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Charter for Decarbonization of Ocean Supply Chain

Posted on by David Priestman

Nautilus Labs, a technology partner pioneering the decarbonization of the ocean supply chain, today announced the launch of its new offering, Green Charter™. Green Charter™ uses machine learning-based data streams to implement new legal frameworks within charter party agreements and establishes Nautilus as a trusted, independent, shared source of truth between ship owners and charterers to improve transparency and collaboration. As the foundation of commercial relationships, it will revolutionize incentive structures between counterparties and put the industry on the path to profitable decarbonization.

Legacy charter party agreements are outdated, rigid commercial structures that have remained unchanged over generations, despite quantum leaps in technology. These terms foster misaligned incentives, hinder collaboration, impede efficiency, and create a zero-sum relationship – with financial penalties such as performance claims as the foundation of commercial relationships. Regulations like the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) have only made it more urgent for the shipping industry to address these inefficiencies across the market.

Nautilus’s Green Charter™ transforms legacy charter party agreements by introducing a greener legal framework and unlocking commercial efficiency. As an industry leader in high-frequency data modelling, Nautilus Labs builds machine learning-based virtual replicas of physical ships, known as Digital Twins, to simulate vessel performance and operational outcomes with a high degree of accuracy. Leveraging these Digital Twins as a single source of truth, Green Charter™ generates dynamic optimization recommendations, performance reports, and alerts that are shared to drive collaborative outcomes. The technology will be used to implement new commercial clauses that ensure every action achieves peak efficiency across fleets for increased profitability and reduced emissions for both sides of the charter party – unlocking more dynamic speeds, better vessel performance, and ultimately just-in-time arrival.

Ocean supply chain

“It is time to rethink the frameworks that underpin the owner-charterer dynamic,” says Matt Heider (pictured), CEO, of Nautilus Labs. “Green Charter is set to transform the relationship between owners and charterers by establishing a foundation of trust based on data. Traditionally, Charter Party agreements have been adversarial, lacking positive incentives for maximizing joint outcomes. With sensor data as an unbiased source of truth, Green Charter™ facilitates effective collaboration and alignment among industry leaders, leading to improved performance and accelerated progress towards Net Zero.”

Nautilus Labs is currently working with a number of global maritime companies to reduce their carbon emissions and improve commercial efficiency. The firm lists clients such as TotalEnergies, Eastern Pacific Shipping, BHP, XT Shipping, Gunvor Group, Emirates Shipping Line, Peter Döhle, Log-In Logistica, Diamond Gas International, ICL, Ionic Shipping, and SMT Shipping among others.

IFOY Test Report: Loady by Loady

Posted on by David Priestman

In the next of our comprehensive looks at all the IFOY Award finalists ahead of the announcement ceremony in Dortmund on June 22nd, we put the Loady SaaS solution under the microscope.

Loady provides standardised, reliable requirements for loading and unloading at industrial sites for the first time. Trucks are no longer rejected at gates or loading points, because equipment and document to be brought along or processes to be known are communicated reliably and comprehensibly. A higher planning accuracy of transport services means savings of millions of euro to the industry and logistics service providers – and the constant troubleshooting on all sides finally comes to an end. Loady is fundamental to further digitise and automate logistics processes.

IFOY category: Start-up of the Year

IFOY Test Report

Loady is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution and industry-wide reference source (single source of truth) for loading and unloading requirements that all logistics partners in the supply chain can refer to. For the first time, shippers and consignees can enter all the information and requirements that need to be considered for loading and unloading a truck at their location and for specific products into a standardised data structure.

The software includes a modular data model that can be used for complex, large sites and hazardous goods, as well as smaller and simpler goods deliveries. By assigning transport lanes, data can be shared with business and logistics partners for the respective operational processes. Data changes are tracked in the software, and there is a data history. This means that it is always possible to see which data status was valid at which point in time. Authorised business and logistics partners can be informed directly in the event of changes to relevant data fields. The data is used in the company applications via API, and there is also a mobile, multilingual interface for drivers.

There is no predecessor, just a long-standing breaking point that can be overcome with the software. Loady is the first solution on the market to manage loading and unloading requirements in a structured data model and be a reliable source for all logistics partners. The software is also the first centralised pre-product database.

Loady thus offers a meaningful alternative to free-text fields, in which companies currently try to track their requirements for loading, but also for unloading at their customers, in continuous text format, laboriously and sometimes incorrectly. In SAP, this mainly concerns the fields G12 and G14 in the forwarding orders. The software can also be used to replace manually compiled Excel files for logistics tenders, cleaning requirements and preliminary products.

Loady is relevant for all supply chain companies and their logistics service providers, Europe-wide and globally. This means a market volume of over 60,000 medium to large industrial companies and more than 20,000 logistics service providers worldwide.

IFOY test verdict: Industrial companies and logistics service providers benefit from Loady by providing reliable master data that is used along the processes. Responsibilities for relevant information are clearly defined. This is ensured by established data management roles with clear data governance rules. As a result, the risk of trucks being rejected at the loading or unloading point is also a thing of the past. In this way, the software helps to avoid extra or empty kilometres (reduction of carbon dioxide emissions). The effort required for problem solving, root cause clarification, data maintenance and mutual verification of information is reduced. Relevant changes are automatically communicated to business and logistics partners. This is associated with increased responsiveness, which leads to better understanding among all parties involved. Overcoming language barriers through a multilingual interface with direct translation for data managers, drivers and freight forwarders also contributes to this.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: Chemovator’s Loady product addresses the enormously important issue of standardised data exchange in the awarding and execution of transport orders in the forwarding environment, both in the industrial and the commercial environment. It thus provides “standardised and reliable requirements for loading and unloading at industrial sites” – undoubtedly a highly relevant problem for an extremely high number of companies today. There is almost no manufacturing company or trading company that is not affected by the issue.

Customer benefit: Standardised data storage and maintenance are already an enormous lever for error prevention. If necessary, this data is then also exchanged automatically and standardised on a case-dependent basis. This eliminates significant causes of errors and significantly increases process reliability. This does not only offer an advantage when all contractual partners of a process use the system, but already when one of the contractual partners has it in use, the first important advantages already become usable, through the then as free text, but nevertheless structured and standardised as well as previously checked provision of the data.

Novelty / Innovation: The problem, which is actually of far-reaching relevance, has simply not been addressed to date; it is the first solution of its kind. The market behaviour regarding the acceptance of data handling has not yet been fully clarified. The usability on the basis of different clients allows the product to be quickly implemented and accepted by users. The standard must be accepted as such by those responsible for the company.

Functionality / Type of implementation: The product is implemented with a convincing architecture, which also provides suitable clients with easy-to-use functionalities for the different user groups. Particularly is the conception, which already makes a significant advantage convertible also with initial few users. This makes a possible successful implementation profitable even in the initial phase for individual customers – a topic that is unfortunately often neglected in many products.

Verdict: At the interface between supply chain and intralogistics, this start-up is positioned in the area of loading. “The future standard” (own statement) offers a structured linking of data to optimise the overall process of freight from tendering to ramp approach. In addition, there is an architecture of applications up to an app for the driver. The challenge here is whether the proposed structure will actually be accepted as a new standard by stakeholders. However, the product can also function on its own, without another company being connected, and then outputs the data as free text, but in an optimised structure.

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

Transaid Announce 2024 Cycle Kenya Challenge

Posted on by David Priestman

Transaid is returning to Africa for its 11th cycle challenge on the continent and is calling on keen riders to take part in a six-day, 474km ride across majestic Kenya – where Transaid is currently undertaking a major project funded by the FIA Foundation.

Taking place from 4 – 13 October 2024, the international development organisation invites riders from across the transport and logistics industry on this one-of-a-kind adventure, where they’ll travel from Nyeri at the foothills of Mount Kenya to Lake Victoria – all on two wheels.

Along the way, participants will experience Kenya’s lush, mountainous countryside, and stunning, expansive panoramas. A country renowned for its diverse wildlife and safari, there is also the opportunity to spot giraffes, zebras, buffalos and more, as the route includes a game conservation and acres of bushland.

Riders will cover an average of 79km per day (49 miles), with two consecutive days including challenging ascents – to viewpoints 2,550m above sea level. Worth the gruelling ride, they’ll be rewarded with incredible landscapes across The Great Rift Valley.

Last year a group of 40 riders completed a 505km cycling challenge across Malawi, whilst the 2023 cycle challenge – celebrating the organisation’s silver jubilee – is following a three-day London to Paris route in September.

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising at Transaid, says: “After moving our cycle challenge to Europe for a year, we’re excited to be returning to Africa – and what better place to do it than Kenya. Not only does this ride offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the country off the beaten track, but also the knowledge you’re raising vital funds for much-needed road safety and access to health services.”

Aligning with Transaid’s focus of transforming lives through safe, available and sustainable transport, fundraising earned from the challenge will help to support the organisation’s life-saving work, which currently spans projects in eight countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

Entries are encouraged from individuals and teams alike. A registration fee of £399 is required, with a minimum fundraising target of £4,150. The package includes flights (London – Nairobi – London), airport transfers, accommodation with meals, access to support vehicles, two local cycling guides to lead the tour, plus the support of a doctor always travelling with the group.

New Generation of Dock Levellers Launched

Posted on by David Priestman

Rite-Hite, one of the leading manufacturers of loading bay and health and safety equipment, has launched RiteLoad, its new generation of hydraulic dock levellers featuring new advanced controls, improved design and reinforced construction for enhanced safety.

The durability and stability of the new RiteLoad dock leveller series – achieved through improved telescopic lip guidance and optimised plateau construction – is such that Rite-Hite provides a full 10-year warranty on the steelwork and construction in comparison to the customary five-year warranty across the industry.

The RiteLoad series comprises a number of different models and is available in nominal lengths from 2,000-4,500mm with nominal widths of 2,000-2,250mm, and heights from 600-900mm. Depending on the application, models for load capacities of 60kN and 100kN can be selected. In addition to the classic safety features, such as anti-slip tear plate and yellow/black warning stripes, the dock leveller has an automatic floating position and automatic return function, as well as an electro-hydraulic emergency stop in case of pressure loss in the lifting cylinders and a restart interlock after power failure.

“When developing the new RiteLoad dock levellers, our goal was to deliver unrivalled durability and the highest quality product with fast availability, and we are delighted with the result!” says Thorsten Mauritz, Marketing Manager for Europe at Rite-Hite.

A variety of different controls are available for the new dock levellers – from the simple bridge control to the advanced combi-box, which allows several products at the loading point to be operated centrally via one control, such as the sectional door and vehicle restraint system.

Formwork frames as well as curb angle frames for pre-casted pit frames and special frames for loading houses are available. In addition to the standard colour option of RAL 7016 (grey), many other RAL colours are also available as well as a fully galvanised version (including the frames).

Further dock leveller models based on this platform are planned for future release, including a hinge lip version.

Rite-Hite is a pioneer and specialist in high-performance loading dock technology, industrial door solutions and innovative products for improving work safety. For more than 30 years, we have been committed to providing forward-looking technologies in Europe for greater productivity, safety and energy efficiency in logistics and intralogistics. With more than 3000 employees worldwide and a global network of production facilities and subsidiaries, we are one of the leading companies in our industry.

IFOY Test Report: Airrob by Libiao

Posted on by David Priestman

As we move inexorably towards the moment when the IFOY Awards are handed out in Dortmund on June 22nd, we continue our look at all of the 2023 finalists and share the verdict from the IFOY test conducted during the evaluation by an expert jury in March. Our next entry is the Airrob container handling robotic system from Zhejiang Libiao Robots Co., Ltd.

Zhejiang Libiao Robots invented the world’s first sortation robots five years ago; now they have created another new robotic system named Airrob container handling robotic system. The robots can climb racks, and store, pick, sort, and move plastic containers, and the climbing robot can move vertical and horizontal direction freely. It is a simple, efficient and flexible system for the fulfilment centre or the work-line-side storage system.

Category: Intralogistics Robot

IFOY Test Report

Libiao Robotics has been nominated for an IFOY AWARD with its Airrob, a “climbing” container robot. Its maximum load capacity is 25kg.

The system is suitable for the vast majority of all containers in this weight class, about 95% according to the manufacturer, and virtually all racks. It allows a quick and easy installation, even when retrofitting existing warehouses. Adjustments to the floor are not required. However, horizontal rails must be attached to the rack, over which the Airrob travels along the rack. The maximum speed of the robot is 2m/s.

The Airrob is attached to a lightweight frame that moves along the horizontal rails through the aisle. This design allows the robot to “climb” up the shelves and store or retrieve the correct container on the shelf at any desired location. Each bin is thus directly accessible at all times.

The frame is flexible and automatically adjusts to the position of the robot. This ensures high reliability and fast, trouble-free and stable transport of the boxes.

The system is suitable for racks up to 12m high. In this case, however, Libiao mounts two Airrobs on top of each other, as this requires less adjustment.

A unique feature is the hook system used to move the crates in and out of the racks. The hook moves within the contours of the robot, which does not penetrate the shelves. This allows the boxes to be stored extremely compact. The hook system is suitable for handling totes on both sides of an aisle. This limits the aisle width to about 85cm.

The concept is lighter than a miniload, a multishuttle or an autonomous case robot (ACR). This is one of the reasons why energy consumption is low. Consumption could not be measured by the IFOY test team, but according to the manufacturer, the savings compared to competing solutions is more than 30%.

The battery built into the Airrob is maintenance-free and is charged when the tablet is switched on and off; according to the non-sliding touch charging principle. The rack on which the Airrob is mounted is powered by mains electricity.

In the Pick&Go setups during IFOY TEST DAYS, the Airrob worked with the manufacturer’s AMRs, but other configurations are also conceivable.

The concept is particularly suitable for micro-fulfilment centres and can also be used in ambient temperatures as low as -20°C, for example in cold stores.

IFOY test verdict: The Libiao Airrob container handling system can set a new standard for mobile robots and fundamentally change existing solutions. The Airrob is cost-effective, scalable, and efficient. The system saves space and labour. The unique hook system guarantees high storage density.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: The Airrob solution addresses manually operated warehouses that are to be automated cost-effectively using existing racking infrastructure and potentially inhomogeneous container systems. With an ROI of one to two years for the 10 installations currently on the market, the Airrob system is an attractive option for brownfield automation in diverse industries such as warehouse logistics, e-commerce, or manufacturing. Airrob can be used for rack heights between approx. 2m and 14m and is already economical in smaller warehouses starting at 100 sq m. The market potential is high due to the high flexibility of the system, the comparably low costs, the wide range of applications as well as worldwide marketing partners.

Customer benefit: The greatest benefit of Airrob is its flexibility and adaptability for use in existing warehouses without replacing existing infrastructure. This also results in manageable investment costs, which should be a fraction of fully automated systems. Set-up and commissioning are in the range of one to four weeks. Due to the modularity, additional robots can be temporarily integrated for more throughput at peak times. Compared to similar solutions on the market, Airrob is said to consume 30% less energy. In addition, the system is easily reusable in other operating environments.

Novelty / Innovation: Airrob stands out for its simplicity of design, which enables high efficiency and robustness at low cost. Nevertheless, several innovative details have been implemented for the applicability in a wide range of manually operated warehouses. The vertical guide is flexibly mounted on two horizontal rails on the rack, so that even inclined shelves can be approached with the appropriate inclination. A simple hook mechanism allows access to various standard containers from two parallel shelves. Unlike comparable solutions, a fast-charging mechanism ensures 24/7 operation of the pick robot, so fewer pick robots are needed overall.

Functionality / Type of implementation: The pick robot, a type of stacker crane, is designed to be simple and practical, enabling a rapid access time of about 30 seconds to the totes weighing up to 25kg. The throughput of containers can be scaled flexibly by dividing the tasks between the pick robot on the rack and the mobile transport robots. With a temperature range between -20°C and 50°C, freezer applications are also possible.

Verdict: With Airrob, existing rack storage systems for any standard containers can be automated very cost-effectively. The easily retrofittable and technically minimalist solution for removing totes from heights of up to 14m, in conjunction with a fleet of mobile transport robots, enables significant efficiency gains compared to manual warehouse management. Technical highlights include the simple but universal gripper for crate removal and return, adaptivity to typical real-world conditions such as sloping shelf layers, and a fast-charging function for 24/7 operation.

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

Pilot Partners for Digitization

Posted on by David Priestman

The digital release process in the German seaports has reached the next level. During the pilot phase with shipping companies Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and CMA CGM as well as the logistics service provider Kühne+Nagel, the project was made ready for the market launch while also adding new modules. The nationwide solution is being jointly developed under the name German Ports by the IT service providers Dakosy AG in Hamburg, and dbh Logistics IT AG in Bremen.

The partners participating in the pilot phase are all motivated by a common interest. They want to implement a standardized, digitalized release process for containers imported into the German seaports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen and Wilhelmshaven. Authorized officers Dirk Gladiator at DAKOSY and Holger Hübner at dbh summarize the feedback received during the test run: “The pilot participants enjoy the benefits of a high degree of automation, increased security and a digital release process that runs in real time.”

Pilot user Michael Schröder at Hapag-Lloyd explains the practical significance of the project: “The import release process has always involved a great deal of manual work for shipping companies and forwarders due to the exchange of e-mails and PDF documents. The German Ports platform is an important step towards digitalizing and streamlining the process, and we have been involved in its development from the very start. We strongly welcome the multi-site cooperation between DAKOSY and dbh, which ensures a uniform solution for the German seaports.”

Integration of alternate return depots

To reduce the numerous email exchanges in the existing process, DAKOSY and dbh are currently integrating new functions into German Ports. One of these is the option to select a different depot for the return of empty containers in the course of the release process. Fabian Gäbel from Kühne+Nagel describes this feature, which is very important for freight forwarders: “Even during the pilot phase, the option of executing releases while specifying an alternate return depot proved to be an indispensable component for our system integration. In order to further reduce unnecessary e-mail communications in the future, we very much welcome the fact that this latest step has been taken and that the empty container depot exchange function has been integrated into the German Ports platform. It’s another important step towards the continuous expansion of our digital ecosystem.” The new feature “alternate return depot” will be available through German Ports via an EDI interface as well as in the web application.

Inclusion of declaration of assignment

Another new function is the digital declaration of assignment. To clarify: the declaration of assignment enables the release by the authorized representative (consignee) named in the B/L to a third party. “Currently, this is transmitted by e-mail or by fax. Using German Ports, we can digitalize and standardize this process. With between 25 and 30 percent of these transactions involving a declaration of assignment, we see great potential for this function,” concludes Gladiator. Current feedback from the industry shows Gladiator and Hübner that the functional extensions ‘alternate return depot’ and ‘declaration of assignment’ are attracting a great deal of interest from freight forwarders.

Container and vessel information for multiple locations

In addition to the release process, DAKOSY and dbh will provide multi-site container and vessel information for the most important German North Sea ports. “Both functions are expected to be operational in the second half of this year,” Hübner predicts. The container information service will centrally display the current loading and delivery data as well as the most important status information about the progress of the corresponding customs processes. This means that it is no longer necessary to switch between different portals for each separate port of transhipment. In the Vessel Information module, current call and departure data can be retrieved centrally via a single platform for Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven.

Tool Enhances Ukraine-EU Rail Visibility

Posted on by David Priestman

Transporeon, a leading transportation management platform and a Trimble Company, in collaboration with RailNetEurope today announced the launch of the EU Ukraine Visibility Map. The Visibility Map is the first large-scale European-wide tool that provides an end-to-end view of key rail corridors in and out of Ukraine.

This launch builds on the European Commission’s EU Ukraine Solidarity Lanes Initiative, which Transporeon is supporting by providing its technology platform. Thanks to the initiative, millions of tonnes of grain have been moved from Ukraine by rail and intermodal transport to ports and inland destinations throughout Europe. The Solidarity Lanes also allows Ukraine to import the products they need, including humanitarian aid.

Based on data provided by RailNetEurope (RNE), Europe´s leading association of rail infrastructure managers, Transporeon created the EU Ukraine Visibility Map that enables supply chain stakeholders and public authorities to plan with precision, address bottlenecks and optimise future infrastructure investments. The Visibility Map utilises data made available by rail infrastructure managers who are RNE association members. It displays first insights into the activity on key rail corridors from Ukrainian border locations, the terminals on these corridors and the in-transit location of freight and passenger trains. The following data is available:

• Train dwell-times
• Delays in days, hours and minutes
• The % share of delays

While the current data allows first insights into some of the key corridors, data from more rail terminals is needed for operators and authorities to gain access to even more information to plan their routes accordingly and remove remaining bottlenecks. Public authorities, infrastructure managers and transport companies from across Europe are invited to join the Solidarity Lanes Initiative and share their respective data – in solidarity with Ukraine and to gain valuable insights to optimise their own transport operations.

The map updates approximately every six hours. Users can also access terminal data (the number of trains at a particular station) for the last 24 hours, week and month.

Stephan Sieber, CEO of Transporeon, commented: “Creating the first large-scale European rail transport visibility solution is an immense source of pride for the Transporeon team, particularly as it will play a key role in helping Ukraine maintain vital economic ties with the rest of the continent. The Visibility Map allows all stakeholders to see congestion and transit times, enabling them to optimise transportation activity and resource deployment.”

Joachim Kroll, Secretary General of RailNetEurope, added: “Together with our association members, we are delighted to contribute to the accomplishment of this important project with data from RNE’s IT systems. The EU Ukraine Visibility Map shows rail’s ability to deliver solutions to newly emerging challenges.”

Due to the ongoing war, access to the map is closely protected. Companies wishing to join the initiative and learn more about the EU Ukraine Visibility Map can go to this website: https://www.transporeon.com/solidaritylanes

RailNetEurope (RNE) is an association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers working together under the RNE umbrella to coordinate their international processes in the areas of Capacity Management, Traffic Management, Corridor Management, and IT, with a focus on digitalisation solutions to support operational processes linked to international rail traffic.

Transporeon, a Trimble Company, our mission is to bring transportation in sync with the world. We power the largest global freight network of more than 1,400 shippers and retailers and more than 150,000 carriers and logistics service providers. Every day they execute more than 110,000 transports on our platform and book more than 100,000 dock-appointments for loading and unloading. In the course of one year, roughly €55bn in freight is being processed on our platform.

Maersk Expands DexoryView Partnership

Posted on by David Priestman

As a result of a successful deployment at its Kettering site in England, Maersk UK&I is expanding the use of Dexory technology across all its warehouse operations in the area over the next few months, it was announced today.

The partnership began with a successful deployment of the first Dexory robot and integrated data platform into the Kettering site in January. The platform and robot helped Maersk save dozens of hours per week in tracking and solving inventory issues, giving continuous visibility across the site that supports identifying and achieving improvements across the operation. Due to its ongoing success, the solution will be deployed into another Maersk facility in Tamworth early June and across the UK&I afterwards, in line with Maersk’s expansion plans in the region.

Attendees of the Multimodal event in Birmingham, UK, from the 13th to 15th June will be able to see a demonstration of how Maersk maximises data and provides unprecedented insights into operations for its customers via Dexory’s solution. Dexory will be present on the Maersk stand numbered 2040/2041 and on Dexory’s own stand 7022.

Oana Jinga, Dexory’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented, “We’re thrilled to continue supporting Maersk on their journey to being the efficient and sustainable Global Integrator they intend to be. The extension of our partnership underlines the growing trust in our technologies and the value we are bringing to their organisation.”

Using the DexoryView platform allows Maersk and its customers to automate data collection and build real-time digital twin technology that unlocks insights across all levels of warehouse operations. Dexory’s technology will allow Maersk to gather full visibility of stock across the various UK&I sites, and achieve greater operational efficiency, thus bringing resilience as well as flexibility to their supply chains.

The deepening partnership with Dexory is also a great enabler of Maersk’s commitment to sustainability, as it allows them and their customers to optimise existing resources within warehouses and racks, maximising utilisation, and reducing wastage across stock.

Fergus Whinham, Maersk’s UK&I Commercial Lead, says “As a customer-centric organisation, it is vital for Maersk to stay at the forefront of innovation within the supply chain and be able to offer their customers the opportunity to test the latest and greatest solutions as they are developed. We’re confident that continuing and expanding our work with Dexory will continue to drive that innovation on behalf of our customers”.

Dexory provides the only system on the market that combines inventory-scanning robots with powerful warehouse analytics, all built and maintained in-house. Dexory captures real-time insights into warehouse operations using fully autonomous robots and Artificial Intelligence. Instant access to real-time data helps optimise the present, de-risk the future and discover the intractable in each location and at every stage of the product journey through the warehouse and onto dispatch. Founded in 2015, Dexory aims to transform the data-gathering operations of warehouse environments.

Innovative Packaging, Customised Solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of Kingspan Insulation’s wider strategy to invest in new technology and sustainable solutions, it is excited to announce the launch of Inokor – an agile bespoke, innovative packaging and engineering business. Inokor focuses on high-end solutions, customized to the needs of its customers for applications in the areas of agriculture, cold chain packaging, construction, food, OEM, pharmaceutical and more.

Backed by Kingspan Group’s resources and technical expertise, Inokor is a global brand with a team of experts who work closely with customers to design and manufacture multi-technology rigid foam packaging and customized products. Options range from straightforward shaped EPS, EPP and PIR, to VIPs (Vacuum Insulated Panels) and cold chain technology.

As a customer led business, time is taken to understand customers’ requirements and to work collaboratively to develop optimum solutions. Inokor has the capability to provide a wide range of different elements, from building components, automotive damping insulation, horticultural solutions, cold chain packaging or insulation for industrial freezers.

With innovation at its core, Inokor is committed to creating more sustainable solutions, utilising recycled plastics where possible and reducing reliance on virgin materials. The expert team is also working towards Kingspan Group’s Planet Passionate targets, including cutting carbon emissions and protecting water supplies.

Alan Lawlor, Divisional Managing Director at Kingspan Insulation, explains the philosophy behind Inokor: “As longstanding experts in rigid foam technology we saw a need in the market for bespoke engineered solutions in many different sectors. Inokor has evolved to meet that need, providing a flexible service that is not constrained by any single material or approach. It’s a name that reflects the relationship we build with those around us and the innovative approach exploring different materials and new challenges, whilst acting responsibly towards people and the planet.”

IFOY Test Report: Jungheinrich addedVIEW

Posted on by David Priestman

As we move closer towards the moment when the IFOY Awards are handed out in Dortmund on June 22nd, we continue our look at all of the 2023 finalists and share the verdict from the IFOY test conducted during the evaluation by an expert jury in March. Our next entry is the second from Jungheinrich AG, its addedVIEW fork camera with barcode scanning.

The Jungheinrich addedVIEW fully digital fork camera with barcode scanning reduces storage/retrieval errors in the warehouse. It prevents incorrectly recorded goods or storage locations in the warehouse management system (WMS) and thus unplanned search times, returns or loss of goods.

IFOY category: Special of the Year

IFOY Test Report

In technical terms, the device is the first fully digital fork camera in series production, with full HD resolution, broadband automotive Ethernet data transmission and software for transferring the results to any WMS. For the Jungheinrich WMS, the product is equipped with additional intelligence that, with the help of coloured overlays in the camera image, makes it possible to recognise whether the correct or incorrect barcode is located in front of the fork as it passes by. In addition, an acknowledgement button is located near the steering wheel. This keeps the forklift driver’s hands on the controls of the industrial truck. The driver does not have to reach for the scanner, scan and put the mobile device back every time.

Scanning on-site at the storage compartment and/or the goods avoids scanning incorrect barcodes from a list at the rack foot, ensuring the WMS always receives correct data and avoiding incorrect deliveries. The high-resolution, digitally enhanced image allows labels to be read at high altitudes, bypassing the need to unstack incorrect merchandise.

By scanning with the fork-mounted camera, the location of the goods movement and the location of the scan coincide. This drastically reduces putaway/retrieval errors. Examples include putting away wrong goods but scanning the “right” barcode expected by the WMS, or taking out wrong goods but scanning the “right” barcode expected by the WMS. The camera, data transmission, image processing, forwarding to the WMS and, as in the case of Jungheinrich, the WMS itself were all newly developed or expanded – into an integrated series solution.

IFOY test verdict: The integrated series solution is unique on the market, because the addedVIEW fork camera with barcode scanning gets to the root of a previously unsolvable basic problem in logistics and offers a practical and effective solution. The previously described problem of incorrect storage is particularly pronounced in reach trucks, as mix-ups can occur in high-bay warehouses due to the large number of uniform storage locations and the low clarity in the upper rack levels. Depending on the type, 20-40% of reach trucks have tine cameras, are connected to a WMS via a radio data terminal and use handheld scanners for posting. These industrial truck operators will benefit from the innovation. But forklift drivers will also benefit from the image quality and the ergonomic acknowledgement function on the steering wheel.

IFOY Innovation Check

Market relevance: The management of goods on pallets or similar in larger warehouses with the help of reach trucks and barcodes concerns a very large area of logistics, which is why the market relevance is considered to be high. The presented digital camera-based system represents an enormous step towards the improvement of such systems, as errors are largely eliminated, positioning is supported and a large time-saving potential is associated with it.

Customer benefit: Users of the addedVIEW fork camera benefit in a very direct way from this system, which goes well beyond the camera itself by integrating it into the warehouse management system (WMS). Manual barcode scanning is no longer necessary, as direct identification of the barcodes is made possible by the high resolution of the camera. The comparison with the WMS, implemented in the background, provides direct information about the correctness of the goods or storage location. Thus, faulty storage or retrieval is reduced to a minimum or can be practically excluded. Furthermore, there are no wrong trips or unnecessary times in which incorrectly stored goods have to be searched for. All in all, this can result in a significant increase in the efficiency of the warehouse system for the user.

Novelty / Innovation: The integrated solution of a digital camera presented by Jungheinrich combines visual use with the possibility of scanning barcodes and processing them in the WMS for the first time in the field of material handling equipment. Although the individual technologies do not represent a novelty in themselves, the combination in this exemplary implementation is to be regarded as highly innovative. The challenges in the development, which in some respects reside in the details, were systematically solved. One example is the realised data transmission via the automotive Ethernet cable, which was applied to the variable geometry of the mast and which, with a total length of 30m, nevertheless guarantees a safe and fast transmission.

Functionality / Type of implementation: The components of the implemented system appear in a very robust design and thus meet requirements for durability in operation. The camera is mounted on the inside of the fork, which makes damage unlikely. Likewise, the transmission cable appears to be more than able to withstand the constant bending loads due to its specially developed design.

Verdict: The addedVIEW fork camera is convincing in every respect. Its market lead is clear.

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

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