BEST PRODUCTS for High-Efficiency Intralogistics

The independent jury of scholars and journalists reviewed over 120 submissions and chose three winners that fully live up to the name of BEST PRODUCT as outstanding manifestations of the award criteria: They enhance productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations. The award-winning companies, through their products, are helping to make processes more stable yet flexible in adapting to changes. By improving efficiency, they are ultimately boosting the productivity of the logistics industry. The BEST PRODUCT award was presented in the LogiMAT Arena during the trade show’s gala opening-day ceremony by Dr. Johannes Fottner, Professor and Chair of the Institute for Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics at the Technical University of Munich.

In the category of “Order Picking, Conveying, Lifting, and Storing Technology,” the prize went to the Slovak company Photoneo Brightpick (Hall 6, Booth 6F64 and East Entrance, Booth EO41) for its Brightpick Autopicker

The Brightpick Autopicker is the only autonomous mobile fulfillment robot in the world that can pick and consolidate orders directly in warehouse aisles, capable of handling everything from non-refrigerated and refrigerated foods to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, packaged goods, cosmetics, electronics, clothing in polybags, and more. The Autopicker’s patented design features two bin locations so that the robot can remove one storage bin from a shelf and place individual items from it into an adjacent bin attached to the robot. It does this repeatedly as it moves through the warehouse until the order or batch has been fully picked.

Unlike other fulfillment robots, the Brightpick Autopicker does not have to travel back and forth to central picking stations, which translates to faster picking and a higher throughput. In addition to robot-assisted picking in the aisle, it can also be used for heavy or difficult-to-pick items in goods-to-person picking, pallet picking, dynamic slotting, stock replenishment, buffering, and shipping.

The robot works with standard racks and bins, enabling quick deployment and easy integration into existing processes and any warehouse environment, including mezzanines. It can be up and running in just a few weeks, slashing fulfillment workloads by 98% and cutting costs in half. The Brightpick Autopicker—deployed alone or in a fleet—guarantees 100% warehouse picking accuracy.

In the category of “Identification, Cargo Securement, and Packaging and Loading Technology,” the prize went to the Italian company CMC Packaging Automation (East Entrance, Booth ES55) for its CMC CartonWrap DUO

CMC CartonWrap Duo is the first machine on the market that can produce both boxes and envelopes tailored to the dimensions of the items to be packaged—all in a single workflow. This yields dramatic reductions in packaging volume, cardboard waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. The revolutionary design is a harmonious combination of sustainability and efficiency, using up to 50% less corrugated cardboard and 70% less adhesive than existing technologies. It also enhances the customer experience, because custom packaging is more reliable during transport. With CMC PackVertizing, you can even produce colorful, appealing custom packaging.

The machine first uses state-of-the-art technology to scan the items to be packed and identify their dimensions, then designs and produces a box from a continuous roll of corrugated cardboard or a custom-sized envelope for thinner items. It cuts, folds, and seals the cardboard to obtain the desired shape. Once the box or envelope is ready, the machine carefully places the items inside, ensuring a snug fit to minimize movement and possible damage during transport. An adhesive is then applied to secure the final packaging flaps, resulting in a completely closed and well-sealed package. Last but not least, a shipping label is automatically affixed and the parcel marked for identification. The finished package is then sorted and prepared for shipping.

In the category of “Software, Communications, IT,” the prize went to the German company Logistics Reply (Hall 8, Booth 8F37) for LEApedia, the first bidirectional Open AI language control system for warehouse management systems

LEApedia is a bidirectional OpenAI language control system for warehouse management systems (WMS). The intelligent chatbot, integrated into the cloud-native SaaS WMS solution LEA ReplyTM, responds to questions and commands in natural language. A smart search feature allows users to use natural language input to search for terms or workflow descriptions, for example, so they can more quickly and easily find their way around the system. The LEApedia module can be tailored to each customer’s unique specifications and software environment and integrated rapidly without any need to slow down or halt production. LEApedia offers immediate answers to questions about processes, specialized terminology, system configurations, and more. Users get the information they need right away, eliminating the time-consuming task of manual searches and reducing the potential for human error with consistent, accurate results.

Another benefit: The program not only recognizes questions in natural language, it also responds in natural language without any technical jargon. This makes it comprehensible for all users, regardless of qualifications or language skills, greatly accelerating and streamlining workflows. This user autonomy reduces the need for retraining and support requests while ensuring greater productivity overall.

“I am particularly pleased that this year’s award winners come from three countries. This underscores the importance of LogiMAT as an international hotspot for innovations and the appeal of the Stuttgart location,” says Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty from event organizer EUROEXPO GmbH.

The three products awarded BEST PRODUCT 2024 are representative of the many exhibitors from around the world presenting their innovations to industry professionals at LogiMAT. The International Trade Show for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management, the largest of its kind worldwide, continues through March 21, 2024, at the Messe Stuttgart convention center.

www.logimat-messe.de

Stuttgart, March 19, 2024—This text may be reprinted free of charge, but please send a copy to EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH, Press and Public Relations Department, 80912 Munich.

Background information:

The BEST PRODUCT award was initiated by the organizers of LogiMAT in order to draw attention to the outstanding achievements of the exhibitors, many of whom are small or medium-sized businesses. Over the years, the award has honored innovative products that have made a significant contribution to streamlining processes, cutting costs, and enhancing productivity in the internal logistics of businesses. The BEST PRODUCT award is presented in three categories:

• Software, communications, IT
• Order picking, conveying, lifting, and storing technology
• Identification, cargo securement, and packaging and loading technology

In the run-up to LogiMAT, an independent jury of scholars and journalists critically evaluates the submissions based on the aforementioned criteria, then selects the winners. The award has since been recognized as one of the most coveted distinctions in the intralogistics industry. Winners are presented with a certificate and a medal during the gala opening ceremony of LogiMAT.

Members of the BEST PRODUCT award jury:

• Johannes Fottner (Dr.-Ing.), Chair of the Institute for Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics at the Technical University of Munich (Jury President)
• Jan Kaulfuhs-Berger from the industry journal Technische Logistik
• Alice Kirchheim (Dr.-Ing.), Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg
• Matthias Pieringer from the industry journal LOGISTIK HEUTE
• Wolf-Michael Scheid (Dr.-Ing.), Association of German Engineers, Society for Production and Logistics (VDI-GPL)
• Robert Schulz (Dr.-Ing.), University of Stuttgart, Institute of Mechanical Handling and Logistics (IFT)
• Tobias Schweikl from the industry journal LOGISTRA