As the packaging industry continues to seek practical alternatives to plastic shrink film and excessive cardboard, the new paper S enables a tight kraft paper wrap with or without tray, providing a secure and resource-conscious transport packaging solution across a range of industries, including FMCG producers and retail-ready packaging operations.

The launch of the new sleeve wrapping solution further expands Hugo Beck’s portfolio of sustainable paper packaging technologies – now with a focus on transport packaging applications. This reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to developing machine concepts that support reduced material consumption without compromising product and transport safety or operational efficiency.

The paper S has been developed as a compact operator and maintenance friendly sleeve wrapping system that can be installed inline within existing production lines or operated as a standalone solution. Its space-saving design makes it suitable for facilities with limited floor space.

The machine wraps products in or without a tray in kraft paper with overlap and optimised hot-melt gluing to ensure a tight and stable pack. This creates bundles for secure transport and handling, helping manufacturers transition away from shrink film or cardboard systems while maintaining product stability throughout the supply chain.

In addition to cost savings on material, the paper S enables energy savings compared to heat-based shrink wrapping processes. Optional add-ons such as digital printing units, labelling systems or additional automation components can be integrated to tailor the machine to specific customer requirements.

The paper packaging solution has been developed in close collaboration with Mondi to ensure reliable processing and a well-matched interaction between paper substrate and machine technology. Therefore, the new sleeve wrapper will be running with Mondi’s Ad/Vantage StretchWrap paper of only 70 gsm on the Hugo Beck stand.

Combined with its very low weight, this uncoated kraft paper offers high puncture resistance and stretch characteristics, which lead to an exceptional tensile energy absorption, while being industrially compostable and recyclable in conventional paper streams.

Visitors to interpack are invited to see live demonstrations of the new sleeve wrapper on the stand and discuss with the experts on site the company’s comprehensive machine portfolio for sustainable film and paper packaging.

“This introduction of the paper S in close collaboration with Mondi as a holistic solution represents a logical next step in our sustainable packaging strategy,” said Jonas Beck, Managing Director at Hugo Beck.

“It builds on our continuous development of paper packaging technologies over recent years. Following the launch of the paper X series targeting multiple industries together with dedicated ecommerce packaging solutions, we have steadily expanded our sustainable offering alongside our established film-based solutions. Our aim is always to support our clients to meet evolving market and regulatory demands in terms of increased sustainability. With the paper S sleeve wrapper we are offering a practical solution for reducing plastic usage and minimising cardboard consumption in transport packaging while maintaining the reliability and performance our clients expect from our technology.“

The post New Sleeve Wrapper for Transport Packaging appeared first on Logistics Business.

After more than two decades of pioneering cube storage automation, AutoStore is now moving beyond automation alone toward intelligent fulfillment systems that continuously sense, decide, and improve in real time. The announcement reflects a shift in the market from asset-centric automation to decision-centric fulfillment, as companies look to connect machines, software, data, and people into more intelligent, coordinated operations. With CubeVerse and AutoStore Intelligence, AutoStore enables better, faster decisions across design, deployment, operations, and optimization—working alongside existing WMS and WES solutions rather than replacing them.

For customers, this means unlocking hidden capacity in existing systems, simplifying operations, and accelerating the path to fully autonomous fulfillment, powered by learnings continuously drawn from AutoStore’s global community of thousands of live systems, enabling improvements that compound across the installed base.

“Fulfillment is becoming a real-time, intelligence-driven discipline. If systems can’t sense, decide, and adapt continuously, everything upstream breaks,” said Parth Joshi, Chief Product Officer at AutoStore. “With the launch of the CubeVerse platform and our AI-driven capabilities, we’re bringing intelligence across the entire lifecycle — from design to daily operations to advanced analytics to optimizations. This is a major first step in our AI strategy and reinforces our focus on innovation as the market leader in automated fulfillment.”

The Spring 2026 product announcement introduces a new CubeVerse cloud platform, designed to unify data, applications, and AI capabilities across the fulfillment lifecycle, alongside AI-powered software and analytics, and expanded automation capabilities. Together, these capabilities lower total cost of ownership, improve performance and predictability, reduce operational complexity, and support longer operating hours, including full 24/7 operation.

After a decade of rapid investment in warehouse automation, the industry is facing a new challenge:
seventy-five percent of companies say synchronizing their supply chain is difficult as logistics networks grow more complex. The question is no longer just how to automate, but how to coordinate machines, software, data, and people into systems that make better decisions and run reliably around the clock.
CubeVerse and AutoStore Intelligence provide the data, simulation, and analytics capabilities that enable this shift — helping customers orchestrate fulfillment decisions across the system lifecycle without replacing existing orchestration or control layers.

The Spring 2026 Product Portfolio

Built on the CubeVerse platform, this Spring’s announcements span the fulfillment lifecycle—from system design and AI-driven optimization to autonomous order preparation.

CubeVerse Platform
CubeVerse provides a single platform to design, deploy, and run AutoStore systems. It spans the full system lifecycle—from design and simulation to deployment, operations, analytics, and optimization.
CubeVerse simplifies integrations, keeps operations consistent across sites, and helps customers avoid overbuilding and keep costs under control.

AutoStore Intelligence
AutoStore Intelligence applies built-in AI to real operational data across the platform to orchestrate fulfillment in real time. It optimizes robot movement through CubeControl, reduces congestion, and clears traffic bottlenecks to deliver significantly higher throughput during peak periods, with
performance continuously improving over time, without requiring additional robots or grid
expansion. Embedded across CubeVerse, AutoStore Intelligence uses 20+ proprietary models to predict issues, optimize operations, and deliver measurable performance improvements across the automation lifecycle.

CubeAnalytics
CubeAnalytics, powered by AutoStore Intelligence, turns system data into clear, real-time insights and recommended actions. It helps teams identify issues earlier, reduce downtime, and rely less on specialized in-house expertise. With built-in AI, CubeAnalytics automatically surfaces key issues and patterns, evolving from reporting into an intelligent system that recommends action automatically.

CubeControl
CubeControl, powered by AutoStore Intelligence, uses AI to personalize routing parameters and create optimized robot highways for large, robot-dense grids. This improves traffic flow, reduces congestion, and boosts overall system throughput without additional hardware.

VersaAI
VersaAI delivers robotic piece picking powered by vision and AI, expanding AutoStore’s automation portfolio into autonomous order preparation. The system automates order preparation, consolidation, and staging, improving overall AutoStore utilization. It enables operations to run longer hours with consistent throughput and lower cost per order. This supports 24/7 operations without sacrificing performance.

CubeStudio
First major application added to the CubeVerse platform, CubeStudio is a shared, cloud-based environment for system design, simulation, and validation, enabling AutoStore and partners to make data-led decisions together. It serves as an early proof point of AutoStore’s modern app strategy powered by CubeVerse.

Cube Enhancements
New workstation layouts and expanded bin and case support give customers more flexibility as volumes, SKUs, and workflows change, without requiring grid rebuilds. Enhancements based on partner and customer feedback include expanded case support in AutoCase, simplified WMS integration through VersaPort, and upgraded industrial PCs for large, high-performance systems.

The post CubeVerse Platform Launched for Fulfilment appeared first on Logistics Business.

Coesia, among the 1600+ exhibitors at LogiMAT, in Hall 8 – Booth 8C21, seeks to respond to this need with an integrated portfolio covering packaging, handling and palletizing, aiming to position itself as a technology partner capable of operating consistently across the entire order fulfillment flow.

“Ecommerce has transformed the warehouse into an environment where every order is a case of its own. Different products, different formats, different timing, and the constant need to optimize every phase,” says Alessandro Parimbelli, CEO of Coesia. “The solutions we bring to LogiMAT come from this context: automation that adapts to the real flow of operations, not the other way around. Every shipment with empty space is a cost that someone ultimately pays — whether the manufacturer, the distributor or the planet. Our goal is to eliminate such costs through packaging that adapts to the product and delivers measurable results from the very day one. Our approach brings together the key elements of mechanical automation, digital integration and modular architecture. In this way, customers can configure lines that closely match their processes, improving operational efficiency and optimizing the use of packaging materials.”

According to recent market analyses,the global market for automated e-commerce packaging solutions is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of over 16% in the next five years, driven by the need to reduce operating costs, increase fulfillment speed and optimize shipping volumes. Warehouses must be able to handle heterogeneous products in terms of size and characteristics while maintaining high standards for traceability, accuracy and speed in order preparation. Automation therefore represents a decisive factor in ensuring operational continuity, cost control and service quality.

Solutions on show

SELECTA is System Digital’s solution — a Coesia Group company — for the automated handling of pre-formed paper bags in ecommerce fulfillment. The system is designed to eliminate one of the most common bottlenecks in packaging operations: the manual selection of the most suitable format for the product.

Once it receives the dimensional data of the product from the customer’s management system or through direct acquisition via incoming scanning, SELECTA automatically selects the correct bag among the formats available in stock. The bag is then picked, opened and presented to the operator in an ergonomic position for quick loading. Once the product is inserted, the system performs the sealing, applies the shipping label and transfers the package to the outgoing line, ready for logistics.

The result is a faster, more precise and more sustainable process. Packaging calibrated to the product means less material used, reduced shipping volumes and a customer experience cared for down to the last detail. SELECTA manages five bag formats — from Small (300×250 mm) to XXL (600×450 mm) — with productivity of up to 530 pieces per hour in a fully automated configuration.

System Digital – ELEVA

ELEVA is System Digital’s modular platform for the automated handling of corrugated cardboard boxes in intralogistics. The system integrates functional modules for box erecting, dynamic height adjustment, closing and labeling. The height-reduction module operates continuously rather than discretely, processing boxes with different bases in sequence without requiring mechanical changeovers between formats. ELEVA reads the height of the inserted product and automatically adjusts the cardboard, eliminating empty space, improving load stability and reducing transport costs. Throughput reaches up to 600 units per hour.

The modular architecture is designed to evolve over time, with each module able to be operated independently or integrated into a complete line, allowing the system to be configured according to the available layout and the desired level of automation. At LogiMAT 2026, ELEVA will be presented through technical materials and dedicated insights at the booth.

FlexLink – RC12 Collaborative Palletizer

Completing the logistics offering, Coesia presents RC12 by FlexLink, a collaborative palletizing system designed for flexible applications in warehouses and distribution centres. RC12 integrates a collaborative robot for pallet handling and re-organization, facilitating transfer operations and load reconfiguration according to operational needs. The configuration interface allows palletizing patterns to be defined quickly, facilitating adaptation to the variable flows typical of e-commerce and modern distribution.

The post Advanced Automation for ecommerce Packaging appeared first on Logistics Business.

From a logistics perspective, the data indicates that cross-border shipping to the UK is no longer treated as an unstable or experimental route. Instead, it operates as a predictable flow with measurable return ratios and defined cost structures.

Shipment structure reflects diversified parcel flows

The structure of shipments is distributed across multiple product categories:

Home & Interior – 24.10%
Beauty – 15.14%
Garden – 12.52%
Supplements & Vitamins – 7.82%
Clothing – 5.85%
Toys & Sports – 5.54%
Footwear – 5.09%

The distribution shows that parcel flows are not concentrated in high-return segments such as fashion. A significant share comes from categories typically associated with lower reverse logistics pressure and more predictable fulfilment processes.

Returns are not a barrier to entering the UK market

“There is still a persistent myth surrounding sales to the UK, particularly in the fashion segment, that return risk is high. Our data shows something different. Even in clothing and footwear, we are not talking about levels that could destabilise a business. It is not a barrier to entry. It is a parameter of the category that should be built into the business model.” says Paweł Zakielarz, CEO of Global24 & Shopreturns.
“Even in clothing and footwear we are not seeing levels that could destabilise a business. Returns are not a barrier to entry, they are simply a parameter of the category that should be incorporated into the business model.”

Zakielarz notes that the perception of the UK market has evolved in recent years:

“After Brexit, many sellers paused expansion plans. Today we see a clear shift. Cross-border has become part of long-term international strategy rather than a test market. The relatively low return rate suggests that sellers increasingly understand both customs requirements and the expectations of British consumers.”

Marketplace ecosystems raise the bar

International expansion increasingly takes place within marketplace ecosystems, where return rates influence seller performance indicators. In such environments, returns are not only a logistics cost but also a factor affecting offer visibility and sales performance. Lower return levels may indicate better product-market alignment and more accurate product communication.

Industry observers note that cross-border expansion is no longer limited to large enterprises. Specialised brands in sectors such as home, beauty and supplements are increasingly building international presence through selected marketplaces.

What are the biggest logistical challenges in the area of returns?

Returns in cross-border logistics are among the most operationally complex processes in the entire supply chain. They require coordination of multiple elements simultaneously – from organising reverse transport and handling customs clearance, to managing costs and delivery times, as well as efficient processing of returned goods in warehouses. An additional challenge is the unpredictability of volumes and regulatory differences between markets, which can impact both the time and cost of return handling. As a result, effective reverse logistics management is no longer just an operational issue, but a key factor influencing the profitability of international sales.

In the traditional returns model, the process remains costly, time-consuming, and difficult to control. Returns are often handled via expensive international shipments paid for by the customer, without full tracking capabilities or real-time status verification. There is also a lack of effective quantity and quality control mechanisms, which complicates further inventory management. An additional challenge is the inability to meet the requirements of marketplaces such as Amazon, Zalando, or eBay, where return handling standards are becoming increasingly stringent. Moreover, each individual return generates high CO₂ emissions due to the need for international transportation.

“The Shopreturns model changes this perspective by shifting return handling to the local level. Returns are processed by local couriers, with full tracking and scanning within 24 hours, significantly reducing operational time. Thanks to local return centres, costs are lower and the process becomes more predictable. Each return can undergo quantity and quality control, supported by photo documentation, enabling faster decision-making and improved process control. The solution has been designed in line with the requirements of major marketplaces, facilitating international sales. At the same time, localising returns reduces the need for long-distance transport, resulting in a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions,” adds Zakielarz.

From a logistics industry perspective, the growing importance of returns management indicates a clear shift in the role of operators within the supply chain. Reverse logistics is no longer a supplementary service but is becoming an integral element of cross-border process design – on par with first-mile delivery. Companies that are able to optimise return handling at the local level gain not only a cost advantage, but also greater operational control and compliance with marketplace requirements. In practice, this means that the efficiency of returns logistics is increasingly determining the scalability of the entire international sales model.

The post Poland–UK Logistics Shows Stable Return Ratios appeared first on Logistics Business.

“I am glad that we now have signed an agreement with Witron for automation in the logistics centre that we will establish. This solution will give us a more flexible, efficient and sustainable logistics chain for product supply to our stores in the southern parts of Sweden, thereby strengthening the entire Axfood family’s competitiveness,” comments Simone Margulies, President and CEO of Axfood.

Logical next step

“It feels very good to have the agreement in place for this strategically important automation solution. With the experience we have built together with Witron in Bålsta, we know that this technology will give us the right conditions going forward, and as a natural step, we feel confident in continuing this journey also in southern Sweden. This investment is fundamental in strengthening Dagab’s and Axfood’s future logistics structure, and for continuing to deliver on our ambition of market-leading efficiency,” says Hans Bax, Managing Director of Dagab.

High level of automation across all temperature zones

In Kungsbacka, products will be stored and picked across three temperature zones: ambient goods (+18 °C), fresh goods (+2 °C), and frozen items (-26 °C). As in Bålsta, the solution relies on standardized Witron logistics modules, including Order Picking Machinery (OPM with a total of 37 COMs), All-in-One (AIO), the Car Picking System (CPS), and a fully automated shipping buffer. Within this shipping buffer, store-friendly picked and consolidated order pallets are buffered and provided just-in-time on heavy-duty lanes, sequenced by delivery route for efficient truck loading. In addition, the Goods-to-Person (GTP) solution enables ergonomic semi-automated picking operations in the frozen food area.

High-performance warehouse management system

The overall material flow includes more than 500,000 storage locations for wooden and plastic pallets, roll containers, totes, and refrigerated containers, 111 stacker cranes, as well as 16+ kilometers of conveyor technology. All processes are controlled by a multifunctional warehouse management system with open interfaces from the WMS to the customer’s supplier systems, route scheduling systems, and sales systems. This enables a high level of end-to-end optimization across Axfood’s entire internal and external supply chain. A Witron OnSite service team of more than 60 employees ensures consistently high system availability in multi-shift operation around the clock – 365 days a year.

Successful omnichannel project

Both companies can reflect positively on a jointly and successfully implemented project. Since early 2025, following a phased ramp-up, one of the most innovative logistics centres in the retail industry has been operating at full capacity in Bålsta, around 40 kilometers northwest of Stockholm. Axfood and Witron designed and realized a cutting-edge omnichannel distribution centre that supplies stores as well as end customers via click + collect and home delivery. The highly automated system handles a product range of 22,000+ dry, fresh, and frozen items.

The post Another Full-range Distribution Centre in Sweden appeared first on Logistics Business.

Pallets form the backbone of logistics, enabling the transport of goods worldwide in countless processes. Over the course of their life cycle, they often travel hundreds of thousands of kilometers and carry heavy loads — wear and tear is therefore unavoidable. The consequences of damaged pallets can vary greatly depending on the severity of the damage: protruding parts, the possible collapse of loads, or impaired machine capability and transport safety due to severely damaged pallets are risks that can cause major disruptions to logistics processes, complete operational shutdowns, or transport damage. Damage to goods may also lead customers to refuse acceptance. Logistics companies naturally want to avoid financial losses, such as potential penalties, scrap, or costly repairs, wherever possible.

For this reason, empty pallets are repeatedly inspected during pallet exchange — however, this is usually done manually, explains Dr. Michael Kleinkes, one of the founders and Managing Director of breeze innovations GmbH based in Haltern am See: “These inspections are physically demanding and often subjective, which frequently leads to discussions during the handover of inspected and classified empty pallets.”

Kleinkes and his partner wanted to fundamentally change this situation. “Our goal was to develop a classification system that allows the condition of pallets to be assessed fully automatically, fast, reliably, reproducibly, and above all objectively, with minimal effort,” says Kleinkes. With breeze-PAVE, such a solution is now available to the pallet market.

Hybrid Sensor Technology Creates Digital Twins

The innovative system makes it possible to capture key pallet characteristics including the condition of each individual pallet component, color, brightness, and 3D dimensions, thus enabling the best possible assessment of pallet quality. The reliable classification of both colour and brightness is extremely important: many pooling companies mark their own pallet inventory with a dedicated colour to distinguish them more easily from rental pallets operated by competitors. Brightness detection plays a key role in the classification of exchange pallets. When checking component dimensions — deck boards, stringer boards, cross boards, and blocks — breeze-PAVE detects whether these elements comply with the specified geometric dimensions and required positions. If they do not, the corresponding areas are marked, and the pallet’s quality rating is downgraded.

Breeze relies on a multi-sensor system for data acquisition, explains Kleinkes: “Pallets are scanned by breeze-PAVE in motion from all directions: top, bottom, sides, front, and rear using multiple laser sensors, while brightness is checked simultaneously. This combination allows us to achieve complete 360-degree scanning of the real objects, providing a solid basis for assessing the condition of the new and used pallets being inspected.” The system also reliably detects chemical residues and contamination such as oil, paint, or adhering cardboard.

From the captured information, a digital twin is created, which breeze-PAVE then analyzes in detail using software. In this step, deviations from predefined quality characteristics are automatically detected, the pallet is classified, and clearly classified into quality grades A, B, C, or ‘defective.’ The evaluation profiles can be flexibly adapted to the user’s specifications and cover both common load carrier standards such as EPAL, as well as individual, customer-specific requirements.

“In addition, the software enables users to achieve customer-specific pallet classification using configurable parameter sets that are independent of common standards,” explains Kleinkes. “This has the advantage that individual profiles can be created for any customer and selected at the push of a button in the software. This makes it possible to meet customer requirements in the best possible way.”

Over 1,000 Pallets per Hour

Compared to manual pallet inspection, breeze-PAVE offers a range of advantages. The most important feature of the system is the objectivity of the automated process, which significantly increases process reliability. Another major advantage is the system’s exceptional accuracy and speed: during operation, it captures several million 3D measurement points per pallet without impacting cycle time, evaluates them in less than one second, and detects not only obvious damage but even the smallest deviations.

This impressive performance currently enables a throughput of well over 1,000 pallets per hour per system. These pallets can be inspected during normal operation — on the fly, without stopping the load carriers. Especially in high-throughput processes, this results in enormous savings in time and labour.

“Based on the evaluation time, we could theoretically inspect up to 4,000 pallets per hour per system — but this rate cannot be realized with current conveyor technology. The precision and speed of breeze-PAVE are absolutely unattainable for the human eye,” emphasizes Kleinkes.

Another strength of breeze-PAVE is its ease of integration into existing conveyor and sorting systems. It requires only 1.5 meters of installation space above the conveyor technology and a gap of around 25 centimeters in the conveyor line. Alternatively, breeze also offers a complete solution with its own conveyor technology. If required, the system control can also be integrated into existing control cabinets.

Optimized Digital Load Carrier Management

According to Kleinkes, full integration into digital load carrier management systems represents an important milestone toward the digitalization of logistics processes: “For every pallet inspected, breeze-PAVE generates an online report that can be evaluated according to various criteria, such as shipments, quality grades, or locations. If desired, the captured data is transmitted directly to the cloud and made available to the user in real time. This enables transparent, cross-site monitoring of pallet quality and, for example, long-term observation of the quality of a specific customer’s pallets over months. For modern logistics processes, this technology is a central building block and a decisive step toward digitalized load carrier management.”

Moreover, breeze-PAVE is not limited to wooden pallets but can inspect all types of load carriers, such as plastic pallets, mesh boxes, loaded containers or packaged goods. Information such as dimensions, volume, overhangs, or deformations of such objects is precisely captured and digitally evaluated by the system. “In this development, we initially focused on wooden pallets, but based on our many years of experience in automation, we are able to use it as a flexible platform for individual customer solutions and adapt it to the respective requirements,” says Kleinkes.

According to him, the system’s capabilities go far beyond merely classifying empty or loaded load carriers: “With breeze-PAVE, we can digitize virtually anything—from reusable drinking cups to large objects — and are able to detect any kind of geometric shape or positional deviation in virtually any object. At present, however, we are focusing on pallets and are already working on additional solutions in this area, such as automated material monitoring in the repair process. This allows the costs incurred per repaired batch to be automatically tracked and invoiced.”

Economically Attractive Solution

The system developed by breeze innovations has a high technological standard and is based on established sensor and software technologies. According to Kleinkes, the purchase costs of the classification system are amortized within a short time: “Saved staff costs, high availability even during staff shortages, illness, or vacation, reduced misclassifications and avoided returns, as well as the reliable detection of counterfeit pallets — which are increasingly causing problems in logistics — make breeze-PAVE an economically attractive solution. Companies that inspect or sort large quantities of pallets every day benefit enormously from this innovation.”

For employees, day-to-day operations remain almost unchanged: pallets continue to be fed, removed, or routed to repair as usual, depending on the classification result. What is new, however, is that breeze-PAVE fully automates the previously manual inspection of pallet quality and provides an objective classification evaluation in less than one second. For every delivery process, a digital quality report is available via a web server and can be displayed on any device with a web browser. Warehouse staff and truck drivers thus receive an immediate, transparent overview of the load composition and the condition of the pallets at a glance. With the objective results of breeze-PAVE in the form of transparent reports, discussions about pallet quality at the loading dock are now a thing of the past.

The post Objective, Automated Optical Pallet Classification appeared first on Logistics Business.

OPO Oeschger is a Swiss family-owned company headquartered in Kloten, founded in 1926 and now employing around 300 people. With a range of more than 70,000 items, OPO Oeschger is one of the leading suppliers of fittings and components for carpenters, wood, glass, and metal construction, as well as for schools and resellers. In addition to furniture and kitchen fittings, the range also includes door and building fittings, machines, and tools. In its logistics, OPO Oeschger consistently relies on highly automated processes to deliver not only quickly but also reliably. Order picking is also being specifically developed with new technologies to meet increasing demands.

When standard solutions don’t help

Many processes in logistics at OPO Oeschger are already automated. Nevertheless, the goal was to identify new potential. There was a particular need for action in the area of order picking. Although an automated small parts warehouse was in place, items were still being picked manually. Since the warehouse building offers only limited space and the processes are precisely coordinated with the conveyor technology, the new solution had to be implementable without major interventions.

Adjustments to the conveyor technology or upstream control processes were out of the question. The solution had to integrate seamlessly into an existing workplace without imposing new processes. This is precisely where other providers who offered only standardized systems failed. OPO Oeschger, on the other hand, was specifically looking for a solution that would fit into the existing system and could realistically replicate the behavior of a human picker.

The robot picks what fits

Sereact impressed OPO Oeschger with its willingness to consistently adapt to the existing framework conditions. “The Sereact team came to our site, took a close look at our processes, and very quickly understood how they work,” explains Daniel Schütz, Operations Manager Logistics at OPO Oeschger.

“While other providers proposed standard solutions, we were able to implement individual requirements together with Sereact.”

The picking robot was integrated into an existing picking workstation. Instead of adapting the environment, the robot was designed to perform the tasks of a human employee as realistically as possible: it picks up target cartons and places them in two target locations. If requested to pick up a destination container, the robot first removes the anti-slip mat from the container. The robot then removes items from a source container and places them in the prepared destination carton or container. These are then sent on to the conveyor system for further processing.

A prerequisite for commissioning was a targeted adaptation of the interface in the warehouse management system, which was implemented without any problems in cooperation with TGW Logistics. This meant that only orders suitable for automated picking could be forwarded to the robot. The selection of suitable items is carried out directly by OPO in the item master. The actual picking and placement logic — i.e., the decision on how to place and stack items in the box—is entirely controlled by Sereact’s AI-supported control system. No product training was necessary. The AI solution takes care of product recognition, selection, and picking independently. The precision of the solution is particularly evident with items for which the cardboard packaging has been calculated exactly. Targeted preselection is crucial for the stability of the process.

An employee who doesn’t need a break

With the use of the picking robot, OPO Oeschger has taken an important step toward future-oriented logistics processes. The robot reliably performs standardized picking tasks that were previously covered by manual labour, thus creating a noticeable reduction in the daily workload. It works stably and reliably, especially with items that meet clearly defined criteria. Technically, the robot would be capable of significantly higher performance. At OPO, however, the speed was deliberately throttled in order not to overload the existing structural structure. In its current configuration, its performance is roughly equivalent to that of half a full-time employee. This deliberate limitation is part of a strategic approach.

OPO is using the project to learn specifically how AI-based robotics can be integrated into existing processes and what conditions need to be created for later scaling. At the same time, the expertise of the employees remains central: they now focus more on complex picking processes that involve handling flexible or sensitive products, for example. The combination of robot-assisted automation and human experience increases overall efficiency and process quality. Items that are not suitable for the robot are specifically excluded in the warehouse management system. For OPO Oeschger, the use of this technology was not a measure to reduce staff. Rather, the focus is on gaining knowledge. The aim is to further develop the system in a targeted manner and make it scalable.

What works today will continue to grow tomorrow

The experience gained from the project forms the basis for future automation projects at OPO Oeschger. The company is already working with Sereact and TGW Logistics to further develop the interface logic. The aim is to control even more precisely which items the robot can handle in the future, even for more complex orders with mixed items. In the medium term, the picking robot will interact intelligently with manual workstations and automate where it makes economic and procedural sense.

“We deliberately viewed the project as an investment in know-how,” explains Schütz. “We also wanted to learn at an early stage how picking robots can be meaningfully integrated into our processes, with a view to today’s operations and future logistics strategies.”

The aim is also to increase the utilization of the existing robot. The use of additional units is also planned for the future. Based on the knowledge gained, a scalable solution is to be developed that fits seamlessly into future infrastructures and consistently exploits the potential for automation. With the knowledge gained, OPO Oeschger and Sereact are working together to further optimize logistics processes in order to reap the full benefits of automation in the long term.

The post Order Picking with Intelligent Robotics appeared first on Logistics Business.

It works with one of Europe’s leading pallet poolers, IPP, to ensure its blooms make it to the supermarket shelves in good time for key events in its peak season, while also reaching key efficiency and sustainability targets.

During this time, it will see the number of pallets transported by IPP increase by 100 per cent – a vital partnership for the business, which has seen a five per cent increase in overall demand for its products year-on-year.

Flamingo supplies hundreds of millions of stems of flowers, plants and produce to UK and European supermarkets and florists. It works with partner growers in 19 countries, with a goal of products reaching the shelves within 96 hours of being farmed.

It relies on IPP to keep its supply chain moving with a reliable supply of pallets, enabling it to move products efficiently from its sites to its retail customers.

Vanuza Machado, UK inbound logistics co-ordinator, said:

We’ve been working with IPP for more than 10 years, building a strong and collaborative partnership over that time. Key events like Mother’s Day bring a significant uplift in volume, so flexibility and responsiveness are crucial. IPP supports us by ensuring pallet supply keeps pace with increased demand, helping us manage peak volumes smoothly and maintain service levels during our busiest periods. This long-standing partnership is built on reliability, open communication and a shared focus on continuous improvement. As our business grows across the UK and Europe, having trusted partners who understand our operations is more important than ever.

Sustainability is a priority for Flamingo as it continues to grow, with its focus on reducing its carbon footprint through renewable energy investment, greater use of sea freight, improved water stewardship, lower chemical usage, biodiversity projects and stronger waste and recycling programmes.

IPP aims to bring innovation and added value to the partnership beyond simply providing pallets, as its use of Internet of Things technology and its advanced forecasting and planning capabilities helps optimise product flows during peak periods, reducing waste and unnecessary miles.

IPP commercial director Demi Crabbe said: “For more than a decade, our partnership with Flamingo has demonstrated the value of reliability and innovation during peak periods. We have a truly collaborative approach to resolving any challenges, which we achieve through open communication. Improving efficiencies and reducing environmental impact is at the forefront of both our agendas. By combining our robust pooling network with our circular approach, we help customers reduce waste, cut carbon and deliver products on time, every time. This Mother’s Day, we’re committed to ensuring Flamingo can meet demand seamlessly and continue delighting consumers across the UK.”

The post Pallet Pooler helps Flowers for Mothers Day appeared first on Logistics Business.

At its National Distribution Centre in Nieuwegein, Jumbo and WITRON unveil a concept that redefines the role of modern logistics hubs. The focus: speed, availability, and agility. Covering 40,000 square meters, the facility supplies over 725 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium with nearly 3,000 different fresh and ultra-fresh items, including dairy products, a wide selection of cheese, meat products, tapas, salads, chilled beverages, and much more. At an ambient temperature of +2 degrees Celsius, more than one million units can be picked daily using OPM (30 COM machines), AIO, and CPS modules. A fully automated shipping buffer ensures just-in-time dispatch of store-friendly stacked roll containers to the markets.

The fresh distribution centre marks the second successful collaboration between Jumbo and WITRON, following a high-performance dry goods facility. Equipped with OPM (31 COM machines), DPS, and CPS, this site can pick up to 565,000 cases on a peak day from a range of 14,300 items.

DC Heart of Supply Chain

The Dutch retail group faced a series of challenges that necessitated the construction of one of Europe’s most ambitious logistics platforms. These challenges included expected labour shortages in the future, expanding assortments in both the dry and fresh food sectors, rising consumer expectations – especially for fresh products – and growing demand for speed in both stores and online channels. Today, the highly automated fresh logistics centre in Nieuwegein, designed and implemented by WITRON as a lifetime partner, serves as the strategic centrepiece of a supply chain that is seamlessly orchestrated, adaptive, and more customer-focused than ever before. Because the consumer is the true pacesetter.

Mechanics and IT

The central distribution centre for fresh products (CDC) is designed for a daily peak capacity of 1.06 million picking units. A modular expansion for future growth has already been considered in the overall concept. All logistics areas are connected by a conveyor network that includes more than 670,000 pallet, tray, and tote storage locations, as well as 120 stacker cranes. Everything is controlled by a highly functional WITRON warehouse management system. All IT and mechanical components have been designed, manufactured, and put into operation by WITRON.

Labour, Range, Freshness

When Jumbo began shaping the future of its supply chain a few years ago, it became clear that existing structures could not meet the challenges ahead. “We expected to face challenges in the labour market, anticipated a growing number of SKUs, and set out to fundamentally redesign our fresh logistics with a clear focus on maximum customer service, freshness and sustainability,” recalls Karel de Jong, Supply Chain Director at Jumbo. The company aimed to broaden its SKU portfolio, sharpen assortment differentiation, and drive greater agility across its fresh logistics operations. At the same time, regional warehouse space became increasingly constrained as the product range continued to expand. The solution developed focused on centralizing, automating, and streamlining processes.

Precise time management is of critical importance, especially in the ultra-fresh segment. Temperature, daily operations, and weather conditions immediately impact volume.

“For us, agility means being able to respond very quickly to changing demands. A shift in weather means a shift in demand, and we need to be ready to respond,” says de Jong. “Freshness must reach the consumer’s table without delay – and not remain in the warehouse.”

The project marked a significant shift in WITRON’s internal approach. The warehouse has evolved from a standalone entity into a seamlessly integrated organ within the supply chain orchestra. Johannes Meissner, WITRON’s Technical Managing Director describes the development as follows: “The DC is no longer an isolated system, but an integral part of our customer’s organism. Only then can supply chains truly be optimized.” This transformation turns the warehouse from a pure consolidation and buffering point into a key control instrument. de Jong adds: “However, the DC does not lead the orchestra. The customer does.” Symbolically, he portrays the warehouse as the ‘first violin’ in a finely tuned supply chain orchestra – vital, leading, and setting the tone, but always part of a greater harmony.

Technology in XXL

The Nieuwegein logistics hub, featuring both dry goods and fresh food distribution centres, ranks among WITRON’s largest projects worldwide. It is equipped with more than 60 COM machines, over 1.1 million pallet, tray, and tote storage locations, approximately 200 stacker cranes, and is designed for a maximum capacity of 1.6 million picks per day. With OPM, AIO, CPS, and the automated shipping buffer, the Upper Palatinate team leverages proven technology. It guarantees peak availability, since the DC is the core of supply for Jumbo customers in the Netherlands and Belgium. An onsite service team ensures seamless operation of all IT and mechanical processes.

Both partners emphasize that success is not a matter of machine count, but of the specific requirements within each area of use. How can the system be balanced? Since all items are delivered to the stores on roll containers, seamless coordination between the subsystems is crucial to achieve maximum consolidation and space utilization. According to de Jong: “Success is not about the next machine. It’s about a perfectly tuned overall concept, with a vital role for the operators and control room team.”

Result in the Store

Automation delivers measurable benefits for the stores:
• More SKUs – with an upward trend
• Automated stacking of goods onto roll containers, tailored to the store’s shelf layout
• Consolidation of cases (picked in OPM and CPS) with pieces and totes (picked in AIO)
• Highly efficient, route-optimized truck loading enabled by advanced optimization processes within the automated shipping buffer

As a result, shelves in the store are replenished more efficiently, faster, and with less handling effort. In addition: processes previously managed via direct delivery – such as fresh fish – are now consolidated via Nieuwegein. And thanks to advanced forecast and replenishment processes, Jumbo delivers exactly what the stores truly need. The outcome for customers is enhanced freshness, a perfectly tailored assortment, and faster availability.

Packaging is a Core Competence

Automated processes require standardization, and this is reflected in the way various types of packaging are managed. “That’s why we have trained colleagues who have developed extensive expertise in this area,” says de Jong. Carton design, adhesive properties, stretch film, as well as cardboard and pallet quality are critical for material flow and load stability. WITRON and Jumbo took early action to identify critical packaging and deliver transparency to suppliers. The outcome is enhanced inbound control, resulting in more stable processes within the DC.

Employees at Jumbo were able to adapt effectively to their new tasks, moving from manual operations to an automated production process. Employees were able to gain detailed insights into future tasks within operated systems and engage in extensive exchanges with experienced users. “With a wealth of experience from projects implemented across Europe, North America, and Australia, we can offer customers comprehensive support in this vital field of change management,” emphasizes Meissner.

Technology can be purchased – culture cannot. Jumbo adopted lean principles with the Jumbo Production System (JPS), including shopfloor transparency, shift stand-ups, and a high degree of autonomous problem-solving by employees. Once a day, a central control meeting is held at the very centre of operations – not in an office, but in the work area. “Here, the colleagues analyse the previous day and review the tasks and goals for the upcoming shift. If this half hour goes well, it will be a good day,” says de Jong with a smile.

What measures can be expected next? Jumbo considers the supply chain to be an end-to-end network structure rather than a set of separate warehouses. Integrating stores, connecting with suppliers, optimizing transport routes, and automating processes – including in e-commerce, which is still handled manually today – are key pillars of the future strategy.

“Automation is not a standalone objective, but a tool applied where needed. Variety in our product range continues to define our corporate philosophy – driven by a clear focus on efficiency and economic viability,” states de Jong. Meissner gets straight to the point: “Automation built the foundation. The next chapter is all about end-to-end optimization.”

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For InXpress, this challenge became critical as rapid global e-commerce growth fundamentally changed customer expectations – driving demand for same-day delivery, white glove services, and bespoke urgent shipments that traditional franchise networks couldn’t provide.

We were at risk of losing customers who needed same-day delivery, white glove handling, or urgent shipments that our network couldn’t provide… This partnership combines our customer relationships and local presence with TEG’s carrier network and technology. Together, we’re enabling same-day, white-glove and urgent services.

said Jon White, Chief Commercial Officer EMEA at InXpress.

Through TEG’s end-to-end platform, InXpress franchisees across 450 offices in 14 countries gained access to specialist carrier networks without building new infrastructure, enabling them to compete for business previously beyond their reach. The integration provides franchisees with improved service reliability, real-time tracking, and data-driven performance benchmarking.

Through the platform, InXpress franchisees have won contracts with e-commerce businesses and retailers demanding premium services. “The scale InXpress has achieved shows how the right platform gives distributed networks the same capabilities as centralised operations – without the infrastructure costs. Technology removes barriers to scale – enabling distributed networks to compete at any scale without capital investment,” added Sam Wilkinson, Chief Revenue Officer at TEG.

InXpress is now targeting 1,000 franchise locations in key markets as it capitalises on the e-commerce boom, supported by TEG as it accelerates plans to scale operations through 2030.

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