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Tag: Stow

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

 

Scalable, Safe and Reliable Racking

Posted on by David Priestman

At LogiMAT 2024, which takes place at the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre in Germany on 19-21 March 2024, global leader in warehouse storage solutions stow will be showcasing how it delivers a diverse range of scalable, safe and reliable racking systems that improve warehouse efficiency.

Ranking among the leading racking manufacturers in the world, stow specialises in the development, manufacturing and installation of top-quality racking and storage solutions. On Booth 3B67 in hall 3 at LogiMAT 2024, the company will be spotlighting its diverse range of storage solutions, from smart shelving units over mezzanine structures to various pallet storage solutions. These high-quality systems have been meticulously designed to meet the requirements of global and regional customers from all industries and to ensure swift and easy installation.

The company’s offering is a guarantee for performance and quality, which has been finely crafted over 40 years to provide a precise, robust and enduring foundation for all warehouse racking needs, as well as setting the stage for seamless warehouse integration. A network of nine factories and 20 sales companies worldwide accelerates supply times and offers close contact and localised support to customers, whether they are local or international organisations expanding globally, giving access to the same one-stop shop and an unmatched storage experience.

For the first time ever at LogiMAT, a live showcase of end-to-end material flow will demonstrate how stow integrates storage systems alongside the autonomous sub-systems of fellow stow Group company Movu Robotics, which is sharing the stand. From bin storage via precise piece picking, to efficient pallet transport and strategic pallet storage, the showcase will present the easy and accessible opportunities for racking customers to step into automation.

Experts from stow will be on hand to discuss how the company’s own growing international scope and its strong portfolio of successfully realized projects have improved efficiency for customers across the world, in a broad variety of sectors. These include logistics, automotive, e-commerce, grocery and retail, which will all be strongly represented at LogiMAT.

Whether you are local operation or a company expanding internationally and requiring support from its comprehensive global network, stow Racking stands out through its ability to serve your requirements to improve your company’s warehouse efficiency and boost continued growth in your business.

Philip Mylle, CSO of stow Group commented: “At LogiMAT 2024, we want to share all our racking expertise with our customers in a fruitful dialogue. In the fast evolving logistics environment, customers need to be able to rely on reliable and efficient suppliers, both in terms of cost-
effectiveness and supply chain. stow, as one of the world’s leading racking and storage companies, can be a valuable partner for national and international customers in realizing innovative and efficient racking solutions. Customers can rely on a broad product portfolio and global reference projects that we have successfully realized in all sectors over the last 40 years. We are looking forward to presenting all our expertise at this year’s LogiMAT, and to greeting all our valued customers on the booth.”

stow Group is one of the world leading suppliers of racking and automated storage solutions. The core activity is the development, manufacturing and installation of top-quality systems and solutions for warehouse operations. The company employs more than 2,000 people worldwide. In 2023, the Group generated sales of almost €1 billion. It has an extensive pan-European manufacturing presence with nine production sites and a global distribution network. stow Group has two independent brands under its roof: stow and Movu Robotics, both headquartered in Belgium.

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.

Gripping Innovation for Robotic Piece Picking

Posted on by David Priestman

Movu Robotics, supplier for designing, developing, and implementing innovative and easier warehouse automation solutions, announces the launch of the innovative Movu eligo robot picking arm.

A fully integrated robotic bin picking solution, developed in close collaboration with Righthand Robotics, Movu eligo can automatically piece-pick from a single-SKU source bin and place the individual items into multiple mixed-SKU destination bins. Developed to close the gap between manual and fully automatic pick operation, Movu eligo provides warehouse operators with a huge step forward in order picking. It also provides a solution for labour shortage issues, with a robot that can work through inconvenient work hours at reduced cost but with higher pick accuracy and quality. Other key benefits include:

• Reliable and effective robotic picking of up to 600 items per hour at any time;
• Enabling the picking and placing of a wide variety of SKUs;
• Providing a unique plug and play sub-system that is integrated with the Movu escala bin shuttle, resulting in an innovative end-to-end automated solution from storage to picking;
• Easy way to automatically pick SKUs that are suited for robotic picking, store the bins and then finish the order with a manual pick when the time is convenient
• Reduced cost per pick, resulting in a strong Return on Investment (ROI).

Provided with seamless integration as a pick station option for the Movu escala bin shuttle, the Movu eligo combines advanced software with intelligent grippers and machine vision to ensure reliable throughput. Gently grasping an item from a bin retrieved from the escala while picking, the robot then places the item in a delivery bin. Providing feedback on grasp success, the intelligent grippers ensure an accuracy of 100%. In addition to a low gripping failure rate the Movu eligo reduces the number of manual ‘touches’ required for order fulfilment or replenishment and can reach a pick success rate greater than 99%.

Able to achieve 600 picks per hour, depending on the specific implementation, the robot 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.

The robot arm stands 2.2 metres high and has an operating radius of 1.3 metres. A safety interface makes robotic work cells safe when human interaction is required.

Driven by software, the system leverages machine learning to continuously improve picking. Movu eligo runs on a plug-and-play Application Programming Interface (API) which integrates directly with the Movu escala bin storage solution. This user-friendly complete solution allows the seamless integration of robotic and manual picking operation for maximum efficiency. Movu escala interacts with overlying Warehouse Management Software (WMS), Warehouse Control Software (WCS) and Warehouse Execution Software (WES) as needed to mission the piece picking operations. By planning tasks for the robot such as robot arm movements around the source and destination bin exchange phases, the software optimises pick cycle times to maximise throughput.

Real-time operational data is presented to staff stationed away from the active systems to resolve exceptions quickly and efficiently. Performance dashboards enable warehouse operations to visualise current and historical data. Available with full 24/7 support, the Movu eligo allows customers, particularly those involved in pharmaceuticals, apparel, e-commerce, manufacturing and kitting, to realise the benefits of reliable robotic piece-picking without worrying about integrating all the elements.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, commented: “Movu eligo is the next level for Movu Robotics to offer innovative and easier Automation solutions to our customer. It is a data-driven, intelligent piece picking platform unlike any other. Automating the conventionally manual operation or piece picking results in a lower cost per pick, leading to a strong return on investment. Integrated seamlessly as a work station for the Movu escala bin storage system, eligo offers a flexible and scalable automation solution for predictable and accurate order fulfilment, adding value for warehouses pursuing improvements in efficiency, productivity and customer service levels.”

Movu Robotics Opens HQ and Experience Centre

Posted on by David Priestman

Movu Robotics, supplier for designing, developing, and implementing innovative and easier warehouse automation solutions, announces the opening of its new headquarters located in Lokeren, in the East Flanders province of Belgium.

Under a single roof, the facility houses engineering, R&D and production departments. It also features a state of the art of Experience Centre – one of the biggest in Europe where Movu Robotics’ latest technologies can be demonstrated live in operation to customers and partners. Logistics Business was given a tour on Monday.

As an independent business unit within the stow Group with different requirements to the stow Racking brand, Movu Robotics requires its own premises to produce its growing range of increasingly popular shuttles and robots. Movu’s new headquarters provides the room to support the continued and future significant growth in the robotics and automation business unit.

Lokeren is an ideal location: not too far from stow Group’s headquarters and conveniently situated between Ghent and Antwerp, which gives good access to a pool of skills required by the business, which is important given the number of people Movu will continue to hire going forward. The building itself combines a rare set of characteristics: it has large office area, covering approximately 5000 square metres, combined with a 10,000 square metre surface for logistics and manufacturing operations.

In addition, the building has an area of approximately 2500 square metres where it has a high ceiling, which provides the ideal space for the Experience Centre. which provides the ideal space for the Experience Centre. At 100m long, 25 metres wide and 20m high the Experience Centre is bigger than many actual warehouses, providing the ideal venue for Movu Robotics to present its product portfolio technologies: Movu atlas pallet shuttles, Movu escala bin shuttles, Movu ifollow AMRs and the new picking arm robot Movu eligo are all showcased in action, in a real life warehouse setting.

Visitors to the Experience Centre can see a 20m high Movu atlas pallet shuttle rack with lifts, has shuttles transporting pallets operating inside. There are Movu ifollow AMRs picking up pallets from
the racks and transporting them to different locations. AMRs can also be seen supporting picking from racking. There is a huge Movu escala bin shuttle warehouse containing 1000 bins with shuttles
operating inside. The Movu escala also demonstrates the Movu eligo picking robot application as well as conventional pick stations. A special attention is also devoted to the Movu software. Visitors can get deep insights into the self developed Movu Warehouse Execution System that is formed by three pillars: Movu ops for managing all operations, Movu tower for checking the available resources and selecting the most suitable shuttle or AMR and Movu pilot that ensures the execution of the order at the level of the individual shuttle or AMRs.

The Experience Centre has integrated everything possible into the demonstration rack, including a tunnel under the rack, a stairway around the vertical lift, a mezzanine with a picking area. There are also many software screens around the centre demonstrating the controlling software and how visibility of what is going on in a warehouse can be provided from a distance.

The expansive footprint of the Experience Centre provides room for three versions of every Movu Robotics system in its product portfolio o ne providing a permanent demonstration set up to be
available anytime ; a second set up for R&D purposes, which allows Movu to test new generations of products, or to test customer products for specific set ups; a third installation is for testing all products after assembly, before shipping to the end customer site.

In addition to customer visits there will be industry groups visits and workshops in the Experience Centre, which will act as a live and dynamic demonstration of what is possible now and, through
examining trends and market direction, how the needs of tomorrow can be answered.

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, commented: “The new Movu Robotics headquarters in Lokeren is a centre of excellence, bringing together sales, R&D, manufacturing and one of Europe’s largest materials handling Experience Centres to provide a concentration of knowledge and expertise around robotics and automation. Creating a close connection between research, production and customer visits to the Experience Centre enhances Movu’s interaction with customers and provides the company with rapid market feedback to fuel our continued innovation and growth path.”

stow Announces New Robotics Brand: Movu

Posted on by David Priestman

stow Group, a globally recognized leader in the design, manufacturing, and implementation of advanced storage solutions and automated warehouse systems, announces the launch of the new ‘Movu Robotics’ brand, developed to strengthen its Robotics business unit and to meet increasing customer demand for Automation and Robotics solutions. The new brand replaces the name ‘stow Robotics’ as of now.

Movu Robotics is a new and dynamic warehouse automation brand that stands out by bringing easier logistics automation solutions to the world’s warehouses and ensuring that, when it comes to opportunities for automation, no warehouse is left behind. Movu is based in new headquarters located in Lokeren, near Antwerp in Belgium that, under a single roof, includes engineering, R&D, production, and a state of the art Experience Centre where the latest technologies can be demonstrated live in operation to customers and partners.

stow Group is a highly successful company with 40 years’ experience as a supplier of logistics and materials handling solutions , and a product DNA based on racking. As customer and market demand for automated solutions increase s driven by labour shortages, the need to increase profitability, efficiency, flexibility, accuracy as well as shortening lead times stow has been delivering innovative solutions to meet these challenges.

stow Robotics was e stablished in 2021 a s part of the stow Group and has developed a comprehensive and competitive portfolio of automation and robotics solutions for pallets, bins and items that provides a more energy efficient and practical alternative to stacker crane bins and items that provides a more energy efficient and practical alternative to stacker crane based solutions-based solutions. This comprises Movu atlas, a leading pallet shuttle system; Movu escala, an innovative ramp shuttle solution for totes/bins; Movu ifollow, a collaborative Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) system for pallets and additional load carriers: and the new picking robot Movu eligo.

Despite all their advantages, automated technologies and robotics are perceived by many customers as being complex, expensive, resource intensive with long lead time for installation. Movu Robotics addresses this issue by bringing easier automation to the world’s warehouses.

Movu – No warehouse left behind

For projects in the main vertical markets, especially in e-commerce, FMCG and cold storage in Europe and North America, Movu Robotics will deliver simple, standardised plug and play solutions that require less engineering and grant short lead times for execution, allowing customers to keep their operations running.

Jos de Vuyst, CEO of stow Group told Logistics Business: “Faced with challenges of labour shortages, cost increases, storage density, growing volumes and improving accuracy, companies are turning to robotics and automation for solutions. Movu Robotics offers an offers an integrated ecosystem of standardised and scalable automation technology that speeds roll out and reduces risk for all for all kinds of customers. We want to democratise materials handling through bringing the opportunities of easier automation and robotics to warehouses that would otherwise find them hard to attain. Expecting the global material handling equipment market to reach USD 350 billion and understanding the key driver AS/RS systems and Robotics systems for this, we are optimistic that Movu Robotics will become an essential player.”

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, commented: “Smart enough to make any operation feel simple and easy, Movu robots help to take a load off the customers’ minds as well as their shelves. Our solutions are designed to make warehouse automation and robotics not only more accessible, but also more scalable. They will enable any warehouse around the world – big or small, regular or awkwardly shaped – to be upgraded and become more productive, more efficient and more successful. This is the philosophy behind our brand claim: ‘’Movu – No warehouse left behind’.”

Group structure

stow Group now has two independent brands under its roof: stow Racking and Movu Robotics. While both of these brands retain their independence, they strongly impact each other in terms of expertise, know how, technology and global resources. All products, business activities and operations of stow Group in the field of Robotics and Automation, including R&D, production, sales and finance, will be grouped as an independent and standalone business unit under the Movu Robotics brand in the new headquarters in Lokeren. This includes the operations of the ifollow business, which is now the brand name of AMRs offered by Movu.

The management team will be led by Jos de Vuyst, CEO of stow Group and Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics. Both stow Group and Movu Robotics are driven by a strong a strong team of board members, comprising experience from the Logistics Industry and from other sectors.

Movu Robotics technologies

Unlike many automation companies that have a single product, the new Movu Robotics brand includes a range of key technologies: Movu atlas pallet shuttles, Movu escala bin shuttles and Movu ifollow AMRs for pallets and roll cages that work either standalone or as collaborative robots. Joining these is the new Movu eligo picking robot, which is offered as a picking workstation for escala.

Movu Robotics provides solutions for easier automation that can make better use of every corner of the warehouse – irrespective of the customers’ storage space or what they are storing, conveying, picking or handling. Customers gain the key advantage of seamless integrated racking and robotics solutions – for example, the Movu atlas shuttle system working with Movu ifollow mobile robots, or Movu eligo acting as a workstation for Movu escala. A key benefit is that a customer talks to a single face representing a single partner, providing efficient project management and reliable lead times. They will also receive efficient project commissioning for a safe and resilient supply chain that assists in delivering high service levels to their customers.

Autonomous sub–systems for minimal TCO

Technologies in the Movu Robotics product portfolio can be integrated into a single autonomous sub-system as a solution, with components including racking, shuttles or AMRs, software, wifi and commissioning. This enables easy installation, adaptability to new business needs through simple integration of new applications and a minimal Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach. This makes upgrading warehouses easier, not only for existing users of logistics automation who want to upgrade their systems with plug and play robotics and automation, but also those yet to adopt automation but who urgently want to take the first step.

Standardisation and simplification, which is an essential part of Movu Robotics, results in shorter lead times and lower engineering costs, producing higher profitability. To maximise flexibility, Movu Robotics systems are modular in design, acting as a set of building blocks to minimise complexity and cost of upgrading. This makes the systems highly scalable – installations can start small and then expand or, if needed, they can downsize just as easily. Modularity also enables a fast roll out for projects.

For not leaving any warehouse warehouse behind, Movu Robotics will target the market with a dual strategy: providing end users with a direct channel, for which Movu relies on a network of sales offices in main territories. Its portfolio of simple, standardised, scalable, and flexible systems provide opportunities for SMEs with as few as 5000 pallet locations to automate, to address challenges such as labour shortages and cost efficiency -– a huge growth area. The other part of this strategy is the indirect channel where Movu can supply a fully functional storage sub-system from its portfolio to a systems integrator for integration into a complete project. All of this is supported by a global network in customer service and stow’s 40 years’ industry experience.

Movu Robotics is consistently working to improve existing technology for the customer, with innovation, R&D and entrepreneurial thinking being an integral part of the dynamic business unit. The next product launch is planned for 2024, to further expand the portfolio.

Movu Robotics’ headquarters in Lokeren, Belgium, combines a 5,000 square metre large office area with a 10,000 square metre surface for logistics and manufacturing operations under a single roof, next to a state-of-the-art experience centre – one of the biggest in Europe — where where the latest technologies are showcased live to customers and partners.

Silo with Automated Pallet Shuttle Storage

Posted on by David Priestman

Dematra is a pioneering logistics services company renowned for its commitment to excellence in the industry. Its state-of-the-art, highly advanced 46-meter-tall stow Silo is the result of a highly successful project with the stow Group and demonstrates the future of warehousing and distribution. For this project, unlike most other automated warehouses, Dematra decided to work with shuttles instead of cranes.

The ground-breaking project showcases the pinnacle of automated technology in warehousing: the awe-inspiring 46-meter-tall stow Silo boasts the capacity to house nearly 80,000 pallets effortlessly and is equipped to handle 12,000 pallet movements within a 24-hour timeframe – an international first. Such a level of automation and productivity sets this warehouse apart from conventional counterparts and is set to revolutionise the logistics landscape.

Partnering with the world-renowned stow and the company’s stow Robotics business unit, Dematra has taken warehousing to unprecedented heights with the implementation of the stow Atlas® 2D pallet shuttle system. This cutting-edge automation technology is the backbone of the Silo, ensuring optimal efficiency, speed, and precision in the handling of goods. Dematra specialises in the fast and accurate distribution of various goods within Benelux in addition to operating several modern warehouses, where it manages the entire logistics chain of its customers. This new fully automatic high-bay warehouse on the De Prijkels industrial estate in Nazareth, a town in the Belgian province of East Flanders, cost 50 million Euros.

At the heart of this impressive warehouse are the stow Atlas® 2D shuttles, ingeniously designed to move and organise pallets with unrivaled proficiency. The Atlas® 2D pallet shuttle system consists of a number of Atlas shuttles, the specially designed stow Shuttle-rack system and the local controlling system (STC). The stow Atlas® 2D is a self-powered pallet carrier, which can transport pallets on both the rails of the storage lanes and the rails of the main lanes that run across the storage lanes. The so-called crossings or intersections between the storage lanes and the main lanes are designed for a smooth transition of the stow Atlas® 2D shuttle, either unloaded or loaded.

The automatically controlled shuttles can move pallets horizontally in a fully automatic way and without interfering with each other. The unparalleled flexibility offered by the stow Atlas® 2D shuttles is one of the unique selling points (USPs) of this astounding facility. The dynamic capabilities of the shuttle system means the client can swiftly adapt to the ever-changing logistics requirements of its valued customers, ensuring their goods are efficiently stored and easily accessible.

Meeting the design challenge

Construction of the Silo commenced in early November 2021 and on 1 April this year it officially entered operation. Dematra relied on the knowledge and experience of qualitative and reliable partners that together built this high profile project. The challenge for stow was to be able to deliver a fully scalable, flexible and reactive in-and-out storage system with high throughput, using about 40 Atlas 2D pallet shuttles in a 46 meter Silo.

In designing a compact, extremely stable and flexible in-out storage system with Atlas® 2D shuttles, stow has accomplished two key things: on the one hand the company has built a very large Silo for 80,000 pallet positions that, at 46 metre high, is a significant achievement in itself. In addition, the Silo was built on a very erratic site, resulting in the building an irregular shape rather than a standard rectangle or square building, which means cranes could not be used.

So the second achievement for stow was to install Dematra’s choice of the Atlas® 2D pallet shuttle system for storing and retrieving pallets in deep lanes. Shuttles are much more flexible than cranes, which need a lot of space and are unwieldy.

The Atlas 2D shuttles at heart of the system carry pallets to and from any of the 80,000 storage locations through a total of six main entry points per floor. In this way, the shuttle can change between storage lanes without intervention of an operator or any other means of transportation. There are about 40 shuttles operational here continuously, transporting pallets in large numbers between the front zone of the building and the actual storage area.

These shuttles, which are controlled automatically and can be used 24 hours a day, do no less than 12,000 pallet movements in an 24-hour period – far beyond the capabilities of a conventional warehouse. If there is a lot of work, additional shuttles can be rented if necessary to speed up the throughput even more.

stow is the first, and currently only, company in the world that can manufacture and install this 2D shuttle system. Adding a further unique aspect to the project is the fact that project is the first time stow 2D shuttles are operating in a Silo of this size.

Dematra wanted a very large system that would deliver high density storage of a large number of pallets. Stow’s design was able to accommodate 80,000 pallets on a surface area that is not only relatively very small but one that is also very erratic. Thanks to its height, the building barely takes up 10,000 square meters. Without the height, 5 to 6 hectares would be required, so the ecological footprint is a lot smaller.

Dematra also wanted a very flexible and scaleable system. The throughput of the system is very high due to the number of shuttles that are operational. Throughput can be increased if necessary, simply by adding more shuttles to the system, making it a very flexible system. Finally, Dematra wanted a very reactive system: pallets are only taken out of the system when trucks arrive at the loading dock.

In summary, the key benefits of the stow Silo solution are:
• Proving Dematra with ability to house nearly 80,000 pallets effortlessly
• Providing leading performance, handling 12,000 pallet movements within a 24-hour timeframe, which could not be achieved conventionally
• Providing the required density of storage within a limited compromised footprint
• Providing a system that is flexible and scaleable, allowing adaptation to ever-changing logistics requirements
• Providing a reactive system that moves pallets only when required for greater efficiency
• Provides fast, accurate and efficient handling of goods

Dematra’s 46-meter-tall stow Silo is a true marvel of automation and is set to redefine the concept of warehousing, embracing automation, efficiency, and adaptability like never before. With the stow Atlas® 2D pallet shuttle implementation, this fully automated wonder will undoubtedly set new industry standards, placing Dematra at the forefront of innovation in warehousing and distribution.

Can Mobile Robots Solve Skills Shortage?

Posted on by David Priestman

With the labour pool for warehousing running dry, it is time growing warehouse operations look to mobile robots to share the work, explains Frazer Watson, VP-Sales UK/Ireland at iFollow.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) offer one of the more cost effective and flexible automation solutions to enable logistics operations to optimise their labour force. This is particularly the case when it comes to the intensive process of accurate order picking and the energy sapping and time consuming necessity of moving goods around a warehouse.

Finding ways to optimise labour has never been more relevant as a list of ingredients is being stirred into a skills shortage stew, which is threatening to take a considerable toll on UK organisations. In addition to sustained low levels of unemployment, the UK labour force remains smaller than it was prior to the Covid pandemic, according to research company Fitch Ratings. In its special report called: ‘Shortfall in UK Labour Supply to Persist’ it detects a ‘curious movement in the UK work demographic’, with a significant proportion of over 50s having left the workforce, and estimates that had the UK’s labour force continued to grow at its 2015-2019 trend rate, it would be around 2.5% bigger than it is today. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation estimates that if labour shortages are not addressed, the UK economy will be £39 billion worse off each year from 2024.

While the UK is not unique in experiencing shortages of workers, numerous commentators in the logistics sector point to changes following Brexit that have reduced the available pool of EU-based workers. This is perhaps a more salient issue for UK warehousing, which is among the sectors hardest hit by the labour shortage as it continues to expand on the back of developments such as supporting continued growth of ecommerce operations. Adding weight to this claim is a survey published last summer by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). It revealed that 86% of companies across its membership had experienced warehouse operative staff shortages in the prior two years.

Furthermore, the shortage is combining with persistent inflation to drive upward wage growth. Such a situation can potentially influence broader logistics decisions, such as prioritising labour availability over other strategic business decisions when it comes to locating warehouse operations. Locations that have traditionally attracted distribution sheds have created strong competition among employers for a dwindling pool of labour.

Improving productivity in warehousing through the route of increasing wages is unlikely to be sustainable for many, while investing in training has always been a less than a popular notion in UK business. Faced with the likelihood of long-term staff shortages, many UK warehouse and distribution centre operations are already turning to technology as an aid.

Technology is transforming warehouse work

As entire supply chains become ever more connected, technology enables retailers and their logistics providers to deliver improved service to consumers. Established technologies already include Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), data capture, voice recognition, RFID, pick by light, and all kinds of automated solutions for storage, retrieval, transport and packaging. The advent of mobile robots has moved this on a further step.

Rarely does technology replace people completely, in most instances it complements existing staff, creating collaborative working. This is certainly true of mobile robots, which can take on the more onerous, laborious and time consuming, yet simple tasks such as transporting goods around a warehouse. This leaves their human colleagues to be deployed where they are more productive, such as at the pick face, and creates a vastly more efficient way of working where more can be done with fewer people. Consequently this reduces the pressure on finding staff.

This pressure is particularly heated during peaks, when it’s not just a question a finding people in numbers sufficient to cope with increased orders, but staff that can hit the ground running to maintain service levels. Mobile robots carry on their tasks irrespective of conditions and hours. When businesses scale up or hit peak trading, extra robots can be easily added. This also allows a stepped approach to automated warehouse functions, beginning with one unit and building up a fleet as required, or units can be switched with different capacity models. And because AMRs do not require fixed infrastructure, their routes and duties are extremely flexible, with the programming of tasks via an intuitive fleet management interface.

Optimising labour with mobile robots

Premium mobile robots will have virtues that will allow labour to be optimised even further. An iFollow AMR, for example, can transport two roll cages at once, to a total load of 1,500 kg. This means a picker can work with multiple AMRs simultaneously, so potentially, on a single pick walk an operator supported by two AMRs could be assembling the orders for four different stores or customers. Through this kind of collaboration with the worker, which iFollow calls ‘Duo Picking’, the robot not only frees up a role but it will also reduce time required to carry out a pick. This can bring up to 50% improvement in pick rates by comparison with purely manual methods.

Far from replacing people completely, actively working with technology in ways like this will also increase the appeal of warehouse jobs to tech-savvy young people – a demographic that has the sector has found hard to attract and retain. Unfortunately, warehouse work has acquired a reputation for being hard on employees, low paid and has never ranked among the most desired of occupations. However, unlike many other sectors competing for the same limited labour resource, the work is full time and offers great career path opportunities. Indeed, many of today’s Logistics Managers started out on the warehouse floor. Working with mobile robots adds an attractive and interesting element into the job.

So mobile robots not only offer a collaborative solution that means fewer staff are required, particularly during peaks, but they also add a high tech element to warehouse work that makes the sector more attractive to the kind of recruits an increasingly technology-driven industry desperately needs. Becoming less reliant on labour certainly offers a practical proposition and joins other long-term gains from investing in reliable mobile robots. Their predictable costs, productivity boosting capabilities and flexibility in deployment to handle changes in business are a great way for warehouse operations to reduce their reliance on the availability of people.

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