IFOY Test Report: AGILOX ODM

In the run-up to the handing out of the IFOY Awards in Dortmund on June 22nd, we run through all the 2023 finalists and share the verdict from the IFOY test conducted during the evaluation by an expert jury in March. Our first entry (alphabetically speaking) is the AGILOX ODM from AGILOX.

Category: AGV / AMR

IFOY test verdict

Summary: The new AGILOX ODM omnidirectional dolly mover is an intelligent logistics robot for small load carriers. Thanks to the proven X-Swarm Technology by AGILOX integrated in the vehicle, it independently finds the fastest route through the production or logistics environment in real time.

Description: The new AGILOX ODM ensures the production supply with small parts. From now on, users can transport small load carriers such as containers or dollies with dimensions of 600x400mm and a maximum weight of 300kg from one station to the next and fill rails. As with other products in the AGILOX range, there is no need for additional infrastructure or navigation aids such as magnetic strips on the floor. Freely navigating and completely autonomous, the ODM enables production lines to be supplied flexibly. In this way, users set a new standard of agility in their production or logistics. With its omnidirectional travel system, even trips through the narrowest aisles are no problem for the AGILOX ODM.

Innovation: The new AGILOX ODM is part of an entire product group, which means that even driving with other vehicle types of the AGILOX family in combination is possible without any problems. Compared to similar products on the market, the AGILOX advantage is that it does not require additional infrastructure or navigation aids. Furthermore, our product innovation impresses with its omnidirectional drive system, which allows not only forward and backward movements, but also turning at a standstill or parallel movements. Numerous safety sensors ensure 360-degree personal safety.

Market relevance: The AGILOX ODM is particularly relevant for the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. Monotonous tasks no longer have to be performed by (over)qualified employees, but can henceforth be handed over to the intelligent logistics robot. The company is thus closing the gap from partial automation to full automation. AGILOX estimates the market potential for its own company at around €30 million.

Main customer benefits: AGILOX relies on the motto “Plug&Perform”. The first AGILOX can be put into operation in less than twelve hours, and each additional vehicle in just 15 minutes. Increasing demands should be child’s play for the intelligent intralogistics robot, which is unique in a market comparison, according to AGILOX.

The name says it all. AGILOX takes changing environmental or process conditions lightly.  Sounds exciting, and it is. After all, an AGILOX can also operate at different levels if it is connected via a lift. And even narrow aisles or oncoming traffic cannot harm the all-rounder. The advantage is obvious. Operating space costs money, and customers want to spend it on more sensible things.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: The new ODM vehicle developed by AGILOX automates the transport of floor rollers in the 400x600mm or 600x800mm format, on which stacked containers or comparable load carriers are transported. The market for this type of transport, correctly located by AGILOX itself in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries, is highly relevant there. However, transports with floor rollers and containers are by no means used in all companies, which is why the market relevance is only rated as balanced.

Customer benefit: The high manoeuvrability of the very compact vehicle and the software, which is designed to be easy to use, provide a high benefit for the user. The software demonstrates the provider’s extensive experience with autonomously operating vehicles, which are also well coordinated by the software as a fleet of different vehicle types from AGILOX on the same operating area.

Novelty / Innovation: In the vehicle class for transporting ground scooters with containers, solutions already exist, but the extremely compact design combined with the surface mobility of the ODM is definitely to be assessed as new. Since the technical solutions and the functions are already known from other vehicles of the same supplier and its market companions, an evaluation as extraordinarily innovative is not possible.

Functionality / Type of implementation: The presented vehicle offers relevant functions for the user, in particular autonomous functions for avoiding obstacles on the route or for reacting during load pick-up if load carriers are not precisely provided. A precise approach to the defined target positions is also possible during load delivery. In the demonstration, the functions mentioned were impressively and reliably demonstrated.

Verdict: Vehicles like the ODM have a market but transports with floor rollers in the 400x600mm or 600x800mm format are far from being used in all companies. The high manoeuvrability of the vehicle and the software, which is designed for easy operation, deliver a high benefit for users. In this extremely compact form combined with the surface manoeuvrability, the vehicle is new and offers relevant functions for the user.

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

Quality Management Important for Warehouse Space

We all know ISO9001 as a Standard that marks an organisation out as following Quality Management processes, writes Steve Purvis, Managing Director at Bis Henderson Space, but what are the tangible benefits for businesses involved in the warehouse space sector? What does accreditation to ISO9001 mean for businesses providing warehousing and, perhaps, more importantly, what benefits accrue for those seeking available space?

ISO9001, derived and developed from BS5750, is increasingly a requirement and a real differentiator for businesses hoping to supply organisations big and small. Contrary to popular opinion the Standard is anything but a box-ticking exercise, especially in its 2015 reiteration. Indeed, part of its raison d’etre is precisely to prevent Quality Management from degenerating into a narrow administrative task.

The Standard places a process approach to delivering customer satisfaction and driving continuous improvement right at the heart of the organisation. It requires the company to examine, and importantly to keep examining, its whole operation, from Board-level strategies and policies down to the individual processes and procedures that govern or affect the delivery of quality in goods and services. The ‘context of the organisation’ – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, both internally and as they affect external partners and stakeholders – forms the core of the approach, which is developed not prescriptively (those boxes to be ticked!) but by requiring the organisation to ask the right questions and to listen to and act on the answers, for example the feedback from customers and suppliers.

Of course, any reputable company has processes and procedures designed to assure quality performance. How far these are well understood, properly implemented, or developed in the light of changing internal strategies and external requirements can be more problematic. ISO9001:2015 provides a methodology to ensure that quality management is, and remains, fit for purpose, and is ‘owned’ not just by a QM team but by the whole organisation from the top down.

So, why is this important to an organisation, its customers, suppliers and wider stake holders? Our experience at Bis Henderson Space serves as a good example.

Two significant milestones were reached by Bis Henderson Space towards the end of last year. First, we were named as a supplier on the Crown Commercial Services Framework Agreement for Storage, Distribution, Kitting and Associated Services. This opens the way for us to bid on relevant contracts across the whole gamut of national government, local authorities and public sector agencies such as the health service, police, fire, education and including those offered by the devolved administrations.

One of the conditions of CCS recognition is that the company holds, or is at least working towards, accreditation under the ISO9001:2015 Quality Management standard, and we are delighted that this has also been achieved after nine months of hard work internally and with consultants. We believe this is a major step forward for our business, and for our customers and indeed for our suppliers.

What will this mean for Bis Henderson Space? Of course, it improves our ability to bid for and win contracts, especially with large public and private sector entities. Internally, it will drive continuous improvements in our processes and our ability to deliver our output, from major projects to individual pieces of correspondence, ‘right first time’, which will save time, money and stress.

For our customers we will be able to deliver better solutions faster, while giving them the assurance that our performance will be not just maintained but improved over time. For our space suppliers too, this is good news. Although many are themselves ISO9001-accredited, many others are not, but by working with an accredited organisation such as Bis Henderson Space they can gain access to opportunities that might not otherwise be open to them.

Meanwhile we can spread our continuous improvement methodology deep into that supplier base, and perhaps encourage them to go on the ISO9001 journey themselves. Attaining and implementing the Standard does have costs, and involves some hard work, but the process is by no means as onerous as might be thought, and we believe the benefits are considerable.

Meanwhile, Bis Henderson is not standing still – our next target, which we hope will be achieved in the next few months, is accreditation to the increasingly important ISO27001 Standard on cyber-security, while we ultimately aspire to extend ISO9001 accreditation across all the Bis Henderson business units.

Bis Henderson Space has many years’ experience in this market. We can help convert your short-term space requirements from a firefighting emergency to a considered tactical response as part of your wider warehousing/fulfilment strategy.

AR Racking Equips Lekkerland’s new DCs

Lekkerland, an on-the-go consumption specialist with has around 51,300 points of sale throughout Germany, employing 3,140 people, has new DCs. The company is part of the REWE Group, one of the leaders in the retail and tourism sector in Germany and Europe. In 2021, the REWE Group recorded a total turnover of approximately 75.3 billion euros. Founded in 1927, the REWE Group is present in 21 European countries with more than 384,000 employees.

Lekkerland is in the process of reorganising its logistics in Germany between now and 2030 to adapt it to the present and future opportunities and threats of on-the-go consumption. In this context, the storage solutions specialist AR Racking provided its support in the opening of two new warehouses in Germany.

Lekkerland is dedicated to the distribution of food products and other items to petrol stations, kiosk, retailers, quick service restaurants and similar businesses. The two new warehouses in Kerpen and Wedemark will help to optimally serve the needs of customers in the long-term, for example, meeting the growing demand for fresh items such as wraps and salads.

The storage systems designed (adjustable pallet racking) manufactured and installed by AR Racking mean that the Wedemark warehouse will have a capacity of 30,954 pallet positions, while the Kerpen warehouse has 26,505 positions. In the latter case, seismic zone 3 criteria were also adopted. This is racking designed for euro pallets of up to 1,000 kg, that allow the storage of refrigerated and non-refrigerated products, among others. “We considered their specific needs for the project”, explained Roland Fischer, Key Account Manager at AR Racking Germany, and added that, “the AR Germany team met all the requirements in due time and to Lekkerland’s satisfaction”.

Lekkerland’s new DCs

Some areas were fitted with frames with three uprights, which are equipped with ascending roller beds for order preparation. The industrial racking installed by AR Racking is 10 metres high in various layouts and with up to 6 levels. The aisles between the racking are 3.5 metres wide.

According to Robert Kosmol, Corporate Real Estate Development Manager at Lekkerland, “the objective was to invest in very versatile and adaptable infrastructure that would help optimise the space without losing flexibility to increase our stock and improve inventory control in the picking area. The quality of the racking, the comprehensive project management and the continuous communication with AR Racking gave us added value in the installation of these two new warehouses.”

AR Racking is part of the Arania Group, an industrial group of companies with extensive experience and scope, and with a multi-sectoral activity based on the transformation of steel that dates back more than 80 years. AR Racking provides the market with a wide range of solutions with high certified quality standards and a comprehensive project management service. AR Racking’s industrial storage systems stand out for their innovation, reliability and optimum efficiency.

May 2023

The May ’23 issue of Logistics Business magazine: 76 pages of exclusive content spanning the international supply chain and warehousing sector. Big interviews with CEOs of Combilift, Honeywell, Redkik insurance, Deposco and stow. Features and case studies on distribution centre property, food retail intralogistics systems, globalisation, sustainable transport, worker shortages, stock accuracy and vision tech, WMS, optimisation, automation, fashion logistics sortation, high-density storage, forklift safety, lithium-ion technology, crossdocking, sideloaders, high-speed industrial doors, pallet pooling and packaging machines, plus a review of ProMat Chicago and the IFOY. Click here to read.

Our digital issues can be read in any language, or listened to. Simply click on the ‘Freeflow reader’ graphic near the top right corner of each editorial page.

To browse all our recent issues click here.

Design-Solution for Warehouse Automation

Jungheinrich AG chose Configura to be a strategic partner for the development of various product and system configurators for highly complex customer solutions for its logistics systems division. The aim is to jointly establish an all-in-one plant-design-solution for customer projects which cover Jungheinrich’s entire process from initial planning to calculation and the creation of a bill of materials.

“Configura has officially been awarded the contract as the central software solution for the ‘System CPQ’ topic at Jungheinrich, which covers our fully automated intralogistics solutions and several other products,” said Dr. Florian Kuzmany, Head of Business Tools Sales Warehouse & Automation Projects at Jungheinrich.

The cooperation between Jungheinrich and Configura began in 2020, starting with a pilot project for the configuration of automated pallet racking systems. With the latest development in this strategic collaboration, further racking systems as well as materials handling components will be added to Configura’s CET Material Handling planning software, providing Jungheinrich’s sales department with an efficient, intuitive and cross-product project planning solution.

“We value Jungheinrich’s continued commitment to Configura,” said Rich Trahey, VP Sales & Marketing at Configura. “This strategic collaboration enables Jungheinrich to take full advantage of our software ecosystem—enabling them and their network of partners to concept and engineer warehouse systems with speed, accuracy and efficiency.”

As one of the world’s leading providers of intralogistics solutions, Jungheinrich has been advancing the development of innovative and sustainable products and solutions for material flows for 70 years. As a pioneer in the sector, the Hamburg-based family business is committed to creating the warehouse of the future. In 2022, Jungheinrich and its workforce of about 20,000 employees generated revenue of 4.76 billion euros. The global network covers 11 production plants and service and sales companies in 42 countries. The share is included in the MDAX.

Second Phase of Derby Development Announced

St. Modwen Logistics, one of the UK’s leading logistics developers and managers and a Blackstone portfolio company, has invested almost £60m to develop an additional c. 350,000 sq ft of new warehouse space at St. Modwen Park Derby.

Due for completion in 2024, this next phase will see St Modwen Logistics and Winvic Construction Ltd deliver a new 147,000 sq ft warehouse which has already been pre-let. Four additional new buildings totalling c. 200,000 sq ft will also be developed to help meet increased occupier demand for mid-sized industrial and logistics units in the East Midlands.

As part of the first phase of development, to date, St. Modwen Logistics has invested more than £45m in delivering over 300,000 sq ft of sustainable warehousing across four units at St. Modwen Park Derby. Completed in December 2022, it has already attracted two international occupiers, with German heat pump manufacturer Vaillant signing for 131,000 sq ft and Swedish medical technology company Getinge establishing a new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry at the scheme alongside its new UK headquarters.

The quintet of new warehouses will be built to St. Modwen Logistics’ ‘Swan Standard’ for sustainable construction, meaning they will be highly energy efficient and come with an EPC A+ rating, thereby helping customers to reduce their operational costs. All five units will benefit from the installation of rooftop solar panels as standard.

Additionally, all five buildings will aim to place in the top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings for sustainability by targeting an ‘Excellent’ accreditation from BREEAM, the leading real estate sustainability body. In line with the company’s commitment to sustainable development, the Midlands-based company is also strengthening biodiversity at the Park through the creation of a new riverside nature corridor, having already planted 17,000 trees and shrubs as part of the first phase of construction.

Located on Wyvern Way – adjacent to the A52 with direct access to the A38, A50 and nearby M1 motorway, and just 13 miles from East Midlands airport – St. Modwen Park Derby is one of the largest regeneration sites in the region and provides strong transport links and access to one of the highest skilled workforces in the country.

Robert Richardson, Development Director at St. Modwen Logistics, commented: “Our committed investments in St. Modwen Park Derby now exceeds £100m and our decision to embark on the next phase of development, underlines our confidence in Derby as hub for logistics as well as high-skilled tech and manufacturing. We expect a diversity of demand for the new units and a wide variety of employment opportunities to be generated.”

“The first phase of construction on the Park was a huge success and we are looking forward to working with Winvic again to deliver this next phase of development.”

Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North said: “It has been fascinating to see St. Modwen Park taking shape on what was waste ground next to the Wyvern Centre. Last year, I attended the launch event and saw first-hand the huge benefits that it will bring to Derby in terms of job creation and the provision of high-quality warehouse space and the kind of modern, dedicated office space that the city and the wider Midlands needs if it is to grow and prosper.

“To see a further £59m invested into the park is therefore amazing news and an example of levelling up at its best!”

Paul Simpson, Chief Executive, Derby City Council, said: “This is more great news for the city in what has been a bumper month of major investment announcements, following the decision to make Derby the home of Great British Railways.

“In February we also welcomed two industry leaders, Getinge and Vaillant, to St. Modwen Park. Now we can look forward to seeing more in phase two, which will create more jobs and boost our economy further. It’s clear Derby is seen as a fantastic City in which to invest.

“It was great to be on site to mark this occasion, and I look forward to seeing more investment in Derby and in the next phase of St. Modwen Park.”

Danny Nelson, Winvic’s Head of Industrial, Distribution and Logistics, added: “We have built an outstanding relationship with the St Modwen team in delivering the civils and infrastructure package and the four industrial units at Derby – as well assets across other sites – and we’re delighted to have secured the contract for Phase 2. Sustainability is a fundamental part of both Winvic’s and St Modwen’s DNA and our one-team approach ensures we’re able to help occupiers achieve their own sustainability goals. The team is looking forward to progressing the scheme at pace and we are scheduled to complete all five facilities early in 2024.”

CAPTION: (L-R): Rob Richardson, Development Director, St. Modwen Logistics; Ben Shearman, Construction Director, Winvic; Ian Martin, Senior Construction Manager, St. Modwen Logistics; Paul Simpson, Chief Executive, Derby City Council; Ben Silcock, Leasing and Development Manager, St. Modwen Logistics; Adam Broadhurst, Project Manager, Winvic.

 

 

Manhattan Associates Named Forrester Leader

Manhattan Associates Inc. has been named the Leader in The Forrester Wave: Order Management Systems (OMS), Q2 2023 report. Manhattan was the only OMS solution provider to receive this recognition, receiving the highest possible score (5.00) in 16 of the 24 criteria evaluated under Current Offering. Specifically architected for omnichannel environments, Manhattan Active Omni received the highest scores in two of the three high-level categories of the Forrester evaluation – Current Offering and Market Presence.

The Forrester report describes Manhattan’s OMS as “the most comprehensive solution in the market”. In the report, Forrester analysts recognised Manhattan as strategically strong in its community engagement, planned enhancements, and partner ecosystem, and noted the company’s strength in inventory management, order orchestration rules, and “buy online, pick up” configuration.

“We’re honoured to be named the only Leader in the 2023 Forrester OMS Wave and view it as further affirmation of the significant ongoing investment in innovation we make in partnership with our customers,” said Amy Tennent, senior director, Product Management, Manhattan Associates.

The functional richness of Manhattan Active Omni has been deliberately crafted to help retailers of all sizes meet their unified commerce goals and continuously evolve. Manhattan’s recent Unified Commerce Benchmark revealed that having a single view into business can increase revenue growth by up to 6X, and we believe a strong OMS can play a critical role in achieving this. Manhattan’s cloud-native OMS capabilities include inventory management, store fulfilment, store associate tools, endless aisle, self-service, order orchestration tools, ML-enhanced promising, dynamic exchange and return management, and customer service amongst others.

 

Conveying and Diverting Solutions

LogiMAT 2023 – Stuttgart Messe, 25-27th April – will see Itoh Denki, a leading international specialist in motorised drive roller (MDR) based material handling technologies, showcase a number of novel innovations on stand 1K25.

Taking centre stage will be the company’s high-capacity Multi-Angle Ball Sorter (MABS) whose patented rotating ball transfer technology allows diversion to exits at any angle on both the left and right, with throughputs of up to 4,300 units per hour achievable. Capable of integration into any type of conveyor system, MABS offers breakthrough performance in speed, compactness and flexibility. It requires no pneumatics and is instead driven by 24V DC technology, bringing major benefits when it comes to installation, safety and maintenance.

Able to handle loads of up to 30kg in a range of shapes and sizes, MABS is available in five sizes, with each module easily reconfigurable to accommodate changing needs, and up to eight units to be combined to create larger transfer zones.

The MABS unit will be combined with Itoh Denki’s sector-leading F-RAT NX compact 90° diverter and sorter module. Again 24V DC powered and available in multiple sizes, F-RAT NX is uniquely able to transfer products at 90° on either side without lifting the product, ensuring smoother transfers and simpler conveyor design. In tandem with ZPA (zero pressure accumulation) conveyors, MABS and F-RAT NX deliver the ultimate in precise product positioning and transfer. This means they are perfectly suited wherever there is a need to maximise throughputs without impacting quality or safety on busy automated sortation lines.

Also on show will be the idPAC (Itoh Denki Point and Click) flexible conveyor platform. Combining energy-efficient, high-quality hardware with a bespoke software package, idPAC allows customers to bring together conveyor lines and modify sections quickly and easily and monitor their performance. Live tracking of an F-RAT set-up in a figure of eight will be available for visitors to the stand to view.

Finally, show visitors can see a prototype for a new diverter and sorter module, to be known as M-RAT, which will be capable of handling individual loads of up to 250kg. This has been developed by Itoh Denki in response to growing demand from customers for systems able to process heavier loads.

Tatsuya Akashi, president of Itoh Denki Europe. explained: “We are delighted to be returning to LogiMAT which will once again welcome a truly international audience of decision-makers and specifiers seeking premium conveying and diverting solutions for warehousing, e-commerce and intralogistics applications. Our systems combine the ultimate in safety and robustness with flexibility and versatility to meet evolving needs, with rapid reconfiguration achievable alongside minimal need for maintenance. This in turn keeps downtime to a minimum and so impacts positively on productivity and efficiency. We anticipate strong interest in all of the technologies which will be on show, with our continued investment and commitment to innovation keeping Itoh Denki at the forefront of developments in the sector.”

Logistics Terminal Opened in Tyrol

Gebrüder Weiss has opened a logistics terminal in the Kreckelmoos industrial estate in Reutte. The location is specifically designed to meet the requirements of locally-based businesses in Tyrol, Austria. This will make the trips for the collection and delivery of import and export goods shorter and more flexible. They reach Reutte directly, are cross-decked and stored there, and delivered via short routes, including as express shipments.

Customs clearance as well as air and sea freight services complete the on-site portfolio. The logistics company has invested around €8m in the new building, which was completed in less than a year. The location complements the existing Gebrüder Weiss branches in Innsbruck, Wörgl and Hall in Tyrol as well as the Bavarian ones in Memmingen, Waldkraiburg, Passau and Nuremberg.

Günter Schmarl, Branch Manager Tyrol at Gebrüder Weiss, explains what positive effects this has: “We reduce trips over the busy Fernpass road between Tyrol and Bavaria and provide relief for regional traffic because we bundle storage capacities scattered across the district close to the shippers and recipients of goods. Not only is this more efficient for everyone involved, it is also in keeping with the sustainability and climate strategy of the state of Tyrol, which aims to have regional distribution centres for the collection and delivery of goods.”

Thirty employees are to be employed in Reutte in the mid-term, and there are also plans to train apprentices here. The terminal obtains most of its energy requirements from a 600 sq m photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the hall. This system saves eleven tonnes of CO2 per year and generates clean electricity for a heat pump that is used to control the ambient climate of the logistics centre. Gebrüder Weiss aims to operate all of its logistics facilities around the world in a climate-neutral way by 2030, with the company increasingly relying on electricity from renewable sources to this end.

  • Gebrüder Weiss Reutte at a glance

  • Investments: €8 million
  • Total plot area: 11,800 sq m
  • Logistics warehouse: 2,160 sq m
  • Cross-docking area: 400 sq m
  • Picking area: 400 sq m
  • Office building: 600 sq m
  • Number of charging options for e-vans (3.5 tons): 4
  • Heat generation: Heat pump
  • Photovoltaic system – collector surface area: 600 sq m
  • Photovoltaic system – kilowatt hours of electricity per year: 140 kWp
  • Photovoltaic system – CO2 saved per year: 11 tonnes

Ammeraal Beltech at LogiMAT Stuttgart

Ammeraal Beltech, a leader in conveying solutions, is proud to join LogiMAT Stuttgart 2023. The event is held in Stuttgart, Germany, from 25 to 27th April. At booth G31, Hall 1, you will experience the company’s innovations for the logistics industry.

LogiMAT 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of the latest technologies, products, and solutions in the intralogistics industry, with a focus on process optimisation and cost reduction.
Ammeraal Beltech believes in the positive impact of technology and evolution on intralogistics. Their R&D Centres collaborate with customers to offer innovative solutions that meet the demands of today’s market. LogiMAT is an excellent opportunity to discover their products and find ways to improve your operations.

Discover Ammeraal Beltech portfolio at LogiMAT 2023

At Ammeraal Beltech booth, you will discover the product portfolio that prioritises energy efficiency, reliability, and long service lifetime. Some of the innovations to be presented include:
• Elastic belts for belt-over-roller applications, which withstand extreme temperature variations, save energy and offer remarkable flexibility
• belts with recycled fabrics making the production of belts more sustainable. The solution is a perfect choice for all business owners wanting to run their operations more responsibly towards the planet and people.
• AMMdurance belts, which provide substantial energy savings, low-noise operation, long service lifetime, and reduced ecological impact, for all business owners wanting to run their operations more responsibly towards the planet and people.

Visit Ammeraal Beltech at LogiMAT Stuttgart 2023 and let them optimise your operations. The team is ready to discuss solutions tailored to your applications. HALL 1 | STAND G31

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