Ten exhibitors at CeMAT 2011 have won the MM Logistik Award for their innovative solutions. The exhibitors were invited to submit entries in ten categories. The award is offered by the trade journals MM Logistik and MM MaschinenMarkt.

And the winners in each category are...

• Industrial Trucks/Technology: Linde Material Handling GmbH, Aschaffenburg (DE)
• Industrial Trucks/Safety: Ravas Europe B.V., Zaltbommel (NL)
• Industrial Trucks/Ergonomics: Neumaier Industry GmbH & Co. KG, Hofstetten (DE)
• Conveyor Solutions: Interroll Fördertechnik GmbH, Wermelskirchen (DE)
• Warehouse Solutions: Ylog GmbH, Dobl bei Graz (A)
• Order Picking Solutions: PSB Intralogistics GmbH, Pirmasens (DE)
• Packaging Solutions: ErgoPack Deutschland GmbH, Lauingen (DE)
• Loading/Unloading Solutions: CSS Coil Secure Systems GmbH, Rammelsbach (DE)
• Identification Technology: SSI Schäfer Peem GmbH, Graz (A)
• Software: Knapp AG, Hart bei Graz (A)

Information on the winners and their products (German-only) is available at MM MaschinenMarkt (Source: Vogel Business Media GmbH/sp).

SSI Schäfer has set up a fascinating and impressively comprehensive showcase at this year’s CeMAT. Spanning some 2,100 square meters (26,000 sq.ft) of display space and themed The World of Efficiency, the showcase demonstrates an array of solutions for improving the efficiency and quality of material flows.
The World of Efficiency pavilion successfully fuses a number of separate systems into a fully integrated solution. According to Schäfer, the pavilion tracks all stages of the internal material flow process, comprising receipt into storage, internal transport, order picking, control and returns processing.
Visitors can find the pavilion at Stand C 20 in Hall 13 (Source: SSI Schäfer/sp).

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“Over the years, the Hannover region has become one of Germany’s foremost logistics hubs – even though it is still a long way from realizing its full potential.” That, in short, is the conclusion reached by LogisticNetwork Consultants (LNC) in the recent Logistikprofil study it prepared for the Hannover Combined Regional Council (Region Hannover) in cooperation with the region’s Business and Employment Promotion organization. The study was presented on 2 May 2011 at CeMAT.
“In terms of investment in logistics, the greater Hannover region has for years been in a league of its own in Lower Saxony and it’s one of the front runners in Germany as a whole. Since 2003, the region has developed around 180 hectares of land for logistics use, invested 800 million euros in infrastructure upgrades and newbuild projects and created 5,000 new jobs,” said Region Hannover’s Head of Commerce, Transport and Education, Ulf-Birger Franz. The region’s logistics sector currently employs around 40,000 people, he said.
The Logistikprofil study points to the Hannover region’s favorable geographic location as a key factor in its attractiveness as a logistics center. The report rates the region as “very good” in terms of location, transport links, infrastructure, logistics expertise and market potential.

The Logistikprofil study (German-only) is available as a PDF download here. (Source: Region Hannover/sp).

In terms of growth, the front-runners among the German logistics industry’s key export markets in 2010 were the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). “The sector’s exports to Brazil are particularly noteworthy, growing 130% in 2010,” commented Peter Günther, CEO of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), at the CeMAT 2011 kick-off press conference. In 2010, Brazil imported around 414 million euros worth of German-made logistics products.
Mr. Günther said the German logistics sector’s exports to China in 2010 were worth a total of 946 million euros, up 43% since 2009 and making China the sector’s most important export market. Exports to Russia grew 39% to 489 million euros, while exports to India rose 31% to 209 million euros.

The Materials Handling and Logistics Technology division of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) is confident Germany’s intralogistics sector will exceed its 9% sales growth forecast for 2011. According to VDMA CEO Peter Günther, this prediction is based on the sector’s 2011 new orders to date.
Speaking at the kick-off press conference for CeMAT 2011 on 27 April in Hannover, Mr. Günther said that Germany had emerged from the economic crisis in better shape than most countries:
“The current logistics sector trend will continue. We are on track for a return to 2007 levels in the near future.”
Germany’s intralogistics sector is expecting sales in excess of 16 billion euros for 2011.

Germany’s Scientific Association for Technical Logistics (WGTL) will be discussing the latest logistics research findings at the WGTL Forum, a lecture and discussion platform staged at the Intralogistics Campus at CeMAT 2011. The Intralogistics Campus is a combined forum and exhibition pavilion aimed at logistics industry professionals, students and career starters.
The Scientific Association for Technical Logistics (WGTL) is a cooperative venture between Germany’s 14 top University-based logistics institutes. Dedicated to the science behind logistics, its mission is to drive technical innovation in logistics through cooperative research and development.
The Intralogistics Campus is a 260 square meter (2,800 sq.ft) group pavilion. Its exhibits give visitors a broad overview of the latest developments in intralogistics and its richly diverse program of panel discussions and lectures stimulates quality debate and knowledge networking.
The WGTL Forum program includes the 7th WGTL Congress, held on 3 and 4 May. The Congress features a number of presentations and exhibits themed around the latest technological solutions in the field of logistics. The final day of the WGTL Forum, on 5 May, is the IFL-VDMA Research Project Day. At this event, the institutes making up the WGTL and a number of industry partners will profile a selection of research projects that will bear witness to the innovative power that flows from close collaboration between science and industry.

At CeMAT 2011, scientists from Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU) will be profiling their latest research developments and presenting initial findings from their new Ziems Small Parts Warehouse Laboratory to their industry peers. Since December 2010, staff at the laboratory have been conducting research into new ways of improving energy efficiency in intralogistics.
Among the exhibits on show at CeMAT will be a mobile measuring device for conveyor systems that can record goods volumes and the stresses and temperatures the goods are exposed to during transport. The device is designed to help companies ascertain whether such exposures lie within acceptable limits for the good in question.
Electric mobility is another key research field for the OVGU. Its scientists are, for instance, working on an on-the-fly battering changing system for electric vehicles. The idea is to eliminate battery-charging downtime and hence promote market acceptance of electric vehicles.
The OVGU’s scientists will be based at the group pavilion run Germany’s Scientific Association for Technical Logistics (WGTL) (Hall 27, Stand J15) (Source: Uni Magdeburg/sp).

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