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Tag: Movu Robotics

How Cold Chain Automation Is Going Green

Posted on by David Priestman

From frozen food to pharmaceuticals, the cold chain plays a crucial role in keeping temperature-sensitive goods safe, fresh, and effective, writes Diana Davoyan. However, it is also one of the most energy-intensive segments of the supply chain. Cold storage facilities can consume up to three times more energy than ambient warehouses, and refrigerated transport adds a further carbon burden.

The good news? Cold chain automation is no longer just about speed and operational precision – it is rapidly becoming a key enabler of sustainability. As companies face growing pressure to decarbonise, cold chain logistics is undergoing a quiet transformation.

This traditionally energy-heavy sector is evolving into a more sustainable, efficient, and climate-conscious system.

The Sustainability Problem (and the Opportunity)

The conventional cold chain is challenged by three major sustainability issues:

● High energy use from refrigeration, lighting, and HVAC systems
● Product loss and waste due to temperature fluctuations, spoilage, and human error
● Carbon emissions from diesel-powered transport and inefficient warehouse operations

With rising energy costs and increasing focus on ESG goals, businesses can no longer ignore these inefficiencies. Fortunately, automation offers a powerful solution.

How Cold Chain Automation Supports Sustainability

Automated cold storage systems – such as ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems) – are often compact, high-density, and fully enclosed. These systems reduce the volume of air that needs to be cooled, resulting in significantly lower refrigeration demand.

When paired with smart zoning and AI-powered climate controls, automated facilities can dynamically adjust cooling only where and when it’s needed – cutting down on unnecessary energy usage.

Reduced Waste, Increased Accuracy

Real-time monitoring systems in automated warehouses continuously track temperature and humidity. If any parameter deviates from set thresholds, alerts are triggered immediately. This helps to:

● Minimise spoilage
● Reduce packaging and product waste
● Avoid the environmental and financial costs of lost goods

In industries such as food and pharmaceuticals, where safety and compliance are non-negotiable, this level of precision is critical.

Smaller Environmental Footprint

Automated storage solutions typically allow for vertical integration, maximising space within the existing footprint of a facility. This not only increases storage capacity but also reduces the need for new warehouse construction – along with its associated emissions and resource consumption.

Diana Davoyan

Greener Transport and Smart Routing

Cold chain automation isn’t limited to storage. It also extends to transportation:

● AI-driven route planning helps reduce mileage and fuel consumption
● The adoption of electric and hybrid refrigerated vehicles is accelerating
● Some logistics hubs are integrating with on-site renewable energy sources, like solar panels, to power both storage and charging infrastructure

Data-Driven Sustainability

One of the most powerful advantages of automation is the ability to collect and analyse granular data. Businesses can now track:

● Energy usage per pallet or unit
● Refrigeration efficiency trends
● Carbon emissions per delivery
● Compliance with sustainability benchmarks and regulations

This data not only helps identify inefficiencies but also provides the transparency required for ESG reporting and sustainability certifications.

What’s Next for the Greener Cold Chain?

The future of sustainable cold chain logistics is being shaped by several emerging technologies, including:

● Battery-powered and solar-assisted refrigerated vehicles
● AI-optimised HVAC systems that adapt in real time to changing internal and external conditions
● Passive cooling innovations, such as phase change materials used in packaging
● Carbon-neutral warehouses powered entirely by renewable energy sources

As these innovations continue to scale, automation will be essential for managing complexity while maintaining operational efficiency. Ultimately, the future of cold chain logistics will hinge on how boldly organisations embrace automation – not only as a performance driver, but as a key enabler of long-term sustainability.

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Collaboration to Transform Cold Chain Transport

 

Compact Scalability and Accessible Warehouse Automation

Posted on by David Priestman

LogiMAT 2025 will take place at the Messe Stuttgart convention center from March 11–13, 2025. In Hall 3 at booth 3B67, Movu Robotics, member of the stow Group, will demonstrate its leadership in accessible and advanced warehouse automation. The showcase will highlight how Compact Scalability – an intelligent and adaptable concept for automated logistics systems – is redefining flexibility and efficiency in modern warehousing.

Movu Compact Scalabilty is a groundbreaking approach that seamlessly combines innovative robotics, intelligent software and state-of-the-art hardware to redefine how businesses meet their fulfillment demands. Movu’s scalable solutions maximize storage capacity within the same footprint while adapting effortlessly to the customer’s needs – vertically, horizontally, and with seamless integration. This scalability offers a key advantage, enabling businesses to expand their storage and throughput capabilities without requiring major overhauls to their existing infrastructure. Movu Compact Scalability empowers businesses to grow smarter, faster, and more efficiently.

Presented in Stuttgart, the Movu atlas ASRS is designed with modularity for flexible expansion. It can be added or removed on demand fluctuations, peak seasons, or business growth. The pallet shuttle system allows for incremental investments rather than a large upfront overhaul, making it cost-effective and highly efficient. As demand grows, the system can scale horizontally by additional aisles and lanes that can be seamlessly added.

Able to operate in temperatures between -25°C and 40°C, Movu atlas provides a solution for both ambient and cold store warehouses. It brings unmatched experience and expertise as the industry’s leading 2D shuttle provider. In the recent years, Movu successfully installed a huge number of shuttles in over 100 projects from all industries in Europe and North America. By adding an integrated Lift, the Movu atlas system transitions into a dynamic 3D storage environment and scales vertically ensuring compact scalability. As a result, throughput is boosted and valuable floor space is saved with high-speed lifts up to 2.5 m/s achieving faster replenishment cycle times and order fulfilment.

At LogiMAT 2025, Movu showcases, how the Movu atlas system with integrated Lift can be further expanded by the integration of a Picking Tunnel. The highly efficient and space-optimized pathway will be integrated into the ground level of a Movu atlas ASRS to facilitate streamlined order picking. Designed specifically for high-density pallet storage and retrieval, the tunnel enables seamless interaction between automated shuttles, vertical lifts and manual or robotic picking processes with autonomous mobile robots, such as Movu ifollow. The intelligent and versatile AMR operates autonomously, navigating without the need for any external infrastructure. Advanced sensors and mapping technologies allow the robot to adapt seamlessly to its environment. Equipped with cutting-edge obstacle detection and navigation systems and available in several models, supporting loads from 300 kg to 1.2 tons, ifollow can be tailored to meet specific operational requirement and operating in temperatures from -25°C to +40°C.

At the show, Movu also presents Movu escala, an all-in-one, rack-and-robot storage and retrieval system to handle totes. It maximises warehouse resilience by leveraging modular applications for unparalleled adaptability. Automatically moving up, down and within storage locations, each shuttle reaches up to five units deep. No need for space-consuming conveyors, lifts or aisles; this high-speed, high-density system is one of the world’s most flexible 3D ASRS for bins. Integrating seamlessly with Movu escala for future proof automated order preparation at the picking workstation, a new version of Movu eligo picking robot is a state-of-the-art robotic solution designed for high-speed and highly efficient item picking operations. It can pick up to 1200 items per hour, reduce the number of manual ‘touches’ required for order fulfilment or replenishment and can reach a pick success rate greater than 99%. Equipped with advanced vision systems, AI-based algorithms and versatile handling tools, eligo is tailored for modern warehouses that demand precision, speed and adaptability in dynamic environments.

In Stuttgart, Movu will also feature Movu Overfill Detection, an intelligent, camera-based vision system designed to ensure the seamless operation of automated storage systems for bins like Movu escala. This innovative solution identifies items and bins that exceed storage boundaries, preventing overfilled bins from entering the system and ensuring safe, uninterrupted operations.

Live-demonstration of future-ready warehouses

Stefan Pieters, CTO at Movu Robotics, commented: “At LogiMAT 2025, we will showcase our vision of Compact Scalability in warehouse operations. We are excited to demonstrate how accessible automation and integrated solutions deliver significant scalability advantages, enabling businesses to respond swiftly to market demands and optimize costs through incremental system growth. With stow supplying dedicated racking for Movu’s atlas and escala, our booth will unite Peak Performance Racking with intelligent automation. Visitors will experience firsthand how customers benefit from a seamless, single point of communication provided by a ‘one-stop shop’ approach, designed to achieve high-performance warehousing.”

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Automation at your fingertips

 

Robotics Powers Knorr-Bremse’s Production and Logistics

Posted on by David Priestman

Movu Robotics announces an agreement for a state-of-the-art installation of 10 atlas pallet shuttles, 3 elevators and 4 escala bin shuttles at Knorr-Bremse’s plant in Lisieux, France.

Knorr-Bremse, founded in 1905, is a leading German manufacturer specialising in braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. With over a century of experience, it stands as one of the world’s largest and most influential companies in its field. Movu’s automation solutions are tailored to enhance Knorr-Bremse’s production efficiency by optimising warehouse automation processes for greater flexibility and responsiveness. Positioned directly upstream of the production lines, these solutions enable real-time parts replenishment, ensuring seamless workflow and minimal downtime.

Delta+ Consulting facilitated this project in close collaboration with Knorr-Bremse and Movu Robotics, underscoring the commitment to innovation and operational excellence shared by all partners involved. The project’s go-live for the installation is scheduled for early 2026.

In a recent visit to Movu Robotics’ Experience Centre in Lokeren, Belgium, Stéphane Devulder, Managing Director of Knorr-Bremse France, expressed his enthusiasm for the project:

“At Knorr-Bremse, we are always innovating to keep our manufacturing and logistic processes efficient and reliable, especially in the automotive industry, where precision is key. This advanced installation will feature two powerful systems working together: the Movu atlas, with space for 5,000 pallets managed by 10 shuttles and 3 elevators, and the Movu escala, handling up to 2,500 bins with 4 shuttles.”

Benjamin Letarouilly, Managing Director at Delta+ Consulting, emphasised the collaborative design approach:

“With the Movu atlas and Movu escala systems working together, we have designed an integrated, modular solution to meet Knorr-Bremse’s needs. This configuration will handle small parts as well as large volumes, ensuring continuous, real-time supply to production lines. Our priority is efficiency and reactivity to meet industrial challenges. We’re proud to be able to contribute to this project and to this wonderful collaboration between Movu Robotics and Knorr-Bremse. Two companies with very different backgrounds but with a shared vision of the future. Knorr Bremse, by exploiting one of the latest cutting-edge technologies in intralogistics, is aiming to increase its operational efficiency through easier automation.”

Francisco Vinals, Sales Director at Movu Robotics, highlighted the adaptability and reliability of Movu’s solutions:

“We’re excited to bring the Movu atlas and escala systems together for Knorr-Bremse. These solutions are designed to operate seamlessly, meeting their demand for reliable low-volume and high-volume part handling. This project is a perfect example of automation driving efficiency, precision, and flexibility. Movu Robotics stands behind its philosophy: “No Warehouse Left Behind.” This project reinforces our dedication to bringing cutting-edge transformative solutions to the industrial world.”

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stow Announces New Robotics Brand: Movu

 

Pallet Shuttle Offers Automated Use in Deep-freeze Storage

Posted on by David Priestman

The leading German Organic vegetable freezing company Westhof BIO has selected easily accessible, plug and play automation in the form of a stow Racking silo served by Movu atlas 2D pallet shuttles. Part of an integrated intralogistics solution from systems integrator Körber, the silo and shuttles play a key intralogistics role in Westhof BIO’s brand new, highly automated production facility, located near Hamburg in Germany.

Due to go live in June, the Movu system provides reliable and efficient automated flow of goods and high density storage in a six-level silo to hold over 5000 pallets of frozen vegetables in the cold store.

Westhof BIO processes around 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually providing an organic frozen range. Its new climate- and resource-saving organic freezing plant gives the company room to expand and represents a major step forward for the company. The ultra-modern and automated freezer warehouse stores the frozen vegetables to allow their delivery on pallets to manufacturers of organic food and baby food all year round.

The company looked for a high density storage solution for the vegetables in its minus 24 degrees centigrade cold store that offers reliability and scalability as well as efficient and accurate flow of goods.

The automation solution consists of six Movu atlas shuttles, one of which transports the pallets on each of the six levels of the stow silo, which measures 60 m long x 31 m wide x 17 m high. Providing deep, multi-pallet channel storage, the silo maximises space by minimising the number and width of driving aisles – this installation has just one.

Efficient and quick to set up, the plug and play Movu atlas system fits all buildings to ensure no warehouse is left behind when it comes to automation. Even if a shuttle goes down or requires maintenance, it can be easily removed and replaced with a new shuttle within a day, with Westhof BIO ’s WMS directing goods to one of the other silo levels. The easily scalable atlas system allows the addition of shuttles to increase throughput and store greater quantities of vegetables during harvest peak.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics said: “We are delighted to have successfully handed over another Movu project to our customer. With the combination of the stow silo and the Movu atlas 2D shuttle, Westhof BIO could trust on consistent high engineering and Project Management standards with a reliable project lead time. The Movu atlas 2D Shuttle is a true example of simple and easily accessible plug and play automation in challenging cold storage environment. It´s scalability provides Westhof BIO with automation that handles peaks and adapts easily to future requirements.”

Berit Carstens-Lask, Managing Director of Westhof BIO, adds: ”We are extremely satisfied with the automation solution that has been realized and with both the engineering and execution of the project. We hope that when we start running, the automation solution from Movu will make a significant contribution to optimising our entire production and warehouse processes, making them much more efficient and flexible.”

Movu Robotics, member of stow Group, is a leading international warehouse automation company that stands out by bringing easier logistics automation solutions to the world’s warehouses. The company operates globally and employs more than 300 employees across Europe and the US. Movu Robotics offers a complete portfolio of automated technologies for efficient warehouses. This includes the pallet shuttle “Movu atlas” for multiple deep storage, the AMR solution “Movu ifollow” for collaborative picking or transport of pallets, the 3D bin storage and fulfillment system “Movu escala” and the integrated picking robot arm “Movu eligo”. All Movu systems are controlled and managed via their own warehouse execution software.

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Movu Robotics Opens HQ and Experience Centre

 

Stamh and Movu Robotics Together in Southeast, Central Europe

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of its goal to ensure no warehouse is left behind, Movu Robotics has entered a strategic international partnership with STAMH Group, which brings new competitive advantage to businesses in Central and Southeastern Europe by making warehouse automation more flexible, scalable and affordable.

With both companies embracing the move to goods-to-person intralogistics, this collaboration provides a more easily available and much shorter automation path for many successful businesses in a large number of countries in Eastern Europe, including Romania, Serbia, Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro. No longer part of the distant future, autonomously performing technologies are a practical reality today. For Movu it’s important to count on a reliable integration company in the region and STAMH relies on leading technologies in warehouse automation that provide simple solutions for handling growing volumes and faster throughputs.

With more than 14,000 successful integrations, 23 years of experience and storage systems performing in 22 countries around the globe, STAMH continues to prove its commitment to integrate tailored automation solutions. Responding to the increasingly demanding market requirements in the region, Movu provides STAMH with strong and reliable partnership to offer robotic solutions and future-proofed automated systems to perfectly match the automation needs of a variety of logistics hubs, fulfillment centers, warehouses and distribution centers in Central and Southeastern Europe.

Sharing a common vision

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics said: “Strategic partnerships with integrators are an important part of the Movu Go-to-Market strategy. Movu and STAMH share the view that both small and larger warehouses can be effectively optimised in terms of useful storage space and intralogistics processes. Whether for large facilities handling palletised loads or the more recent innovation of micro and nano fulfillment centers serving large cities, automated solutions will allow smooth and effective performance without errors, round the clock, every day of the year. Making warehouse automation easier than ever, the long-term partnership between Movu and STAMH is an international commitment to help business to scale up step-by-step, at the speed of their own development.”

STAMH Group’s international engineering, automation and software teams are ready for the intralogistics automation challenges facing businesses. Robotic solutions for palletised loads, such as Movu atlas and its specially designed Racking System, are already being installed in distribution centers across Southeastern and Central Europe.

Through reducing width and the number of driving aisles, Movu atlas brings seamless space optimisation. The bi-directional movements of the new robotic shuttles on the X-axis are controlled by intelligent software, reducing unnecessary movements and achieving optimal operations. It selects the most convenient robot to effectuate the next storage and retrieval task. Customers can start with one robotic shuttle and increase the number if needed.

The integrated charging station, and the autonomous on-the-fly charging of the shuttles further reduces manual operations. Atlas shuttle robots charging by themselves removes another thing for customers to think about.

Partnership for ecommerce

An increasingly vital aspect of logistics, eCommerce often involves multiple orders requiring preparation in seconds. With the proportion of e-shoppers growing from 55% in 2012 to 75% in 2022, according to the latest Eurostat data, modern fulfillment and distribution centers have become crucial economic drivers for any online business, looking to scale and grow. Solutions such as Movu escala are being integrated in new fulfilment centers to achieve robotic storage and extraction of picking totes, combined with on-the-fly industrial battery charging, autonomous handling and three-dimensional (X- and Y-axis) operations.

From AGVs to AMR solutions

STAMH and Movu offer proven and future-proof AMR technology to reduce the requirement for manual transportation of goods over large distances in modern distribution centers. The latest AMR systems, such as Movu ifollow, are light, fast, secure and smart. They do not require complex guiding systems integration or infrastructural changes in the warehouse. Controlled by plug-and-play software to effectively navigate around static and moving obstacles as they transport heavy loads. Movu ifollow AMRs are the perfect tool for collaborative picking and perform even in low temperatures found in cold stores.

Constantly innovating, STAMH Group embraces these impressive technologies and, through co-operation with Movu, will enable the integration of automated warehouse systems and technologies that will take intralogistics in Central and South-Eastern Europe to a completely new and optimal level. This results for any growing business in the region will be increased competitiveness and velocity of operations as well as greater customer satisfaction.

To tackle the challenges of sustainable development, both Movu and STAMH apply their principles with the common goal of a better tomorrow. STAMH Group remains firmly behind the respect, support, and protection of human rights, following high corporate and working standards. Movu is working to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all people of all ages.

Both companies share, encourage, and develop energy-saving technologies, and strive to achieve sustainable and modern energy for all. While AI is an integral part of their software systems, STAMH and Movu recognise the talent in their companies and can count on the best and highly specialised teams in the complex intralogistics fields. This is the philosophy behind every new success and every new integration and is why STAMH and Movu’s international teams can understand every single automation and intralogistics need.

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Case Study: STAMH Mobile Racking System for Frozen Food Maker

 

Movu Orchestrates Dynamic Warehouse Robotics

Posted on by David Priestman

stow Group, a global market leader in the development, manufacture and implementation of advanced warehouse solutions and automated storage systems, is putting its new Movu Robotics brand in the spotlight at LogiMAT 2024.

On booth 3B67 (in hall 3) Movu will feature a dynamic technology showcase of its state-of-the art robotics sub-systems. This ensemble of seamlessly integrated solutions will demonstrate how automation and robotics is not only accessible but is possible in all kinds of warehouses, so that no warehouse is left behind.

For the first time ever, Movu will be presenting an end-to-end material flow live at LogiMAT and demonstrating how Movu’s automated subsystems can work together as a fully integrated solution.

The flow starts with the Movu escala, an innovative Shuttle solution which provides dense automated storage and retrieval for bins. Robot carriers move bins in all three dimensions within escala, every point of which is connected by a sophisticated rail track. The robots move along the rails in two dimensions throughout a level of the system and they can move between levels via ramps, in a similar way to a car driving to the next level of a multi-storey car park. This eliminates the need for maintenance-intensive conveyors, lifts, service aisle access and sequencers.

The bins are automatically delivered from inside the escala to a goods-to-person workstation, where the seamlessly integrated Movu eligo picking arm robot automatically piece-picks from a bin to place individual items into mixed SKU bins on a pallet placed on a Movu ifollow Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR).

Combining advanced software with intelligent grippers and machine learning, eligo, the latest member of the Movu product family, ensures reliable and high-performing throughput. The intelligent grippers ensure an accuracy greater than 99% and reduces the number of manual ‘touches’ required for order fulfilment or replenishment. Able to achieve 600 picks per hour, depending on the specific implementation, eligo can pick goods up to 2 kg and with dimensions of 1 cm minimum to a maximum of 30 cm. Being completely product agnostic gives it the flexibility to handle changing product mixes.

When the pallet is ready, the ifollow AMR transports it autonomously to the Movu atlas pallet shuttle sub-system. ifollow’s slimline design allows it to fit where other mobile robots will not and they can operate in cold stores, working in temperatures down to -25°C, moving to an ambient environment without any condensation. A customisable top lifter allows a variety of tasks to be performed and this versatile mobile robot can also support collaborative order picking operations.

The pallet carried on the ifollow is received at the highly efficient Movu atlas pallet shuttle sub-system, which is based on stow racking. Here, an atlas shuttle, which is a self-powered pallet carrier, moves it to a storage location. The atlas sub-system provides a high density, multi-pallet position deep Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS), which can also work in coldstores. With no need for lift truck aisles, storage capacity is maximised, and manual handling is replaced leading to a reduction in both personnel risk and picking errors.

Visitors will be able to see how Movu software coordinates and monitors the shuttles and mobile robots, ensuring a smooth flow of materials with realtime visibility of the system.

This unique performance demonstrates how Movu goes beyond a single robotics product to offer cutting-edge sub-systems in a symphony of seamlessly integrated solutions, which is not a futuristic concept but a practical, accessible reality. Movu’s goal is to upgrade the world´s warehouses through the power of easier automation. This creates a democratisation of automation to ensure that – irrespective of its size, shape, or use – no warehouse is left behind.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics commented: “We are proud to present for first time ever an integrated end-to-end showcase with all Movu solutions. Following our brand launch in September last year, we are excited to see at LogiMAT all our products coming together in one place. Visitors will experience live our interpretation of ‘Easier Automation’ and how it helps to increase efficiency and improve profitability. Our experts will also be on hand to discuss how our solutions, which have improved efficiency for customers in a variety of sectors, can serve your requirements.”

ABB Chose Movu escala

Posted on by David Priestman

In December 2023, ABB Electrification Norway AS signed a contract with LIS, Movu Robotics’ distributor in Norway, to install Movu’s escala order fulfillment solution in its production premises in Skien, Norway. The international technology company has been looking to better use the limited space by moving the storage component out of production and supplying the latter via smaller blocks at a time.

“We talked to ABB about the challenges a few years ago, as we could not deliver the automation size they required at that time. I think that honesty helped build trust. We only sell something if we are sure the solution will work well,” said Urban Jansson, the Sales Manager for Automation at LIS.

“The engineers from ABB were as impressed by the escala solution as we were. The solution is a huge stamp of quality,” said Eirik Toft, Senior Sales Manager at LIS.

ASRS excels in flexibility and availability

Movu escala is a compact ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System) in which autonomous robots move freely in three dimensions to pick highly variable-sized goods. The system is designed to be an easy entry to complex automation while being more flexible than similar solutions, which are often very standardized in the kind of goods and boxes that can be handled.

To check and assess the escala system, a team from ABB, including engineers and logisticians, went to the Movu factory in Belgium to see the live solution at Movu Robotics Technology and Experience Center in Lokeren.

“I have worked with automation solutions for many years and have been excited about many. Still, I greatly admired Movu escala as it ticks so many boxes. Its flexibility, efficiency, and scalability completely differ from what we’ve seen before. In addition, it was great to work closely with ABB’s technical staff, who showed a great interest in the engineering work that forms the basis of the solution,” adde Toft.

Kjetil Andersen is head of industrialization at ABB and confirms what Toft said. “We liked the flexibility, scalability, and redundancy of having free, autonomous robots. If a robot breaks down, it is still possible to operate the warehouse with somewhat less capacity. That was not possible with the other systems we looked at. If things go wrong, it can come to an abrupt halt.”

Streamlines production in Skien by a large margin

When the escala installation is completed in Skien, it will be 22.5 meters long, 11 meters wide and 14 meters high. There are about 6,000 locations, which are not dependent on being picked from the most accessible first. Next to the flexibility that allows the entire product catalogue to be collected in the same system, big or small, the automatic input and output are major innovations. The robots automatically move between storage and production, picking and delivering assembled kits rather than individual items. Previously, such kits had to be left outside and took up a lot of floor space in the middle of the production area, which now allows ABB Electrification Norway AS to build production more compactly.

The system is equipped with two lanes on different floors, which mirror the two floors of the AMR robots that pick and deliver goods between plants and production workers. This allows them to load boxes back into the system at the same time as receiving new ones, saving large amounts of time.

“Success in robotics isn’t just about building advanced machines; it’s also about delivering accessible and reliable solutions. And it’s about forging successful partnerships. Innovation thrives when teams like Movu and LIS come together, combining diverse expertise and perspectives from which the customer benefits in the end. Thanks to our smooth collaboration with LIS, we were able to deliver to the expectations of ABB!” said Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics.

“We have experienced a positive collaboration with Movu Robotics and LIS. They responded quickly when we needed advice and provided the resources we needed,” concluded Andersen.

Pallet Shuttle System is Better, Bigger, Easier

Posted on by David Priestman

A Movu Robotics atlas pallet shuttle system gives leading logistics service provider Kris De Leeneer (KDL) approximately 45,000 storage locations and the capacity to manage a potential throughput of up to 11,000 pallet movements a week. Importantly, this automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) fulfils KDL’s need for flexibility by allowing pallet throughput to be increased simply by adding more shuttles, while the modular rack can be extended to increase capacity to help futureproof the facility.

This project represents the first Movu atlas system for the third party logistics (3pl) market. The solution meets the issues of 3pl industry by providing flexible in product handling and throughput. In this sector it can be hard to foresee accurately future business levels, types of customers, the resulting throughput and number of pallets required, so flexible intralogistics is a must.

Better, bigger and easier

Founded in 2001, KDL is geared to helping its clients boost their supply chain management and move their businesses forward. The Movu atlas shuttle system plays a vital role in fulfilling these aims, sits at the heart of KDL’s new state-of-the-art 10,000 square metre Distribution Centre (DC). Opened at the end of 2022, the DC is located in Lokeren, Belgium. Being next to the highway, where land is more expensive, KDL wanted to go with height for storage to minimise the building’s footprint.

For its customers in the Chocolate Industry, stock may include ingredients and primary goods for chocolate making through to bars and boxes of chocolates, numbering as many as 1000 SKUs depending on the stock profile.

The new DC is designed to assist KDL in further improving its service for customers and to provide room for expansion of its own business. It not only centralises all logistical services on to a CO2-neutral site, but also reflects the company’s vision of the future: ‘better, bigger and easier’.

Realising the vision
Helping to realise this vision, the Movu atlas shuttle system was installed in summer 2022 to provide a high density, multi-pallet position AS/RS. Without the need for lift truck aisles, the atlas system maximises storage capacity on a given footprint, while also removing manual handling, helping to reduce both personnel risk and picking errors.

Movu designed a system comprising a 28 metre high atlas rack comprising ten levels, with a footprint of 60 x 100 metres to accommodate the 45,000 locations. Pallets are moved and organised within the rack on a fleet of 20 Movu atlas pallet shuttles. These self-powered robotic carriers transport pallets on the rails of the rack’s storage lanes, where the pallets are housed, and on the rails of the main lane that runs across the storage lanes. Movu WES software manages the shuttle traffic within the rack, issuing orders from KDL’s Warehouse Management System (WMS). Movu has also provided an app that allows authorised operators to control the system from their smart phones.

Next to the atlas installation is the DC’s dispatch area and three mezzanine levels, each having an area of approximately 2,000 metres square, which are served by elevators and used for processing the goods. Movu collaborated with Ceratec to provide integrated in/outbound zones, advanced conveyers and turntables. Together, these systems offer a seamless flow of goods from storage to the dispatch area, where there are ten loading docks.

The operation

Trucks bring in and pick up goods 24-hours a day via the facility’s covered loading docks. After inspection and identification, pallets are placed on the internal transport system. The Movu atlas shuttles deposit and remove pallets via three lifts. KDL’s extensive Warehouse Management System controls the orders for put-away, pallet picking and replenishment.

The atlas shuttles transport a range of different types of goods that KDL manages for its clients. Pallets – which can include a mix of standard industry, Euro and plastic pallets – are weighed before entering the atlas system so that KDL knows what it is storing. Pallets with a loading of up to 1000 kg are stored on first two levels, with units up to 850 kg housed on the levels above.

On the mezzanines, teams perform value added services such as packaging, labelling and assembling. All pallets, including those for piece picking, are brought in or picked up by the shuttles. The system has 150 pallets per hour going in and the same figure going out. When goods are ready to go they are temporarily put into storage or taken immediately to the shipping zone.

Abundant flexibility

The inherent flexibility of the Movu atlas system was a key advantage for KDL over a stacker crane-based AS/RS. With a stacker system, if one crane is out of action, the pallets in that aisle cannot be reached. It is also hard to reconfigure to meet changing requirements and is less environmentally efficient – a heavy crane takes more power than the lightweight shuttle to transport each pallet.

With Movu atlas, however, shuttles can easily be added or removed as demand requires. A swap facility allows the shuttles to change levels automatically so if, for example, there is a large number of pallets on one level, a shuttle can be brought in from a less busy level to improve its throughput.

The rack is currently 40% occupied, giving plenty of space for new customers but the Movu system also contributes the facility’s futureproofed design. A rear wall in the DC can be removed, if required, to allow an extension to the modular rack and the addition of more shuttles. The site has room to potentially double the capacity to 90,000 pallets in the future.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, says: “This project is a great demonstration of bringing easier automation to all warehouses. The atlas shuttle system offers a flexible, scaleable, modular approach to automation. It is quick to install, simple to integrate and easy to reconfigure or expand with minimal impact on ongoing operations.”

Kris De Leeneer, CEO of KDL said: “Having made the decision to introduce automation into our new DC, and after looking at other solutions, we were attracted to the flexibility offered by Movu’s atlas system. It allowed us to optimise floor space as well as to handle more pallets than we ever could manually. Furthermore, atlas is an efficient and scaleable automated warehousing solution that can adapt to our requirements due to its modularity and the ability to add shuttles as required.”

He added: “Movu Robotics is a neighbour in Lokeren, and we talk the same language. Having been a long-term customer of its parent company stow Group, we have a trust relationship – it really understands our requirements. That is why we decided that Movu was the company to design, install and maintain an automated storage and retrieval system that would meet our needs into the future.”

Avoiding Christmas Peak Overload with Robotics

Posted on by David Priestman

Robotic solutions for automated storage and retrieval, as well as order picking, provide the secret to successfully hitting seasonal peaks – and can give a competitive edge at this crucial time of trading, writes Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics.

Imagine having the technology that gives you the ability to meet Christmas peaks successfully. Flexible robotic automated warehousing solutions are fulfilling many Christmas wishes by helping retailers and logistics operations overcome the challenges of peak trading season, in addition to gaining a competitive edge.

Over recent years, the seasonal peak in demand for many sectors has stretched into what has become known as the ‘Golden Quarter’, which runs through a series of festivals including the seemingly ever-growing event of Halloween, the post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza that is Black Friday and on into Christmas.

This peak season may well be spreading even further. Research by McKinsey found that US consumers’ holiday shopping is starting earlier and lasting longer this year, with most starting in October or earlier and 40% intending to start in November, compared with 35 percent in 2022.

Forrester is forecasting that total end of year holiday retail sales in the US will reach $969 billion, reflecting a 4.3% year on year (YoY) increase. Retailers are at the sharp end of the Golden Quarter when they generally make most of their sales. For many, it generates more revenue than the first three quarters of the year combined. The volume of goods to process to meet this demand can suddenly increase on average, depending on sector, by around 40%.

Christmas itself is the summit of the peak period. According to Statista, among the three leading European countries, the total value of Christmas spending in 2023 – both online and instore – is forecast to be the highest in the United Kingdom (UK) with almost £85 billion followed by Germany at nearly £74 bn and France at £62.83 bn.

This boom in trading has the potential to overload supporting logistics operations lacking in preparedness, creating a balancing act between driving sales and maintaining profitability. A recent survey led by Deposco of 200 supply chain leaders working for European retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers or 3PL/4PL firms found that 41% of European supply chain executives expect this year’s peak retail season to be more challenging than that of 2022, with only 18% believing it will be less difficult.

Adding to this is the requirement to handle an ever more complex assortment of goods to fulfil ever growing numbers of ever smaller orders. Customer expectations on lead times are shrinking from days to just hours, placing pressure on businesses to stock, pick, pack and ship from smaller, local facilities, and efficiency in handling returns is gaining far greater prominence as retailers battle to protect margins.

With profit margins under intense pressure and given the crucial role warehouse operations play in ensuring that customers are not let down, retailers are looking for flexible and cost effective intralogistics solutions that can help to improve their bottom line and achieve their priorities – including continuity of customer service levels. Competition is so intense that there are no second chances for a late or erroneous shipment and brand value can be swiftly eroded through poor delivery experiences.

So, it’s all hands to the pumps – except there aren’t enough available hands. Staff are generally not plentiful on potentially expensive agency books. Many among a company’s existing staff will have booked holidays, there may be an increase in sick days over the festive period, or staff may simply not be keen to work unscheduled overtime.

How to cope

Forward planning and flexible intralogistics are essential to meet demand and cope with an unexpected influx. To support the need for flexible intralogistics processes it makes sense to have in place easily adaptable, robust and reliable equipment that not only performs everyday functions, but can also be scaled up whenever necessary to meet peak demand.

A growing number of companies are adopting robotic solutions in their logistics processes. They provide far greater flexibility than conventional automated handling systems, and can seriously boost productivity, throughput and operational accuracy, even in ‘steady state’ operations. Pallet and bin shuttle systems for automated storage and retrieval are a prime example. With modular design, acting as a set of building blocks to minimise complexity and cost of upgrading, these systems are highly scalable –installations can start small and then expand or, if needed, they can downsize just as easily.

Shuttle systems provide a high density, multi-pallet position automated storage and retrieval system that maximises storage capacity while also removing manual handling, helping to reduce both personnel risk and picking errors. Self-powered robot carriers transport pallets on the rails within the storage lanes of the racking where the pallets are housed, and on the rails of the main lane that runs across the storage lanes it serves. Software manages the shuttle traffic within the system, issuing orders from a Warehouse Management System (WMS).

Using picking robots at the workstations of bin shuttle storage systems add to this flexibility. So will using Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) systems for pallets and additional load carriers to provide flexible transport to and from the shuttle systems, as well as used as ‘cobots’ to support order picking operations.

The benefit in terms of handling peaks is the ability to add individual robots – either shuttles, AMRs or picking arms, as demand requires. Much easier than complex reconfiguration of conventional, stacker crane-based automated systems. In addition, with shuttle systems, robots can be moved between the levels of a system to optimise throughput.

With these kind of robotics systems, the joy for companies coping with seasonal peaks is that you don’t have to use, and incur the expense of, the whole capacity. At low volume times, just use a few robots – at the peak, introduce the whole fleet.

Bringing automation to all warehouses

Robotics in the form of shuttle systems and AMRs, such as those offered by Movu Robotics, bring easier automation solutions to all warehouses. In particular, they provide opportunities for SMEs, with as few as 5000 pallet locations, to steal a march on larger retail organisations that may have committed to less than flexible, fixed automated systems. With the combination of intelligent software and advanced robot technology, SMEs can leverage the flexibility, speed and performance of this kind of goods-to-person automation as a low-CapEx project. This ensures that when it comes to opportunities for automation, no warehouse is left behind.

Simple, standardised plug and play solutions for warehouse automation and robotics are more accessible and more scalable. They also create an impressive business case for companies. Even operating ‘off-peak’ at well below capacity there is a rapid Return On Investment with labour redeployed to other tasks, such as picking. But it is at peak times when these systems really come into their own, ramping up throughput without any corresponding increase in labour, and minimising the burden on dispatch and delivery operations. Movu recently installed an atlas 2D robotic shuttle system for a company serving the Chocolate industry, for which Christmas is a significant peak alongside Easter. The flexibility that the shuttle system provides not only helps it to manage these peaks but also facilitates future growth.

By choosing Intelligently designed and flexibly integrated robotic automated warehouse solutions, retailers, manufacturers and logistics operations can meet their fulfilment promises, even during peaks, while saving money. And, importantly, automation isn’t ‘just for Christmas’. It can be scaled and flexed to give benefits throughout the year, in both peak and slack seasons, bringing a multitude of savings. This kind of wise deployment of automation enables a business to not just simply survive, but to thrive.

Shuttles or Stackers?

Posted on by David Priestman

When considering automated warehousing, stacker cranes have often been the default storage and retrieval choice for pallets and bins. Shuttles, however, are increasingly being seen as the more efficient, flexible and sustainable alternative, as Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, explains.

Most firms that have to move quantities of palletised goods moving in, out or through a warehouse are familiar with that old stalwart – the stacker crane. Indeed it is no exaggeration to say that in many cases the warehouse is designed and built around the craneage. That, though, is far from ideal, whether viewed in terms of operational efficiency or through the increasingly important prism of sustainability.

Stacker cranes are undeniably chunky. They consume a lot of material in their construction, and a lot of energy moving all that mass around. Partly as a result they require significant upfront capital investment, which is a particular challenge for smaller businesses with budget constraints.

They are also very wasteful of available, expensive, floor area. They require generous aisle space to work in which reduces the overall storage density within the warehouse. They are not well suited to more space-efficient deep storage. They require the site to be all on one level, which for a warehouse of any magnitude often means building on a flood plain. They may demand floors to have a greater load-bearing capacity and place other demands on the building’s structure and services that are difficult to meet in older facilities. Also, a stacker crane layout cannot make effective use of the irregularly-shaped pockets of the site that are common in older developments or in urban areas. On some warehousing sites well over 50% of potential storage space is reckoned to be wasted.

Being complex systems, stacker cranes are demanding of meticulous planned maintenance, which has to be carried out in situ, and whilst that is in progress that aisle is essentially out of action. Similarly, any breakdown or malfunction will disrupt operations – they constitute a ‘single point of failure’ – just one apparently minor problem can render an entire aisle’s inventory inaccessible.

Perhaps most fundamentally, warehouse systems built around a stacker crane concept are fundamentally inflexible. The specific configuration of locations, aisles and cranes places a fixed limit on the maximum throughput of the facility: increasing throughput is likely to require a fairly large scale and expensive redesign and rebuild.

Shuttles and space

Stacker cranes still have their place – particularly for heavy goods, and where maximising the use of the vertical space is an imperative, although as we will see that is less of a differentiator nowadays. But for many palletised warehouse operations there is an increasingly attractive and viable alternative in the form of shuttle systems, such as those manufactured by Movu in alliance with our group partner stow Racking.

Pallet shuttles are small vehicles with a low height, and with a footprint essentially that of the pallet they are moving. They move on rails within the storage lanes of the racking system to bring pallets to and from a loading/unloading end aisle which can also be used to transfer pallets between storage lanes. Shuttles operate in two dimensions in each ‘layer’ of the racking system, but can be transferred vertically as well as between lanes. The latter is carried out automatically, through the management system and, unlike some earlier systems, without the use of a forklift truck to effect the transfer. Movu Atlas shuttles, for example, can carry pallets of 1 m x 1 m, or 1 m x 1.2 m, weighing up to 1,500 kg.

Besides greatly reducing the amount of ‘wasted’ aisle space required, this approach has a number of advantages. There is no particular limit to vertical height – 18 metres is commonplace, and we have one client whose racking extends to an eye-popping 46 metres. Odd-shaped pockets of the site, whether this is in the plans or because of uneven ground, can be brought into use economically simply by using some shorter lanes. And because shuttles, unlike stacker cranes, in no sense fixed, it is relatively straightforward and economical to reconfigure the racking if needs be – the racking itself is of modular design.

Being battery-powered and mobile, shuttles can be moved out of the way of operations for battery charging, routine maintenance, or in the case of breakdown, so not impairing the operation of the warehouse. At times of peak activity the number of shuttles in use can be increased – either across the warehouse or by transferring shuttles between lanes or levels, to meet increased demand in a particular section of the warehouse. Shuttle systems can thus be fully scalable and flexible.

Sustainability advantage

In terms of sustainability, as well as making better use of scarce real estate, shuttle systems employ much less material both in their construction and in terms of building modifications. And the saving in energy consumption simply from not having to move massive cranes around is substantial – a shuttle weighs 300 kilograms; a crane may weigh up to 15 tonnes, and so a shuttle system can be up to five times more energy efficient than craneage.

The shuttle concept can also be applied to transporting bins of material in goods-to-person picking operations. Carrying a lighter loading (up to 50 kg) enables a significant difference from pallet shuttles. Movu’s escala shuttles, for example, can work in full 3D, moving up and down ramps to access different storage layers – a bit like a multi-storey car park.

Integrating with Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), picking arm robots or with other forms of automation permits a high degree of automation that can yield further sustainability benefits. These can support areas of a warehouse that does not have to support regular human labour so can be run ‘lights out’ or with reduced heating. Cold store operations, meanwhile, can be made more energy efficient – Movu equipment, for example stands out as capable of working in temperatures down to -25° C.

Bringing easier automation to warehouses

Shuttles offer a flexible, scalable, modular approach to automation. Systems are quick to install, even in existing buildings and on awkward sites, simple to integrate, and easy to reconfigure or expand with minimal impact on ongoing operations. An operator can start small – shuttle systems can be viable for sites with as few as 5000 pallet locations – and expand as finances or business allows: we have users with as many as 80,000 pallet locations.

Consumer requirements, especially for e-commerce, combined with rising pressure on resources from land and labour to energy, mean that warehouse automation is an imperative. But in these uncertain times, heavy upfront investment in solutions that are in their nature limited and inflexible may not be the best option, either now or on your business growth path. Modular shuttle systems, such as those provided by Movu Robotics, offer an economically and environmentally more sustainable alternative.

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