As a critical part of its overall strategy to optimise and modernise a large portion of its B2B and B2C storage and distribution operations, Eram Group’s Fashion division has selected Dematic to automate the company’s new distribution centre in Chemillé-en–Anjou in the department of Main-et-Loire.
The family-owned company, based in France and operating internationally, wants to consolidate the flows of its footwear activities for its various brands, including Gémo, Eram, Bocage and Mellow Yellow in its new facility covering more than 40,000 square metres in the Loire Valley region.
“Dematic has demonstrated its strong expertise when it comes to delivering solutions featuring AutoStore™ systems and has also clearly shown us the benefits from Dematic and its fellow KION Group brands,” explains Jean-Louis Borde, the director of logistics activities for Eram Group. In fact, a decisive factor in selecting Dematic’s solution over other proposals was the compact design of the AutoStore system to be integrated into the new centre. The solution offers more space for the same surface area and can be expanded in future if the need arises.
The Dematic solution features several advanced technologies with a compact and scalable design. The automation covers both picking and palletising processes and includes a large AutoStore system to enhance Eram’s Group order processing. The system contains 80,000 bins, 84 robots and 16 workstations for order processing. Additionally, a receiving conveyor with two unloaders will unload trucks or containers and a conveyor will sort packages for palletising.
A robot will open cartons while another robot loads totes into the system. For the order picking process, a packing station with a conveyor forwards orders to the dispatch area. Dematic Software manages all order fulfilment and picking operations to meet transportation and customer satisfaction requirements. It can seamlessly interface with the software currently installed and managed by the Eram Group.
The project is now underway and scheduled to be completed and ready for commissioning in Q4 2026. “We are very pleased to be working with the Eram Group, a major French family-run organisation and an iconic brand. This project marks the beginning of a promising partnership based on common values and a shared vision of excellence,” adds Alain Bussod, President of Dematic France.
Geek+ has been awarded the contract by UK-based warehouse automation integrator Logistex, to deploy 165 Shelf-to-Person robots at Yusen Logistics’ 1.2 million square foot distribution centre in Northampton (UK). The project marks a major milestone in warehouse automation for the 3PL industry and it’s designed for B2B and B2C multiuser operations for chilled and ambient activities.
The scalable solution will be implemented in two different phases to ensure business continuity throughout the transformation. Geek+’s P800 V6.0 solution – for pallets and shelves movement – significantly enhances picking efficiency, inventory accuracy, and space utilisation — key advantages for third-party logistics providers facing growing customer demands.
“This project demonstrates the power of flexible automation,” said Simon Houghton, Sales Director UKI at Geek+ . “Our Shelf-to-Person system enables scalable growth without disruption. We’re proud to support Yusen Logistics in their first of this kind automation project in the UK but also in the Europe region”
For Yusen Logistics, the deployment aligns with a broader digitalisation strategy aimed at increasing efficiency and responsiveness across its operations.
“By integrating Geek+’s robots, we will be able to improve accuracy, agility, and throughput,” said Ben Bird, Business Development and Solutions Design Director at Yusen Logistics. “The system will give us the flexibility to scale alongside our customers’ evolving needs while gaining a great customer experience”.
The implementation will be delivered as part of a wider warehouse automation project led by Logistex, ensuring seamless integration with Yusen’s infrastructure and business processes.
“It’s a pleasure working with Yusen and Geek+ on such a forward-thinking project,” said Justin Saw, Business Development Director at Logistex. “Together, we look forward to delivering a future-ready solution with immediate results.”
The project highlights how Goods-to-Person robotics are reshaping the logistics landscape, offering 3PLs fast ROI, reduced labour reliance, and high safety standard. With this deployment, Yusen Logistics is well-positioned to lead in a rapidly changing market.
Order picking is complex and cost-intensive, whether in e-commerce or at OEMs. Traditional automation technology reaches its limits here. The Stuttgart-based company Sereact solves this challenge with a complete solution consisting of AI software and robotics: robots understand their environment situationally, develop solution strategies for an efficient pick and place process and implement these autonomously.
Sereact Pick and Place identifies products in real time based on their appearance and selects the appropriate picking method, taking into account object characteristics such as shape, colour or texture – even for complex products such as food, textiles or fragile objects. It then automatically switches between different gripper types such as suction cup or two-finger grippers.
One of Sereact’s own new developments is a patented gripper consisting of three individually functioning vacuum grippers with which the robots can pick up a wide range of products of different dimensions. In addition, the software determines a sensible order for the picks so that they are picked according to size, weight and fragility. The placement algorithm ensures optimum space utilization in the target containers.
Even in complex environments, the software detects the scope and context of tasks. If objects are on top of each other or too close to the edge of the container, the robot moves them into a position where it can grip them ideally. The technology also detects anomalies and can therefore recognize and sort out damaged items. It is also possible to differentiate between packaging material and products. This makes the solution suitable for quality assurance during order processing and also enables it to be used in the areas of inventory optimization and returns processing.
The Sereact Pick and Place product is based on a Vision Language Action Model that enables robots to analyze, understand and act. It is designed to recognize and interpret unknown situations without prior training. This also makes it possible to control the robots in natural language using voice or text commands, which simplifies interaction with the robot and can be implemented without programming knowledge.
As a total solution provider for turnkey robot cells, Sereact selects the optimum system for the specific application. The software is compatible with a wide range of hardware components and robots that can be seamlessly integrated into existing warehouse systems. The result is full flexibility of the entire pick and place process as well as highly efficient and fully automated order processing.
Supply chain volatility is nothing that a fixed-price contract can’t fix, write Sarah Rutnah, Thomas Winstanley and Sonia Vilar of Dentons Law Firm.
In times of economic and political volatility, fixed-price contracts offer welcome protection for businesses seeking certainty in and control of their supply chain costs. Such contracts are typically used in circumstances where the buyer feels there is a significant risk of price volatility, such as in the supply of certain raw materials like minerals and metals, and some soft commodities like grain, coffee, cocoa or fruit.
Sarah Rutnah, counsel in the dispute resolution team
They may also be useful for organisations that cannot afford to run out of particular products, or for consumer-facing businesses like retailers where price certainty and availability are essential to competitive positioning and customer trust. Having been widely adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic, when supply chains were severely disrupted leading to sudden and major price spikes, the popularity of fixed-price supply chain contracts ebbed as Covid-related restrictions eased and global prices came back down.
But while many have sought ways out of fixed-price agreements, volatility has not gone away. The persistence of conflicts that have affected shipping routes, extreme weather events that have impacted harvests, and the introduction and escalation of tariffs in some international trading relationships, are among factors that have refocused attention on how contracts can be used to mitigate against unpredictability in global trade.
By their nature, fixed price contracts tend to be inflexible. They do not usually contain the price adjustment mechanisms or price escalation clauses used in standard contracts that allow for price increases by the supplier in response to rising costs of third-party elements in the supply chain.
Which party in a trading relationship is responsible for what tasks, risks and costs are generally dictated by standard International Commercial Terms – or ‘incoterms’ – agreed by parties as part of the contract. Unless the contract expressly addresses tariffs – for example in a tariff-specific adjustment mechanism – as a general principle, the legal obligation to pay import tariffs rests with the importer (buyer).
Sonia Vilar, senior associate in the dispute resolution team at Dentons
Ten of the 11 recognised incoterms place responsibility for tariffs (and other customs duties) onto the buyer, the exception being Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), which obliges the seller to cover these costs. Where contracts are silent on incoterms, the default assumption is that the buyer will bear the import costs.
Even in fixed price contracts where tariffs are explicitly covered, it is unlikely that the supplier would agree to cover the full extent of any tariff increases subsequent to the agreement of the contract – such as those on the scale seen in the US in 2025. It is more likely that the supplier will only agree to pay a fixed amount in respect of tariffs – for example covering the tariff rate in place at the time the contract is agreed – meaning the buyer would need to pay the rest if rates increase.
In contracts that do allow for flexibility in respect of who covers changes in import duties and tariffs, what is agreed will likely depend on which party has more negotiating power in a particular commercial situation. If contracts make explicit reference to the actions of governments or administrations, then importers can potentially look to invoke “change in law” provisions to argue that tariff increases qualify as governmental action entitling them to price adjustments or cost-sharing.
Thomas Winstanley, senior associate in the technology, media and telecoms team
Parties may agree to split the cost of tariff rises if, for instance, the only alternative to sharing the impact of tariffs would be to cancel the contract altogether. From a contractual perspective, variations in tariffs and other import costs are generally treated separately from other supply chain issues – such as increases in the cost of the product or the cost of transporting it.
Such situations may arise where the source of a product is located in a country where war breaks out or is hit by a natural disaster – for example – meaning the supplier has to source from another location which may be more costly (or invoke force majeure if it is impossible to fulfil the contract). In these cases, it is usually up to the supplier to resolve their own supply chain and there is no obligation to involve the buyer unless they are changing the specifications of the product supplied.
While stretching the concept of fixed-price supply chain contracts to cover tariff instability is unlikely to be accepted by most suppliers, the broader picture of volatility means there are still advantages to fixing the costs of supply. Although locking in a guaranteed purchase price usually means paying a premium above the market rate, businesses that know the price they will be paying for a product for a specified duration can plan ahead.
Nevertheless, it is sensible to include routes to exit fixed-price contracts in case changes to the commercial context render such agreements uncompetitive. Escalation mechanisms, such as alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, can also be useful ways of getting parties to revisit terms.
Maritime Transport, one of the UK’s leading providers of integrated road and rail freight logistics, has launched a new rail freight service connecting DP World Southampton with its Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton (SLPN).
Maritime Intermodal Six arrived in Northampton on 16th June – the first freight train to enter service at Maritime’s 35-acre SRFI, and the first to operate the full length of the newly reinstated section of East West Rail (EWR) between Oxford and Bletchley.
Part of a government-backed programme to re-establish a strategic rail corridor between Oxford and Cambridge, the reinstated Oxford-Bletchley route restores vital east-west connectivity across central England and offers a practical alternative to traditionally congested north-south routes. The introduction of Maritime’s latest service on the newly reopened stretch is a milestone for the UK rail freight sector, unlocking new cross-country options for domestic and containerised cargo, and bringing nationally significant infrastructure into operational use to support regional economic growth.
Operated by DB Cargo UK, the service runs five days a week, with a capacity of up to 68 TEU per train, and provides a new, direct inland link to one of the UK’s busiest deep-sea ports. The service has been supported by Network Rail’s Track Access Discount Scheme, an important initiative to promote modal shift and encourage new rail freight business, whereby relevant access charges are waived for six months whilst new traffic is being established.
The launch follows two additional paths introduced by Maritime in recent weeks, linking DP World London Gateway with its rail terminals at Hams Hall and Doncaster (iPort). Two further services are scheduled to follow, connecting London Gateway and the Port of Felixstowe with Northampton as part of a three-phase expansion programme to increase low-carbon rail capacity across the company’s national network.
Maritime’s SRFI at Northampton forms part of a wider £200 million infrastructure investment by SEGRO and connects directly to the West Coast Main Line via the Northampton Loop. Network Rail’s modern design of the railway junction allows trains to move between the main line and interchange at speeds of up to 40mph instead of a standard 5mph – getting freight trains on their way faster and reducing impact on other trains on the network. Formally integrated into the national rail network earlier this year, the SRFI sits at the heart of a major logistics hub adjacent to Junction 15 of the M1.
John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal, Maritime Transport, said: “The arrival of our first service via EWR is an important step in expanding UK rail freight capacity, providing businesses with a direct, low-carbon route from Southampton to the heart of the UK’s golden logistics triangle. This development demonstrates how infrastructure and private-sector investment can deliver a more efficient and sustainable supply chain, while easing pressure on a congested road network.”
Roger Neary, Chief Sales Officer, DB Cargo UK, added: “Having recently operated the first locomotive into SEGRO Northampton Gateway to ‘prove’ the infrastructure, DB Cargo UK is proud to once again be partnering with its long-standing and strategic customer on this significant inaugural flow into Northampton Gateway. Not only does this new flow facilitate additional capacity into this important region of the country, it will do so in a sustainable manner utilising new Network Rail infrastructure and – crucially – funding, delivering benefits to Maritime Transport and their own customers alike.”
Brian Paynter, Capital Delivery track director, Network Rail, said: “Seeing both this new rail connection to Maritime’s SRFI and the East West Rail route in commercial freight use for the first time are huge moments in both projects. Opening up this economically important rail route will give much more flexibility for our freight operators greatly improving connectivity across the country, while benefiting the environment through taking HGVs off roads – providing a lasting legacy for communities and business.”
Kate Bedson, Senior Director, National Markets, SEGRO, commented: “We’re excited to see real momentum building at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, marked by the completion of the rail freight terminal infrastructure, the arrival of the first train and the completion of Yusen Logistics’ new facility – the first warehouse to be constructed on the park. Each freight train can remove up to 76 HGVs from the road with a consequential reduction in carbon emissions, making this a crucial step towards more sustainable logistics. With rail freight contributing £1.7 billion to the economy, this milestone is not only a shot in the arm for growth, it also supports a greener, more efficient supply chain.”
The handling of loaded containers in tight spaces has always been a logistical challenge. Now, the Norwegian equipment supplier Wee.no is launching ContainerWheels 2-in-1: A patented system designed to make container transport quicker, safer, and more flexible.
Rune Wee, Head of Product Development at one of Norway’s largest online equipment suppliers, Wee.no, is launching a new transport system for loaded containers. The system, named ContainerWheels 2-in-1, offers a simple yet powerful solution for lifting and towing containers without the need for heavy machinery or permanent infrastructure. Following two years of product development and testing, the system from Wee.no has now been granted patent protection in 45 countries.
Robust and practical
ContainerWheels 2-in-1 consists of two galvanized modules and a front drawbar. Each module features dual solid wheels and a manual crank-lift mechanism. The units slide into the container’s forklift pockets, allowing users to lift the container approximately 15 cm off the ground. Once elevated, the container can be towed with a forklift, car, wheel loader, or tractor.
The system will initially be available in two models, capable of handling loads of 10 and 20 tonnes, respectively.
Inventor and product developer at Wee.no, Rune Wee, explains: “ContainerWheels 2-in-1 is designed to meet the requirements of companies that frequently move or reposition containers in ports, warehouses, construction sites, storage facilities, or recycling stations. The system is both robust and practical to utilize, and is constructed to handle uneven terrain during transport.
“What began as a practical idea is now a fully realized product with global potential. We’re excited to introduce this solution to international users, and believe that the new system will transform logistics for many companies globally,” concludes Wee, Head of Product Development at Wee.no. Watch this clip to see the syswtem in use.
