LogiMAT is unleashing a dazzling array of new products and innovations under the theme “SHAPING CHANGE TOGETHER: Sustainability – AI – Ergonomics” to kick off the 2024 trade show season. Some 100 new and improved products have already been announced across all product groups in the run-up to the event—including many exclusive European and world premieres. “The sheer volume of innovations once again underscores the creativity and inventiveness of the industry,” remarks Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty from Munich-based event organizer EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH. “The wide range of new products and solutions also emphasizes the importance of LogiMAT as a central presentation and communication platform for the global intralogistics industry.”

Our select overview begins in the East Entrance, where visitors on the first day will be welcomed with the premiere of a versatile, innovative new autonomous mobile cobot that can cover all the same areas as a human worker but with a greater payload capacity and reach, enabling a wide range of use cases. Manufacturers of industrial machinery and equipment have announced many premieres with a focus on robotics. In Hall 1, the product innovations range from new robots for vertical storage systems powered by lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) batteries and specially designed for the high throughput of large e-commerce retailers to robotic solutions with AI-supported object recognition for single-item picking. In Hall 5, autonomous robots navigate independently to their destination in a rail system that includes intersections, supporting overhead conveyor technology with pouch sorters.

Hall 6 will celebrate the world premiere of an omnidirectional mobile platform robot capable of transporting up to three metric tons and guided by smart, AI-based fleet management software. Hall 7 will feature a new lifting station for lightweight electric overhead conveyors that transports vehicles vertically up to 18 meters up or down for the space-saving distribution of material across several levels. Newly designed product lines of wire rope hoists will also make their debut there, boasting additional lifting speeds, improved chain drives, and lower deadweights. Users can also choose between a steel rope and an alternative synthetic construction. The synthetic ropes are up to 90 percent lighter than conventional steel models. They also require no lubrication; reduce wear on the drum, rope guide and rope pulleys; and eliminate the potential for injury from broken wires or sharp edges.

Optimized ergonomics and workplace safety

A new end-to-end package of state-of-the-art assistance systems for drivers—combining location- and event-based features to optimize ergonomics and workplace safety—can be seen for the first time in Europe among the forklift truck manufacturers in Halls 9 and 10. The driver assistance systems intervene, for example, when operators lift loads above the recommended height or when people, obstacles, or other hazards appear at the end of aisles or at intersections.

Exhibitors in Halls 2, 3, and 4 welcome visitors with yet more world premieres and new products. The spectrum ranges from a new (bar)code printer with integrated barcode reader, to the world’s first single-sensor security barcode positioning system, to innovative nestable stacking containers with Euronorm dimensions and a new automatic box sealer never before exhibited anywhere else in the world.

In addition to the European and world premieres, industry professionals at LogiMAT 2024 can explore a wide range of other new and improved solutions for streamlining and modernizing intralogistical workflows. Visitors to Hall 5 can experience a new, fully scalable vertical storage system and a new pallet shuttle for automated pallet storage technology.

Warehouse mobility is the theme in the products and solutions on display by many exhibitors, from machinery and equipment manufacturers to developers of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to industrial trucks makers. The exhibits in Hall 3 will include an electric scooter transport trolley for lifting boxes, with a freely configurable loading area that can be accessed from the front or either side and always provides the top box at an individually customizable working height.

AMRs offer new use cases

Exhibitors of automated guided vehicle (AGVs), shuttles, cobots, and AMRs will be largely concentrated in Hall 6 this year, showcasing the latest equipment integrating state-of-the-art advances in adjacent technologies such as sensor systems and AI. On display for the first time in Europe is a new autonomous under-ride AGV that can transport payloads up to 1,500 kg in tight spaces at speeds up to 1.6 m/s. Also featured: a new modular forklift platform AGV for use in industrial intralogistics equipped for payloads of up to 6 metric tons. Visitors will also be able to preview new optimization components such as a new type of traction-steering drive for omni-directional AGV use cases.

Industrial truck manufacturers in Halls 9 and 10 will exhibit their latest forklift innovations along with other technological optimizations and applications. New electric forklift truck series with lithium-ion technology and load capacities from 1.6 to 3.5 metric tons are designed to ensure maximum efficiency with numerous ergonomic improvements and modern safety functions. Visitors can also be on hand for the first-time presentation of a new scissor lift truck that is fully electric (lift and powertrain) and offers various fork length options up to 2,000 mm. Features such as an upright mode and automatic lateral stabilizers support a broad safety profile. Last but not least, a new autonomous cleaning robot with AI technology underscores the diversity of use cases for AMRs.

Exhibitors from the AIDC industry (Hall 2) and manufacturers of container and packaging solutions (Halls 4 and 7) are also bringing a host of innovations to exhibit at LogiMAT 2024. New wearables combining the functionality of handhelds and other mobile devices include back-of-hand scanners, finger scanners, and smart glasses. Scanning ranges are flexible, from 10 to 250 cm, and connected software offers multiscan and continuous scanning options. The exhibits in Hall 4 will include compressed intralogistics containers for automated small parts storage and shuttle systems that erect automatically and combine the properties of rigid small parts containers with the logistical advantages of foldable containers. The volume of the containers can be shrunk 70 percent for space-saving, volume-optimized transport. A new machine for recycling old cardboard boxes as protective padding will also be presented there. Industry professionals in Hall 7 can also take a closer look at innovative, sustainable packaging solutions that offer an alternative to conventional plastic packaging with a patented blend of environmentally friendly materials: sustainably produced, water-soluble, biodegradable, recyclable, and suitable for a wide range of product use cases.

Wide selection of peripherals

One highlight among the peripherals in Hall 3 is new vertical balers, presented for the first time at LogiMAT 2024. The automatic packaging systems in Hall 1 will feature automated tray erectors that form trays and lids from flat material for optimum product presentation. Another first: a new compact single-mast automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for automation solutions in small and medium-sized companies, capable of being integrated into existing warehouses and racking structures with its height of 6 m up to a maximum 18 m. Hall 7 will feature a heated pallet magazine for optimized handling pallets in cold-store environments down to -25°C, and Hall 10 is the venue for the first presentation of a pallet changer capable of handling both tilting and non-tilting products.

The key to optimized, efficient, modern intralogistics lies not only in hardware but above all in software. The software developers in Hall 8 will showcase control systems and warehouse management systems (WMS) with all the latest features, apps, and AI algorithms. The premieres include new applications integrating WMS and ChatGPT, and a new dynamic transport control that manages transport requests and connected automation components. In response to the current demand for process optimization and facility management, exhibitors will present software solutions capable of running simulations and virtual launches and generating digital twins of production and logistics processes. New AI tools will also be on display as a WMS feature for predicting order volumes and bottlenecks in the material flow, as well as AI-based machine vision technology that analyzes and maps goods movements and warehouse inventories in real time.

“With the full spectrum of innovations that exhibitors will bring to Stuttgart, LogiMAT 2024 reflects current trends throughout the intralogistics industry,” concludes Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty. “LogiMAT gives industry professionals a sneak peek at the state-of-the-art solutions that will define the industry in the years ahead.”

About LogiMAT

LogiMAT, the International Trade Show for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management, will take place at the Messe Stuttgart convention center, directly adjacent to Stuttgart International Airport, from March 19 to 21, 2024. LogiMAT, organized by EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH, ranks as the world’s largest trade show for intralogistics solutions. It offers a complete market overview of everything driving the intralogistics industry, from procurement to production to shipping. International exhibitors showcase innovative technologies, products, systems, and solutions for streamlining operations, optimizing processes, and cutting costs in a company’s internal logistics. Beyond the exhibitor booths, visitors can also experience a different program of presentations each day covering a wide range of topics.

LogiMAT also has a presence in various international markets. Upcoming events:

LogiMAT India, February 28 to March 1, 2024, IEML, Delhi NCR, India
LogiMAT China, May 8–10, 2024, SZCEC, Shenzhen, China
LogiMAT Southeast Asia, October 16–18, 2024, BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand

LogiMAT.digital is the platform that brings together top providers of the world’s best intralogistics solutions with high-quality leads, bridging the time and space between on-site events.