AutoStore Founders Inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame

The Logistics Hall of Fame, the independent non-profit logistics organization, announced today that AutoStore founders Jakob Hatteland and Ingvar Hognaland will be inducted as members. The honorees are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of logistics and supply chain management.

(Berlin/Oslo) The Logistics Hall of Fame points out that Jakob Hatteland and Ingvar Hognaland reinvented and commercialized warehouse storage with the AutoStore system. According to the organization, Hatteland and Hognaland were selected for developing one of the most significant inventions in modern logistics, which is now a global standard for efficient warehousing.

A jury of 70 prominent figures from business, science, politics, and media from 13 countries chose the AutoStore founders as the latest inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Anita Würsmer, chairwoman of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, explained the decision: “The induction of the two Norwegians into the Logistics Hall of Fame is long overdue. Hognaland invented the automatic cube storage system and developed it into a perfect system that now holds more than 1,600 patents.

Hatteland makes logistics history because he bravely believed in the success of the system for years and built a network of selected international distributors that made AutoStore a global bestseller.”

Reduction of Storage of ‘Air’

Jakob Hatteland and Ingvar Hognaland founded AutoStore in 1996 in the small Norwegian fjord town of Vats after developing an idea to overcome space shortages in warehouses. Hognaland developed the concept of a standardized, automated, cube-based storage and retrieval system to reduce what his company stored the most – air. Inspired by the Rubik’s Cube, he created a prototype that utilized a grid system with storage bins that could be retrieved by robots and delivered to a waiting person at a workstation. The AutoStore system was born.

After Hatteland recognized the potential of the AutoStore system to revolutionize the warehousing and logistics business, he began commercialization in 2004. Through a lean, partner-based go-to-market model, AutoStore began to make a name for itself in the logistics industry, with customers recognizing the enormous potential to enhance space, time, and cost efficiency in their operations. Today, this brand is truly global, with over 1,250 AutoStore systems installed for more than 900 customers in 50 countries. This success led to AutoStore being valued at over $1.5 billion during its listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange in 2019, making it Norway’s first unicorn.

Mats Hovland Vikse, CEO of AutoStore, on the significance of such an honor for the AutoStore founders: “Jakob and Ingvar are the epitome of inventors and pioneers. They identified a problem and turned it into a groundbreaking solution that has changed the way we utilize the limited space available to us.

Representation of True Entrepreneurial Spirit

They represent a true entrepreneurial spirit that continually inspires and drives us as a company. Although we are now a global company with over 900 employees working with the world’s largest brands, we remain deeply connected to our roots and the problem-solving mentality inspired by Jakob and Ingvar. I am incredibly proud to hear that they have been honored with an induction into the Logistics Hall of Fame. It serves as an inspiration for all of us at AutoStore.” Hatteland and Hognaland will be officially inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame during a gala reception on November 29 at the Tipi am Kanzleramt in Berlin.

Photo: © AutoStore / Caption: Ingvar Hognaland (left) and Jakob Hatteland, the founders of AutoStore, will be ceremoniously inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame on November 29, 2023, in Berlin.