Awards for ‘BEST PRODUCT’ Presented at LogiMAT

An innovative picking robot that commissions orders in warehouse aisles as a world first, a packaging machine that produces cartons or envelopes tailored to the requirements of the product to be packaged, and an AI voice control for WMS systems—these are the innovative top performances that were awarded the prestigious ‘BEST PRODUCT’ prize at this year’s LogiMAT 2024.

(Stuttgart) An independent jury of scientists and journalists selected three worthy winners from over one hundred twenty submissions, all of whom live up to the name ‘BEST PRODUCT’. They outstandingly meet the competition criteria: productivity increase, cost savings, and rationalization. The awarded companies contribute to safe processes, flexible adaptation to changes, and efficiency improvement, ultimately leading to increased productivity in logistics. The ‘BEST PRODUCT’ award was presented during the ceremonial opening in the LogiMAT Arena on the morning of the first day of the fair. The laudation was given by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johannes Fottner, chair of the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics at the Technical University of Munich.

In the category ‘Picking, Conveying, Lifting, Storage Technology’, the award went to the Slovak company Brightpick / Photoneo s.r.o. for the Brightpick Autopicker (featured image)

The Brightpick Autopicker is the world’s first autonomous mobile picking robot for order fulfillment, capable of picking and consolidating orders directly in warehouse aisles. Its range includes non-refrigerated and refrigerated foods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, packaged goods, cosmetics, electronics, clothing in polybags, and more.

The Autopicker features a patented design with two container slots. This allows it to take storage containers from the shelf and place individual items into a neighboring order container located on the robot. It does this repeatedly while moving through the warehouse until the order or batch is fully picked.

Unlike other fulfillment robots, the Brightpick Autopicker only approaches central picking stations once the picking is complete. This results in faster picking and higher throughput. In addition to robot-assisted assembly of order items in the picking aisle, the AMR can also be used for heavy or difficult-to-pick items in goods-to-person picking, pallet picking, inventory replenishment, dynamic slotting, as well as buffering and shipping.

The robot works with standard shelves and containers. This enables quick deployment and easy integration into any warehouse environment—including existing processes and intermediate floors. The AMR is ready for use within weeks, reduces picking work by 98%, and thus halves the corresponding logistics costs. Furthermore, the use of the Brightpick Autopicker or such an AMR fleet in the warehouse guarantees 100% picking reliability.

In the category ‘Identification, Packaging and Loading Technology, Load Securing’, the award went to CMC Packaging Automation S.p.A from Italy. The CMC CartonWrap DUO machine was honored.

The CMC CartonWrap Duo is the first machine available on the market that can produce both format-compliant cartons and envelopes according to the dimensions of the items to be packaged in the same workflow. This significantly reduces packaging volume, carton waste, and CO2 emissions from transport. The groundbreaking concept harmoniously combines sustainability and efficiency. It reduces the consumption of corrugated cardboard by up to 50% compared to conventional technologies and requires up to 70% less adhesive. Additionally, customer experience and satisfaction are improved as customized packaging offers more security during transport. With Packvertizing in the CMC CartonWrap DUO, the individualized packaging can also be attractively printed in color.

The process begins with scanning the item to be packaged using innovative scanning technology. Based on the determined dimensions, the machine designs and creates a box or, for thinner items, a custom-sized envelope from a continuous roll of corrugated cardboard. It cuts, folds, and seals the cardboard to achieve the desired shape. Once the box or envelope is formed, the item is carefully placed inside. The machine ensures a snug fit to minimize movement and potential damage during transport. It then applies adhesive to secure the packaging flaps. This results in a completely closed and well-sealed package. Last but not least, a shipping label is automatically affixed, and the package is printed for identification. The finished package is then ready for sorting and shipping.

In the category ‘Software, Communication, IT’, the award went to Logistics Reply GmbH for the first bidirectional Open AI voice control for Warehouse Management Systems, LEApedia.

The AI application is a bidirectional Open AI voice control for Warehouse Management Systems. The intelligent chatbot responds to commands and questions in natural language. The application is integrated as a module LEApedia into the cloud-native SaaS-WMS solution LEA ReplyTM. Through the intelligent search function, users can search for terms or process descriptions using natural language input, making it easier and faster to navigate the system.

The module can be integrated in no time and tailored specifically to the respective customer requirements and software environments during ongoing operations. The intelligent chatbot LEApedia provides employees with the opportunity to receive immediate answers to questions about processes, technical terminology, system configurations, and more. This saves them time on manual searches and provides the necessary information at a glance. The precise and consistent results significantly reduce potential human errors.

Another advantage: The program not only recognizes input questions in natural language; it also responds in natural language, avoiding jargon. This makes it understandable for every user, regardless of their qualifications and language skills. This saves a lot of time and enables efficient workflows. This user autonomy also reduces the need for retraining and support requests, resulting in increased productivity overall.

Winners Come from Three Countries

“I am particularly pleased that this year’s winners come from three countries. This underscores the significance of LogiMAT as an international hotspot for innovations and the radiance emanating from Stuttgart,” said trade fair director Michael Ruchty from the organizer EUROEXPO GmbH. “The three products awarded the ‘BEST PRODUCT 2024’ prize exemplify all other international exhibitors showcasing their innovations to the professional audience at LogiMAT.”

Photo: © LogiMAT / Caption: Winner in the category ‘Picking, Conveying, Lifting, Storage Technology’ the Brightpick Autopicker