linked to various transport attachments. Whether transporting, tilting, swivelling, rotating: various tasks can be solved in one track. 3D systems offered on the market do not offer full freedom of movement and are also mostly designed for a specific application. This opens up new possibilities in plant design with ff conveyor systems. An example application could be a spiral conveyor that can travel up a transport path once and back down again in the same piece. This endless loop allows such a system to serve once as a buffer, packages can be fed in, but also removed again. This results in enormous space savings.

Market relevance: The 3D chain drive offers a technical and economic alternative in many areas. For example, the system can be used in the industrial sector, but also in passenger transportation. In the field of passenger transportation, this technology can be used as a new drive technology for a three-dimensional escalator.

Main advantages for the customer: ff Fördersysteme offers a basic system for installations that are not only designed and built for a specific purpose. Flexible adaptation allows them to be converted to meet a wide variety of requirements – today transporting battery components, tomorrow parts for a hydrogen drive. The three-dimensional mobility eliminates the need for a modular design of a conveyor system. This results in significantly reduced engineering and equipment requirements with enormous cost and resource advantages. The possibility of new routing also offers additional space advantages. Last but not least, the assembly, installation and maintenance effort is low.

IFOY test verdict: ff Fördersysteme offers a flexible basic system for conveyor and transport systems of all kinds. Based on a three-dimensionally movable chain and a guide system consisting of straight and curved segments, conveyor lines precisely adapted to the respective requirements can be realised in a very confined space without interfaces. The adaptation of the system with various transport carriers makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: Optimally suited for complex existing buildings due to the very flexible geometry and the high number of degrees of freedom. However, it is certainly not a standard solution for every application. In the environment of limited space, for example for future urban solutions, certainly of importance, but also here dependent on the price. The envisaged area of passenger transportation also sounds particularly interesting, although this is not yet described further in conceptual terms.

Customer benefit: All spatial directions and even a rotary movement around its own axis can be implemented. This means that a high degree of space economy can be achieved. Furthermore, the chain and the chain carrier can be designed for virtually any application. This means that practically any load carrier is possible in the field of small load transport. Possible applications can be found in various industrial sectors, both as a pure drive element in multidimensional conveyors or, with the appropriate load carrier, as an independent conveyor system.

Novelty / Innovation: Very good, patented idea for driving multidimensional conveyors with a maximum number of degrees of freedom. Due to the special design, the drive motor can be accommodated almost anywhere, drives positively and almost without polygon effect. This results in very smooth running for a chain conveyor. The design itself is a clear leap forward in innovation, but the application and available construction kit has yet to be developed. It should be possible to cover long distances with a closed drive train, although the maximum lengths that can be implemented have not yet been described in detail.

Functionality / Type of implementation: Since this is a start-up category, the idea has so far only been implemented as a prototype, and the chain guide has been realised as a 3D print. Even as a prototype, the high-quality, robust design is clearly evident, which is also suitable for dynamic and demanding industrial use and certainly ensures a long service life with all its flexibility.

Verdict: Nice, purely mechanical idea, which can certainly offer great advantages for specific applications due to the very flexible geometry. However, the cost side is quite little known, also the performance can only be estimated. The product is still at a very early stage. The innovative leap is definitely neatly present in the mechanical area, but as an overall system it is still difficult to estimate.

Market relevance Ø
Customer benefit +
Novelty / Innovation +
Functionality / Type of implementation +
[KEY: ++ very good / + good / Ø balanced / – less / — not available]

Sideloader for the Environment

Posted on by David Priestman

As a developer of solutions for effective closed-loop recycling, Vecoplan sees itself as a company with a higher purpose. The demand for wood and plastics is increasing worldwide. With waste levels increasing, recycling means much can be returned to production with a high degree of quality.

Vecoplan AG is at the forefront of making that possible. The company develops and manufactures systems for sale worldwide to the wood and waste processing industries. At their headquarter in Bad Marienberg, Germany, imposing machines are built with the aid of the Baumann Rosso EFQ 80L, a 120-volt electric sideloader that runs across a large sloping site that straddles public roads.

“It’s a modern, well ordered, but busy site,” says Richter Fördertechnik’s area sales manager, Thomas Brühl, “and the sideloader is key to moving large items from stores to production, paint shop to dispatch.” Being electric means there is no emissions issues for the truck working inside and out, whilst the excellent power to weight ratio also means it is no slouch on the short journeys up and down the narrow public road.

Waste prevention is one of today’s most pressing tasks and challenges. Careful use of resources, reasonable recycling, environment-driven thinking, and sustainable acting become more important every day. Vecoplan has been tackling these challenges successfully for more than 50 years. Today they are a leading partner of the international wood and recycling industries with numerous branches and selling agencies all over the world.

Vecoplan develops, produces, and sells technologically superior plants and machines for shredding, conveying, and processing primary and secondary raw materials gained in recycling processes. Continuous research and development as well as in-house-production give their customers a competitive edge in technology.

They deliver everything from the single machine to the complete plant, according to their customers’ demand, meeting highest standards of quality and sustainability.

“The opportunity of successfully mastering these challenges together with our customers,” says Vecoplan, “is a source of pride and inspiration.”

Electric Sideloader

Likewise, the electric EFQ range is something Baumann is also immensely proud of. “The short overall length and tight turning circle make this a highly manoeuvrable machine,” says Baumann key accounts manager, Schapour Dadsetan. “The design provides a highly efficient sideloader without sacrificing the mast or well width capabilities, or the clearance and low bed height.”

With the machine critical for specific production tasks, it is also important that it is available when called upon. With less power needed to achieve high levels of performance, running time between charges has been extended. A specially designed intelligent system can also be paired with a charger system to re-energise in mid-shift without damaging the cells and a battery change option. “Runtime is clearly very important for all our customers,” adds Schapour, “and being able to run up to nine hours on a single change, makes this the ideal truck for the job.”

Designed and built from the ground up, the EFQ followed two years of painstaking research and development, and features a completely new chassis, battery, and power train configuration. The operator cabin was also designed from scratch, maintaining the company’s reputation for comfort and uncluttered operability. “It is a great environment for the operator,” says Thomas, “it is comfortable with instinctive controls. Drivers can sometimes get fatigued from the noise and vibration from an engine truck, but the Baumann is quiet and smooth even in busy environments like this.”

Technical support from Richter Fördertechnik also means continuous smooth running of the machine. Richter have been a leading light in Baumann’s European dealer network for decades, maintaining Baumann trucks several customers in the area. The company prides itself on their ability to support all manner of businesses with a large team of technical support staff on the road, round the clock.

“Richter understand customers well and deliver an excellent service” says Schapour. “Our machines need to be well maintained and understanding the needs of the Baumann electrics is something that Richter have great experience in.”

Sideloader for the Environment

Posted on by David Priestman

As a developer of solutions for effective closed-loop recycling, Vecoplan sees itself as a company with a higher purpose. The demand for wood and plastics is increasing worldwide. With waste levels increasing, recycling means much can be returned to production with a high degree of quality.

Vecoplan AG is at the forefront of making that possible. The company develops and manufactures systems for sale worldwide to the wood and waste processing industries. At their headquarter in Bad Marienberg, Germany, imposing machines are built with the aid of the Baumann Rosso EFQ 80L, a 120-volt electric sideloader that runs across a large sloping site that straddles public roads.

“It’s a modern, well ordered, but busy site,” says Richter Fördertechnik’s area sales manager, Thomas Brühl, “and the sideloader is key to moving large items from stores to production, paint shop to dispatch.” Being electric means there is no emissions issues for the truck working inside and out, whilst the excellent power to weight ratio also means it is no slouch on the short journeys up and down the narrow public road.

Waste prevention is one of today’s most pressing tasks and challenges. Careful use of resources, reasonable recycling, environment-driven thinking, and sustainable acting become more important every day. Vecoplan has been tackling these challenges successfully for more than 50 years. Today they are a leading partner of the international wood and recycling industries with numerous branches and selling agencies all over the world.

Vecoplan develops, produces, and sells technologically superior plants and machines for shredding, conveying, and processing primary and secondary raw materials gained in recycling processes. Continuous research and development as well as in-house-production give their customers a competitive edge in technology.

They deliver everything from the single machine to the complete plant, according to their customers’ demand, meeting highest standards of quality and sustainability.

“The opportunity of successfully mastering these challenges together with our customers,” says Vecoplan, “is a source of pride and inspiration.”

Electric Sideloader

Likewise, the electric EFQ range is something Baumann is also immensely proud of. “The short overall length and tight turning circle make this a highly manoeuvrable machine,” says Baumann key accounts manager, Schapour Dadsetan. “The design provides a highly efficient sideloader without sacrificing the mast or well width capabilities, or the clearance and low bed height.”

With the machine critical for specific production tasks, it is also important that it is available when called upon. With less power needed to achieve high levels of performance, running time between charges has been extended. A specially designed intelligent system can also be paired with a charger system to re-energise in mid-shift without damaging the cells and a battery change option. “Runtime is clearly very important for all our customers,” adds Schapour, “and being able to run up to nine hours on a single change, makes this the ideal truck for the job.”

Designed and built from the ground up, the EFQ followed two years of painstaking research and development, and features a completely new chassis, battery, and power train configuration. The operator cabin was also designed from scratch, maintaining the company’s reputation for comfort and uncluttered operability. “It is a great environment for the operator,” says Thomas, “it is comfortable with instinctive controls. Drivers can sometimes get fatigued from the noise and vibration from an engine truck, but the Baumann is quiet and smooth even in busy environments like this.”

Technical support from Richter Fördertechnik also means continuous smooth running of the machine. Richter have been a leading light in Baumann’s European dealer network for decades, maintaining Baumann trucks several customers in the area. The company prides itself on their ability to support all manner of businesses with a large team of technical support staff on the road, round the clock.

“Richter understand customers well and deliver an excellent service” says Schapour. “Our machines need to be well maintained and understanding the needs of the Baumann electrics is something that Richter have great experience in.”

Fashion Transparency: China to Germany

Posted on by David Priestman

When it comes to manufacturing high-quality fashion, Walbusch Group relies on Polymax Group, among others. The Chinese manufacturer under German management collaborates via the SCM software OSCA with the fashion specialist to bring transparency into the supply chain. At the same time, users of the tool save a lot of time because they are more effective without having to use tedious Excel lists, e-mail traffic and phone calls.

Three stories, large windows, white facade: From the outside, the Polymax Group factory in the Chinese coastal city of Ningbo could also be located somewhere in Germany. Only the company sign in Chinese characters indicates that the building is located in China.

Wolfram Geuting tries to spend at least two days a week in this factory. Fashion, or more precisely high-quality clothing, shoes, and accessories, are the passion of the CEO of Polymax Group. The German manager wants to be close to production, to the people who produce for him and his customers. That’s why the Asia expert, who pulls the strings for the company from his office in the business metropolis of Shanghai, likes to travel to Ningbo, which has a population of nine million. Ningbo is an ideal location for export-oriented fashion production: it is home to the most important Chinese port.

Geuting is well known in the industry: He has worked for Steilmann SE and NTS, among others. He feels at home in China. Since June 2022, the German has driven in another peg – as Managing Partner of Polymax Group, which was founded in the early 1980s by entrepreneur Ulrich Maeder. The now 73-year-old chairman is no stranger to the industry either. For more than 40 years, he has been regarded as a pioneer of German-Chinese economic relations and sustainable production in China: As early as 2001, the Zhejiang Province awarded him the “Golden Magnolia Prize” for the “most socially responsible factory.”

Fair payment, compliance with environmental and social standards: According to Geuting, the fact that the Polymax Group did everything in its power to meet the highest standards in human, environmental and occupational health and safety laws decades before the introduction of the Supply Chain Act in Germany is one of the company’s success factors. “Add to that the high-quality standards and on-time deliveries,” the manager said. Customers who knock on his door place the highest value on quality and sustainability seals. ISO 9001 in quality is standard. In addition, the company is listed with the Fair Wear Foundation and BSCI. The group also complies with the OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

Even though worker-friendly overtime regulations, modern production machinery and fair wages impact the profit margin, Geuting cannot think of any alternative. “We can report to our customers that 80 percent of our employees have been with the company for more than 18 years,” he explains. Some men and women have spent their entire working lives at Polymax – and 25 even live in a wing of the factory. They benefit not only from the fact that they have no commute to work, but also from the extremely inexpensive housing: they pay only the ancillary costs.

The success story in Ningbo has now been going on for almost three decades. 210 employees work in the factory. In addition, there are more than 30 in the various offices. Over the years, entrepreneur Ulrich Maeder has not only established offices in Macau and Shanghai, but also in Bangalore (India) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). In Ho Chi Ming City (Vietnam), two experts work in quality assurance. And in London and St. Augustin near Bonn, employees are active in customer acquisition.

Outdoor jackets, cashmere sweaters, silk shirts: the production of high-quality clothing has long since ceased to be the group’s only area of business. Experts also work in quality assurance, procurement services and executive consulting. In order to supply around 8.3 million garments per year to what are now 33 customers, the factory in Ningbo is no longer sufficient. Polymax cooperates with 18 other producers in Asia, the majority of which are located in China, three manufacturers in Bangladesh, two in Vietnam and one in India. Because the company has spun a large network and built up a lot of know-how and technology, it also acts as an agency for some customers. “For small customers, we offer a complete package – from fashion design to delivery. Then all they need is an office and a warehouse,” Geuting reports.
High sustainability standards, high quality, high delivery reliability: the Polymax strategy (“we don’t want to be the biggest, but we want to be the best”) is appreciated by brands of the Walbusch Group, the outdoor clothing specialist Schoeffel, the equestrian fashion supplier Ariat, the fashion label Carlo Collucci and the management of FC Bayern. For the latter, Polymax produces many items for the fan shop – from shoe bags with FCB logos to backpacks.

Polymax is regularly attested top performance – not in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality and reliability. Schöffel, for example, awarded the company “Supplier of the Year” in 2016 and 2018. “If you want to stay at a high level, you have to keep investing in technologies to stay at the cutting edge,” says Geuting. This applies to production equipment just as much as it does to the software landscape, for example.
There is news to report from the IT department: At the beginning of 2023, Polymax Group started working with the SCM software OSCA from the Bochum-based software house Setlog. Geuting was already familiar with the web-based tool when the IT experts at Walbusch Group in Solingen approached him about introducing the software.

The Walbusch Group has been using OSCA DC (Digital Core) from Setlog since the end of 2021 to gain transparency in the supply chain and improve management, collaboration, and communication. The special thing about this: Walbusch Group was the first Setlog customer to rely on the new standard version of OSCA. This means that the processes of the Walbusch, Avena and Mey&Edlich brands were adapted to best practice examples from OSCA – and not vice versa. In this way, the group bypassed costly, customer-specific adjustments in the OSCA SCM software. The advantage: In addition to avoiding costs, the company saved time above all. Less than six months elapsed from the initial contact to the start-up of the software.

“We definitely wanted to avoid customer-specific adaptations and were able to bring transparency into the supply chain within a few months with the new software generation. We can inform our most important suppliers of changes in real time via a single tool. E-mails, phone calls and Excel spreadsheets are now a thing of the past,” reports Ralf Seggering, Head of IT and member of the management team at the long-established company. With Polymax, Walbusch Group integrated one of its main suppliers into the system. Other suppliers and forwarders of the company also work on the software.

According to Geuting, connecting as a supplier to the cloud-based software OSCA was done “in no time.” He downloaded the app, received a link and a password. Then, step by step, the functions Walbusch Group needed were unlocked, he said. “The three people who were to work with OSCA were already looking forward to it because they knew that annoying Excel lists, emails and phone calls would be eliminated from now on. Thanks to OSCA, there will also be no more discussions about who is to blame for a delay, for example,” reports Geuting. Just four hours of online training were necessary and the employees were able to start using the tool.

Walbusch Group’s strategy is that only Polymax should be the central contact for OSCA. Polymax therefore acts as supplier and agency for the German customer. The employees in China also maintain the data of Polymax partners in the system – the information is extensive. The tool is used for the following purposes, among others:
– the placement purchase orders,
– monitoring, controlling, and tracking of purchase orders,
– as a network between customer, supplier, carrier, and warehouse locations,
– for digital, collaborative teamwork,
– to manage delivery parameters such as timing and mode of transport, and
– as a database for important documents such as customs-related records.

All data is clearly visualized on OSCA’s dashboard. Walbusch Group benefits from the transparency and real-time control of supply chain partners. Polymax appreciates that- and less working time, too. Geuting calculated at least 20 percent time savings by using the software for each employee. Users are already asking him whether new customers use OSCA – or still operate with less convenient, proprietary systems or even still rely on Excel and e-mail in SCM. Employees have a clear preference, and so does Geuting. “I can recommend OSCA to buyers.”

Fashion Transparency: China to Germany

Posted on by David Priestman

When it comes to manufacturing high-quality fashion, Walbusch Group relies on Polymax Group, among others. The Chinese manufacturer under German management collaborates via the SCM software OSCA with the fashion specialist to bring transparency into the supply chain. At the same time, users of the tool save a lot of time because they are more effective without having to use tedious Excel lists, e-mail traffic and phone calls.

Three stories, large windows, white facade: From the outside, the Polymax Group factory in the Chinese coastal city of Ningbo could also be located somewhere in Germany. Only the company sign in Chinese characters indicates that the building is located in China.

Wolfram Geuting tries to spend at least two days a week in this factory. Fashion, or more precisely high-quality clothing, shoes, and accessories, are the passion of the CEO of Polymax Group. The German manager wants to be close to production, to the people who produce for him and his customers. That’s why the Asia expert, who pulls the strings for the company from his office in the business metropolis of Shanghai, likes to travel to Ningbo, which has a population of nine million. Ningbo is an ideal location for export-oriented fashion production: it is home to the most important Chinese port.

Geuting is well known in the industry: He has worked for Steilmann SE and NTS, among others. He feels at home in China. Since June 2022, the German has driven in another peg – as Managing Partner of Polymax Group, which was founded in the early 1980s by entrepreneur Ulrich Maeder. The now 73-year-old chairman is no stranger to the industry either. For more than 40 years, he has been regarded as a pioneer of German-Chinese economic relations and sustainable production in China: As early as 2001, the Zhejiang Province awarded him the “Golden Magnolia Prize” for the “most socially responsible factory.”

Fair payment, compliance with environmental and social standards: According to Geuting, the fact that the Polymax Group did everything in its power to meet the highest standards in human, environmental and occupational health and safety laws decades before the introduction of the Supply Chain Act in Germany is one of the company’s success factors. “Add to that the high-quality standards and on-time deliveries,” the manager said. Customers who knock on his door place the highest value on quality and sustainability seals. ISO 9001 in quality is standard. In addition, the company is listed with the Fair Wear Foundation and BSCI. The group also complies with the OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

Even though worker-friendly overtime regulations, modern production machinery and fair wages impact the profit margin, Geuting cannot think of any alternative. “We can report to our customers that 80 percent of our employees have been with the company for more than 18 years,” he explains. Some men and women have spent their entire working lives at Polymax – and 25 even live in a wing of the factory. They benefit not only from the fact that they have no commute to work, but also from the extremely inexpensive housing: they pay only the ancillary costs.

The success story in Ningbo has now been going on for almost three decades. 210 employees work in the factory. In addition, there are more than 30 in the various offices. Over the years, entrepreneur Ulrich Maeder has not only established offices in Macau and Shanghai, but also in Bangalore (India) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). In Ho Chi Ming City (Vietnam), two experts work in quality assurance. And in London and St. Augustin near Bonn, employees are active in customer acquisition.

Outdoor jackets, cashmere sweaters, silk shirts: the production of high-quality clothing has long since ceased to be the group’s only area of business. Experts also work in quality assurance, procurement services and executive consulting. In order to supply around 8.3 million garments per year to what are now 33 customers, the factory in Ningbo is no longer sufficient. Polymax cooperates with 18 other producers in Asia, the majority of which are located in China, three manufacturers in Bangladesh, two in Vietnam and one in India. Because the company has spun a large network and built up a lot of know-how and technology, it also acts as an agency for some customers. “For small customers, we offer a complete package – from fashion design to delivery. Then all they need is an office and a warehouse,” Geuting reports.
High sustainability standards, high quality, high delivery reliability: the Polymax strategy (“we don’t want to be the biggest, but we want to be the best”) is appreciated by brands of the Walbusch Group, the outdoor clothing specialist Schoeffel, the equestrian fashion supplier Ariat, the fashion label Carlo Collucci and the management of FC Bayern. For the latter, Polymax produces many items for the fan shop – from shoe bags with FCB logos to backpacks.

Polymax is regularly attested top performance – not in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality and reliability. Schöffel, for example, awarded the company “Supplier of the Year” in 2016 and 2018. “If you want to stay at a high level, you have to keep investing in technologies to stay at the cutting edge,” says Geuting. This applies to production equipment just as much as it does to the software landscape, for example.
There is news to report from the IT department: At the beginning of 2023, Polymax Group started working with the SCM software OSCA from the Bochum-based software house Setlog. Geuting was already familiar with the web-based tool when the IT experts at Walbusch Group in Solingen approached him about introducing the software.

The Walbusch Group has been using OSCA DC (Digital Core) from Setlog since the end of 2021 to gain transparency in the supply chain and improve management, collaboration, and communication. The special thing about this: Walbusch Group was the first Setlog customer to rely on the new standard version of OSCA. This means that the processes of the Walbusch, Avena and Mey&Edlich brands were adapted to best practice examples from OSCA – and not vice versa. In this way, the group bypassed costly, customer-specific adjustments in the OSCA SCM software. The advantage: In addition to avoiding costs, the company saved time above all. Less than six months elapsed from the initial contact to the start-up of the software.

“We definitely wanted to avoid customer-specific adaptations and were able to bring transparency into the supply chain within a few months with the new software generation. We can inform our most important suppliers of changes in real time via a single tool. E-mails, phone calls and Excel spreadsheets are now a thing of the past,” reports Ralf Seggering, Head of IT and member of the management team at the long-established company. With Polymax, Walbusch Group integrated one of its main suppliers into the system. Other suppliers and forwarders of the company also work on the software.

According to Geuting, connecting as a supplier to the cloud-based software OSCA was done “in no time.” He downloaded the app, received a link and a password. Then, step by step, the functions Walbusch Group needed were unlocked, he said. “The three people who were to work with OSCA were already looking forward to it because they knew that annoying Excel lists, emails and phone calls would be eliminated from now on. Thanks to OSCA, there will also be no more discussions about who is to blame for a delay, for example,” reports Geuting. Just four hours of online training were necessary and the employees were able to start using the tool.

Walbusch Group’s strategy is that only Polymax should be the central contact for OSCA. Polymax therefore acts as supplier and agency for the German customer. The employees in China also maintain the data of Polymax partners in the system – the information is extensive. The tool is used for the following purposes, among others:
– the placement purchase orders,
– monitoring, controlling, and tracking of purchase orders,
– as a network between customer, supplier, carrier, and warehouse locations,
– for digital, collaborative teamwork,
– to manage delivery parameters such as timing and mode of transport, and
– as a database for important documents such as customs-related records.

All data is clearly visualized on OSCA’s dashboard. Walbusch Group benefits from the transparency and real-time control of supply chain partners. Polymax appreciates that- and less working time, too. Geuting calculated at least 20 percent time savings by using the software for each employee. Users are already asking him whether new customers use OSCA – or still operate with less convenient, proprietary systems or even still rely on Excel and e-mail in SCM. Employees have a clear preference, and so does Geuting. “I can recommend OSCA to buyers.”

Can Mobile Robots Solve Skills Shortage?

Posted on by David Priestman

With the labour pool for warehousing running dry, it is time growing warehouse operations look to mobile robots to share the work, explains Frazer Watson, VP-Sales UK/Ireland at iFollow.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) offer one of the more cost effective and flexible automation solutions to enable logistics operations to optimise their labour force. This is particularly the case when it comes to the intensive process of accurate order picking and the energy sapping and time consuming necessity of moving goods around a warehouse.

Finding ways to optimise labour has never been more relevant as a list of ingredients is being stirred into a skills shortage stew, which is threatening to take a considerable toll on UK organisations. In addition to sustained low levels of unemployment, the UK labour force remains smaller than it was prior to the Covid pandemic, according to research company Fitch Ratings. In its special report called: ‘Shortfall in UK Labour Supply to Persist’ it detects a ‘curious movement in the UK work demographic’, with a significant proportion of over 50s having left the workforce, and estimates that had the UK’s labour force continued to grow at its 2015-2019 trend rate, it would be around 2.5% bigger than it is today. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation estimates that if labour shortages are not addressed, the UK economy will be £39 billion worse off each year from 2024.

While the UK is not unique in experiencing shortages of workers, numerous commentators in the logistics sector point to changes following Brexit that have reduced the available pool of EU-based workers. This is perhaps a more salient issue for UK warehousing, which is among the sectors hardest hit by the labour shortage as it continues to expand on the back of developments such as supporting continued growth of ecommerce operations. Adding weight to this claim is a survey published last summer by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). It revealed that 86% of companies across its membership had experienced warehouse operative staff shortages in the prior two years.

Furthermore, the shortage is combining with persistent inflation to drive upward wage growth. Such a situation can potentially influence broader logistics decisions, such as prioritising labour availability over other strategic business decisions when it comes to locating warehouse operations. Locations that have traditionally attracted distribution sheds have created strong competition among employers for a dwindling pool of labour.

Improving productivity in warehousing through the route of increasing wages is unlikely to be sustainable for many, while investing in training has always been a less than a popular notion in UK business. Faced with the likelihood of long-term staff shortages, many UK warehouse and distribution centre operations are already turning to technology as an aid.

Technology is transforming warehouse work

As entire supply chains become ever more connected, technology enables retailers and their logistics providers to deliver improved service to consumers. Established technologies already include Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), data capture, voice recognition, RFID, pick by light, and all kinds of automated solutions for storage, retrieval, transport and packaging. The advent of mobile robots has moved this on a further step.

Rarely does technology replace people completely, in most instances it complements existing staff, creating collaborative working. This is certainly true of mobile robots, which can take on the more onerous, laborious and time consuming, yet simple tasks such as transporting goods around a warehouse. This leaves their human colleagues to be deployed where they are more productive, such as at the pick face, and creates a vastly more efficient way of working where more can be done with fewer people. Consequently this reduces the pressure on finding staff.

This pressure is particularly heated during peaks, when it’s not just a question a finding people in numbers sufficient to cope with increased orders, but staff that can hit the ground running to maintain service levels. Mobile robots carry on their tasks irrespective of conditions and hours. When businesses scale up or hit peak trading, extra robots can be easily added. This also allows a stepped approach to automated warehouse functions, beginning with one unit and building up a fleet as required, or units can be switched with different capacity models. And because AMRs do not require fixed infrastructure, their routes and duties are extremely flexible, with the programming of tasks via an intuitive fleet management interface.

Optimising labour with mobile robots

Premium mobile robots will have virtues that will allow labour to be optimised even further. An iFollow AMR, for example, can transport two roll cages at once, to a total load of 1,500 kg. This means a picker can work with multiple AMRs simultaneously, so potentially, on a single pick walk an operator supported by two AMRs could be assembling the orders for four different stores or customers. Through this kind of collaboration with the worker, which iFollow calls ‘Duo Picking’, the robot not only frees up a role but it will also reduce time required to carry out a pick. This can bring up to 50% improvement in pick rates by comparison with purely manual methods.

Far from replacing people completely, actively working with technology in ways like this will also increase the appeal of warehouse jobs to tech-savvy young people – a demographic that has the sector has found hard to attract and retain. Unfortunately, warehouse work has acquired a reputation for being hard on employees, low paid and has never ranked among the most desired of occupations. However, unlike many other sectors competing for the same limited labour resource, the work is full time and offers great career path opportunities. Indeed, many of today’s Logistics Managers started out on the warehouse floor. Working with mobile robots adds an attractive and interesting element into the job.

So mobile robots not only offer a collaborative solution that means fewer staff are required, particularly during peaks, but they also add a high tech element to warehouse work that makes the sector more attractive to the kind of recruits an increasingly technology-driven industry desperately needs. Becoming less reliant on labour certainly offers a practical proposition and joins other long-term gains from investing in reliable mobile robots. Their predictable costs, productivity boosting capabilities and flexibility in deployment to handle changes in business are a great way for warehouse operations to reduce their reliance on the availability of people.

Can Mobile Robots Solve Skills Shortage?

Posted on by David Priestman

With the labour pool for warehousing running dry, it is time growing warehouse operations look to mobile robots to share the work, explains Frazer Watson, VP-Sales UK/Ireland at iFollow.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) offer one of the more cost effective and flexible automation solutions to enable logistics operations to optimise their labour force. This is particularly the case when it comes to the intensive process of accurate order picking and the energy sapping and time consuming necessity of moving goods around a warehouse.

Finding ways to optimise labour has never been more relevant as a list of ingredients is being stirred into a skills shortage stew, which is threatening to take a considerable toll on UK organisations. In addition to sustained low levels of unemployment, the UK labour force remains smaller than it was prior to the Covid pandemic, according to research company Fitch Ratings. In its special report called: ‘Shortfall in UK Labour Supply to Persist’ it detects a ‘curious movement in the UK work demographic’, with a significant proportion of over 50s having left the workforce, and estimates that had the UK’s labour force continued to grow at its 2015-2019 trend rate, it would be around 2.5% bigger than it is today. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation estimates that if labour shortages are not addressed, the UK economy will be £39 billion worse off each year from 2024.

While the UK is not unique in experiencing shortages of workers, numerous commentators in the logistics sector point to changes following Brexit that have reduced the available pool of EU-based workers. This is perhaps a more salient issue for UK warehousing, which is among the sectors hardest hit by the labour shortage as it continues to expand on the back of developments such as supporting continued growth of ecommerce operations. Adding weight to this claim is a survey published last summer by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). It revealed that 86% of companies across its membership had experienced warehouse operative staff shortages in the prior two years.

Furthermore, the shortage is combining with persistent inflation to drive upward wage growth. Such a situation can potentially influence broader logistics decisions, such as prioritising labour availability over other strategic business decisions when it comes to locating warehouse operations. Locations that have traditionally attracted distribution sheds have created strong competition among employers for a dwindling pool of labour.

Improving productivity in warehousing through the route of increasing wages is unlikely to be sustainable for many, while investing in training has always been a less than a popular notion in UK business. Faced with the likelihood of long-term staff shortages, many UK warehouse and distribution centre operations are already turning to technology as an aid.

Technology is transforming warehouse work

As entire supply chains become ever more connected, technology enables retailers and their logistics providers to deliver improved service to consumers. Established technologies already include Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), data capture, voice recognition, RFID, pick by light, and all kinds of automated solutions for storage, retrieval, transport and packaging. The advent of mobile robots has moved this on a further step.

Rarely does technology replace people completely, in most instances it complements existing staff, creating collaborative working. This is certainly true of mobile robots, which can take on the more onerous, laborious and time consuming, yet simple tasks such as transporting goods around a warehouse. This leaves their human colleagues to be deployed where they are more productive, such as at the pick face, and creates a vastly more efficient way of working where more can be done with fewer people. Consequently this reduces the pressure on finding staff.

This pressure is particularly heated during peaks, when it’s not just a question a finding people in numbers sufficient to cope with increased orders, but staff that can hit the ground running to maintain service levels. Mobile robots carry on their tasks irrespective of conditions and hours. When businesses scale up or hit peak trading, extra robots can be easily added. This also allows a stepped approach to automated warehouse functions, beginning with one unit and building up a fleet as required, or units can be switched with different capacity models. And because AMRs do not require fixed infrastructure, their routes and duties are extremely flexible, with the programming of tasks via an intuitive fleet management interface.

Optimising labour with mobile robots

Premium mobile robots will have virtues that will allow labour to be optimised even further. An iFollow AMR, for example, can transport two roll cages at once, to a total load of 1,500 kg. This means a picker can work with multiple AMRs simultaneously, so potentially, on a single pick walk an operator supported by two AMRs could be assembling the orders for four different stores or customers. Through this kind of collaboration with the worker, which iFollow calls ‘Duo Picking’, the robot not only frees up a role but it will also reduce time required to carry out a pick. This can bring up to 50% improvement in pick rates by comparison with purely manual methods.

Far from replacing people completely, actively working with technology in ways like this will also increase the appeal of warehouse jobs to tech-savvy young people – a demographic that has the sector has found hard to attract and retain. Unfortunately, warehouse work has acquired a reputation for being hard on employees, low paid and has never ranked among the most desired of occupations. However, unlike many other sectors competing for the same limited labour resource, the work is full time and offers great career path opportunities. Indeed, many of today’s Logistics Managers started out on the warehouse floor. Working with mobile robots adds an attractive and interesting element into the job.

So mobile robots not only offer a collaborative solution that means fewer staff are required, particularly during peaks, but they also add a high tech element to warehouse work that makes the sector more attractive to the kind of recruits an increasingly technology-driven industry desperately needs. Becoming less reliant on labour certainly offers a practical proposition and joins other long-term gains from investing in reliable mobile robots. Their predictable costs, productivity boosting capabilities and flexibility in deployment to handle changes in business are a great way for warehouse operations to reduce their reliance on the availability of people.

Upsize to HGV Fleet for Greener Motoring

Posted on by David Priestman

As the UK gets to grips with a revamped government strategy to meet its 2030 emissions cut target, the pressure is on for fleet decision-makers to run a more flexible, environmentally friendly fleet. Whilst upgrading a fleet to larger vehicles may not seem an obvious answer to achieving this ambition, Venson Automotive Solutions argues that they come with many advantages.

“It may not fit every business model, but upsizing can not only improve a business’s carbon footprint but reduce costs and boost productivity,” says Simon Staton, Client Management Director for Venson. “Furthermore, the socio-economic aspect of an upsize can give a competitive edge by demonstrating a responsible corporate image. It’s understandable that fleet managers may feel unsure of the process involved with upsizing, but with careful planning and strategic thinking, coupled with relevant guidance, evolving a fleet can be done smoothly and efficiently.”

Driver recruitment, vehicle and company compliance, licences and the complexities of moving up to commercial vehicles beyond 3.5t are all discussed in Venson’s free whitepaper ‘Operating Commercial Vehicles Beyond 3.5t GVW whitepaper’.

Upskilling investment is an important factor businesses need to take into consideration, but one that will save in the longer term and play a considerable role in replenishing the UK’s diminished Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) skills sector. Most standard passenger car driver licences only entitle their holders to drive vans up to 3.5t GVW. To drive a vehicle beyond 3.5t up to 7.5t GVW, requires a C1 licence, whilst a driver must be in possession of a specific HGV Class 2 licence to drive a truck over 7.5t GVW. However, a driver with a Class 2 licence can drive any rigid truck way beyond 7.5t, so once this driver investment is made, a business can increase the size of its fleet vehicles if the business requirement were there.

Individuals that drive HGVs and Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) weighing 3.5ts GVW and upwards professionally are also required to hold a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) qualification as a legal requirement. This is obtained by completing 35 hours of training followed by competency exams. This process needs repeating every five years for the driver to maintain legal compliance.

However, Venson stresses the significant benefits to be had from upsizing. Simon Staton concludes, “An average large delivery van can carry a load weighing 1,000 to 1,800kg, yet a 7.5 GVW truck can manage 3,000 to 4,500kg, a two to threefold increase, meaning the potential to run two less vehicles to carry out a similar workload is a viable option. When you factor in that a 16-tonne GVW rigid trucks’ carbon footprint isn’t usually vastly different to a 7.5t truck, then it’s even easier to comprehend the financial and emissions savings to be gained.”

Download a copy of ‘Operating Commercial Vehicles Beyond 3.5t GVW whitepaper’

VENSON’S CHECKLIST TO PLANNING AND EXPANDING A FLEET BEYOND A 3.5T GVW

• Lay out key requirements and ensure clear reasoning as to why new vehicles are required and what they’ll allow your company to achieve.
• Get the right administration people and drivers in place by re-training current staff or recruiting new staff.
• Carefully research the best base vehicle to suit the new needs. Considerations should include availability, list price, maintenance facility location, projected running costs and suitability for intended role.
• Body and Equipment – Are your needs met by off-the-shelf conversions? If not, your fleet management provider can help with defining a vehicle specification and sourcing a reputable bodybuilder.
• Understand impact on operating base, is it already appropriate or is a move required?
• Decide on the preferred method of financing to suit your company needs with the help of external experts and your own accounting.
• Reporting – Ensure that any systems for vehicle and driver reporting are in place and a team member is empowered to carry this out as part of their daily routine.
• Maintenance – It is vital that a clear and well-managed maintenance plan is put in place and adhered to.
• Management – As the jobs and vehicles become more complex, so does the task of managing them, and their drivers. Ensuring clarity with regards responsibilities is paramount.
• Compliance – Driver, vehicle, licences, ancillary equipment and operating base all have to be compliant with the laws of the road and the land.

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