29 June, 2026

Innovation Day for Advanced Packaging Automation

Posted on 29 June, 202629 June, 2026 by David Priestman

More than 160 attendees representing 87 companies across 30 countries gathered at the headquarters of CMC Packaging Automation for CID26 – CMC Innovation Day 2026, the company’s annual event dedicated to innovation in fulfilment automation, systems integration and right-sized packaging.

Built around the theme ‘Ecosystem’, CID26 brought together customers, technology partners, policymakers and industry experts to explore how collaboration is shaping the future of packaging, logistics and eCommerce fulfilment. The event featured international speakers, 11 live technology demonstrations, customer success stories and discussions on the industry’s most pressing challenges.

The day opened with welcome remarks from founder Giuseppe Ponti and Francesco Ponti, Chairman and CEO of CMC Packaging Automation, who highlighted the role of innovation, engineering excellence and long-term partnerships in supporting the next generation of fulfilment operations.

One of the event’s central discussions focused on the European Union’s new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Pietro Fiocchi, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the ENVI Committee, joined Chiara Signoria, ESG Director at CMC Packaging Automation, and Tim Werkhoven, Group Head of Public Affairs at Mondi Group, to examine the regulatory landscape and its implications for the packaging industry.

CMC executives, including Riccardo De Antoni, Chief Business Development & Transformation Officer, and Marco Mozzarecchi, Sales Director, shared the company’s strategic vision and the latest developments across its portfolio of right-sized packaging solutions. Customers also presented real-world case studies demonstrating how packaging automation is helping improve operational efficiency while reducing material consumption and environmental impact.

CID26 also provided attendees with a first look at the evolution of CMC’s innovation roadmap, including CMC Genesys PRIMA and the CMC Vertical ONE concept, reflecting the company’s continued investment in expanding its portfolio of automated packaging technologies for increasingly flexible and sustainable fulfilment operations.

Throughout the afternoon, visitors experienced live demonstrations showcasing CMC’s integrated automation technologies, including CMC Genesys, CMC Genesys Compact, CMC CartonWrap DUO, CMC Super Vertical, CMC Paper-PRO and CMC Corrugator. The demonstrations highlighted how right-sized packaging automation can help businesses increase efficiency, reduce waste and optimize fulfilment processes.

The event also reinforced the importance of collaboration across the packaging ecosystem, bringing together technology providers, customers and institutions to exchange knowledge and explore practical solutions for addressing evolving regulatory requirements and increasing operational complexity.

“The future of packaging automation will be shaped by collaboration as much as by technology,” said Francesco Ponti, Chairman and CEO of CMC Packaging Automation. “CID26 reflects our commitment to bring together customers, partners and institutions to share ideas, accelerate innovation and help build more efficient and sustainable fulfilment operations worldwide.”

Logistics Business will be reporting on the innovations from this conference and partnering companies in the next issue.

Chilean Mining Firm Expands Lift Trucks Fleet

Posted on 29 June, 202629 June, 2026 by David Priestman

A Konecranes customer in Chile’s mining industry has placed a new order for 23 lift trucks. Equipped with specialized features and protection for harsh mining conditions and a comprehensive service and support package, the machines will be used for logistics operations at a major copper mine in the country’s north. The order was booked in Q1 2026, with delivery scheduled for Q3 2026.

Chile is the world’s leading source of copper, making its mining industry central to supply chains for infrastructure and electrification. At the customer’s site, Konecranes lift trucks are already used for heavy material handling. The new machines add capacity to the fleet, bringing improved fuel efficiency and higher uptime.

“Mining operations involve the frequent movement of heavy loads across sites, placing high demands on lift truck performance. This order shows how Konecranes equipment is built for the challenge. We’re proud to support logistics operations in one of Chile’s most important industrial sectors,” says Andres Ramirez, Regional Sales Development Manager, Lift Trucks, Konecranes.

Konecranes’ local distributor Trex Chile will be responsible for commissioning and aftersales support. Given the demands of large-scale copper mining, Trex Chile’s local presence and application knowledge were important factors in securing the deal.

“We have built a close relationship with the customer by understanding their operations and the support they need in the demanding conditions of copper mining. This fleet expansion reflects their positive experience with Konecranes equipment and our responsive local service,” says Oscar Ibarra, Sales Manager, Trex Chile.

The 23-unit package includes 16 Konecranes Liftace F 16-600 C forklifts, four Konecranes Liftace F 10-600 C forklifts and three Konecranes SMV 32-1200 C heavy-duty lift trucks. The equipment is designed for high performance in demanding conditions, with robust safety and ergonomic standards that support operator’s wellbeing. All 23 units will be equipped with mining kits for the customer’s operating environment.

Five years of TRUCONNECT® Remote Monitoring will provide real-time insights for preventive maintenance and maximum uptime. Technical training, a spare parts package and an extended warranty ensure support from day one.

A strong focus on customers and commitment to business growth and continuous improvement make Konecranes a material handling industry leader. This is underpinned by investments in digitalization and technology, plus our work to make material flows more efficient with solutions that support the decarbonization of the economy and advance circularity and safety.

Shoebox Picker Wins Award

Posted on 29 June, 202629 June, 2026 by David Priestman

Physical AI for warehouse automation company Nomagic has announced that its Shoebox Picker has won a 2026 IFOY Award in the Robot Warehouse System category.

The award recognizes Nomagic’s breakthrough in automating one of the most stubborn challenges in warehouse operations: the handling of two-piece shoeboxes in high-volume fashion and footwear fulfillment environments. Unlike most standard cartons, shoeboxes are fragile, variable in size and orientation, and often unsealed — making them notoriously difficult for conventional warehouse robots to pick reliably. Nomagic’s Shoebox Picker combines AI-driven perception with specialized gripping hardware to automate that workflow at commercial scale.

“Winning an IFOY Award is an important validation of what we’ve believed for a long time: the next major leap in warehouse automation will come from Physical AI solutions that can solve the messy, highly variable tasks that legacy automation still struggles with,” said Kacper Nowicki, CEO and co-founder of Nomagic.

“Shoeboxes are a perfect example of that challenge. They represent a meaningful share of fashion e-commerce volume, but because they’re delicate, inconsistent and often unsealed, they’ve historically required manual handling. Shoebox Picker changes that, and this award is a strong endorsement of the progress our team has made.”

Shoeboxes account for a significant portion of order volume in fashion and footwear logistics, yet they have remained one of the last major manual bottlenecks in warehouse automation. Nomagic developed the Shoebox Picker to address that gap directly. The solutionis designed to pick, pack and sort shoeboxes in live warehouse environments, including mixed-bin scenarios, without requiring items to be pre-oriented. The Shoebox Picker can automate up to 98% of shoebox SKUs and is already deployed in a live customer environment.

The win builds on a period of strong momentum for Nomagic as the company expands its commercial footprint and deepens its investment in Physical AI for logistics. Earlier this year, Nomagic announced a $10 million Series B extension, bringing total funding to more than $84 million, with plans to accelerate commercial operations in the U.S. and continue developing its Visual-Language-Action models for warehouse robotics.

The IFOY Awards, short for International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year, sees winners selected following a multi-stage evaluation process involving testing, scientific review and assessment by an independent international jury.

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