Gideon Brothers
Gideon Brothers are a Croatian based autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solution provider. What differentiates them from the competition is their market-leading AI and 3D vision technology, giving them incredible visual perception. They have an array of different AMR solutions available, aside from the standard moving of cargo they can do anything from pallet-handling, to lifting and weight measurement.
They are worth looking out for as we enter Q3 due to their massive partnership with logistics giant, DB Schenker. DB Schenker have recently taken part in a $31 million funding round to aid in the development of the robots, all while implementing various AMR models, and Gideon’s own fleet management system in their Leipzig facility. With the backing of a powerhouse like DB Schenker, the sky’s the limit for Gideon Brothers.
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Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics have always been at the forefront of robotics research, hailing from Massachusetts which is world renowned as being a major technology hub. They are most well known for their canine-like robot; Spot but have now moved into the intralogistics space with their Pick and Stretch solutions for warehouse material handling.
Hyundai Motor Group have recently announced the completion of the acquisition of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank Group for $1.1 billion. Hyundai want to take advantage of the synergy created through this acquisition by advancing their manufacturing, logistics and automation capabilities while supporting the development and growth of Boston Dynamic’s product offering.
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KION Group
With huge brands such as Dematic, STILL, Linde and Baoli; KION group should always be on your radar as one of the biggest players in the intralogistics industry. Through their wide scope of offerings available across their brands, they can offer turn-key solutions to any type of warehouse operator: whether they be in e-commerce, healthcare, parcel and third-party logistics to name a few.
Having already established themselves in Europe and the Americas, KION have set their sites on a new growth path: China. They are currently expanding their sales and service network through distributor partnerships, the most recent of which is in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. They are looking to capitalise on China’s growing demand for intralogistics solutions and are definitely well positioned to do so.
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Arvato Supply Chain Solutions
Arvato are a division of Bertelsmann, a global German conglomerate operating in many industries. Arvato’s offering falls within supply chain management and e-commerce solutions which they can implement in a variety of different market verticals. They have the capabilities to fully automate your warehouse through their automation, robotics, and material handling systems.
Excitingly, Arvato have just established a new business unit: Arvato SCS Digital. The new business unit will have close to 300 employees and will be led by their Chief Digital Officer Boris Scholz. Their goal will be to drive forward the digitisation strategy and develop new digital solutions to increase their value-proposition for customers. It will be interesting to see what kind of results this new business unit will get over the next few months, and how this change will affect overall company performance.
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Jungheinrich
Jungheinrich is another market leader within the intralogistics industry, also from Germany. Their strengths lie in their wide portfolio of forklift offerings, some of which are now fully automated and fall within the automated guided vehicle (AGV) category. Due to their continuous product innovation, they have recently been awarded the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award for their new pallet truck.
However, it’s not only their innovations that you must look out for, but also their increasing dedication to sustainability. Earlier this year they converted all of their sites in Germany to exclusively run on green energy, this includes six major production plants. The long-term goal is to eventually convert all of their foreign sites to green energy and they plan to produce their own solar power by equipping photovoltaic systems to their sites.
This issue is one that is really important to me, and sustainability within a business environment was the focal point of my university degree. It’s really great to see a large company like Jungheinrich take steps towards carbon neutrality and it shows that they have great corporate values.