material flow PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2021 - Logistics category

1st place: PAKi e-Voucher
The PAKi e-Voucher is a market success in digital pallet voucher management: the company tripled the number of e-Vouchers used this year compared to 2019. It is available in 22 EU countries, which, according to the company, no one other than PAKi Logistics can offer in the open pool. The digital pallet voucher, which can be used and transferred throughout Europe, ensures pallet voucher management that speeds up processes by up to 50%. Its major benefit lies in the combination of online-based pallet management and the availability of load carriers throughout Europe. Real-time crediting eliminates the need for printouts, transfers and the processing of pallet bills, and processing at the ramp is shortened by ten minutes. PAKi is certain that pallet slip losses are also a thing of the past.

2nd place: Arvato Supply Chain Solutions - at the heart of Supply Chain Valley
Several companies, including Arvato Supply Chain Solutions and the Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (BISCI), joined forces in the summer to form Supply Chain Valley (SCV). The new collaboration's mission is to work with government, business and academia to achieve common goals for the environment, society and the economy. In the joint mission statement, this intention is described as follows: "We organizations work together on joint projects to achieve tangible results in the following areas: Sustainability, End-to-end digital supply chain, Shared economy, Work of the future and Warehouse of the future." Supply Chain Valley is based in Venlo and strengthens the region: the team is supported by research and leadership from Maastricht University, TNO, Fontys University of Applied Sciences and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences through BISCI.

3rd place: RUD Ketten - Open sesame for XXL projects
Process optimization for loading and unloading barges and freight wagons: this was the clear requirement for a new, 3,000 m2 logistics hall in the Bavarian port of Regensburg. The requirement was met with the help of a sliding roof that can be opened to the port side so that the port crane can reach directly into the hall. The 2-in-1 Tecdos-Pi-Gamma chain drive system from RUD Ketten acts as the sesame seed. Developed for horizontal and vertical applications with a chain deflection of 90° to 180°, the drive reliably opens and closes the 576 m2 section of the roof, defying the high dynamic forces acting on the sliding roof element, such as wind and snow loads.

In 2020, the reader award materialfluss PRODUCT OF THE YEAR celebrated its premiere, you can find the winners and best placed here.