Hot on the heels of Schaefer’s announcement of its further ambitions in robotics, comes the news that the German company's Weasel® automated guided vehicle (AGV) has won the "International Forklift of the Year" (IFOY) Award 2016 in the "Intralogistics Solutions" category. The award was presented at CeMAT in Hannover last week.

Intralogistics giant SSI Schaefer has underlined its robotics ambitions by taking a majority holding in the Kamen-based, German gantry robot specialist RO-BER Industrieroboter GmbH. As an independent developer and manufacturer of gantry robot systems for picking and sequencing, as well as for storing, buffering and linking, RO-BER has already been a reliable project partner to SSI Schaefer for many years. "In the market, SSI Schaefer and RO-BER have a lot in common with regard to customers and industries," says Dr Hans Gerd Severin, Managing Director of RO-BER.

The UK’s first fully-automated steel terminal is now open at the Port of Liverpool following a £9m ($13m) upgrade. The investment is a response to increasing customer demand for shipping via Liverpool and to provide both increased capacity and improved handling facilities at the existing terminal. Liverpool is the closest deep sea port to the West Midlands, where approximately half of the UK’s steel is consumed.

An  interview with Dr. Christoph Beumer, Chairman and CEO of the BEUMER Group has been released to the media. We reproduce it below:  Dr. Beumer, what can you tell us about trends that are currently important in intralogistics?
Dr. Beumer: Intralogistics is a cornerstone of the global economy. For companies it is no longer a necessary evil; it is crucial for gaining a competitive edge and creating added value. Moreover, it opens the way to new business models, such as e-commerce and customization of products and services. We've all discovered how convenient it is to order goods via the Internet. Online shops are open all the time, and customers can shop anywhere and at any time from a computer, tablet or smartphone. If they don't like what they've bought, they just send it back.

The impact of driver shortages is yet to peak, according to a national study from the UK’s leading palletised freight network.  The research, conducted by Pall-Ex, surveyed one hundred hauliers up and down the country, assessing what issues are perceived to affect the industry the most, and how businesses are tackling them. The future impact of driver shortages is even worrying the 40.6 per cent of hauliers that are not currently short of drivers.

Just two years after the launch of its series 3 and 4 hydrodynamic drive counterbalance trucks, Jungheinrich is extending its robust internal combustion series. In a statement, the company said: “The Jungheinrich Series 5 features lifting capacities of 4, 4.5 and 5 tonnes, and these universally applicable fork trucks have torque converters which deliver high throughput rates. These hydrodynamic stackers are particularly strong over medium and long outdoor travel routes, featuring a soft, gentle approach and an ideal degree of efficiency at medium and high speeds.

ContiTech has developed a new technology for the lift drive of rack feeders, which it says offers “minimized wear and tear, lower maintenance requirements, and optimized positioning times”. Developed with LTW Intralogistics, a supplier of intralogistics systems, and with sales partner SynchrotechIn high-bay warehouses, this patented system positions goods quickly and precisely as part of the smart factory. At the heart of the development is a Synchrodrive timing belt from ContiTech.

Intermodal container logistics specialist Samskip has launched track and trace capability across its 45ft refrigerated container fleet, bringing web-based remote management for temperature-controlled cargoes throughout the Samskip intermodal network. Track & trace management software will be used to monitor and control sensor-connected 45ft reefer units operating in shortsea, rail, barge and road services throughout Europe, and during terminal storage.

- Port Salford warehouse and distribution centre near Manchester now open;
- Unique multimodal site will be accessible by road, short sea shipping and rail;
- £138m ($204 million) investment to create 148,000 sq m warehousing and 280 jobs;
- 26,000 sq m ambient warehouse to be tenanted by food and drink logistics giant Culina Group, with global food supplier General Mills as anchor client.