Interactive palette:
The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and the European Pallet Association (EPAL) are developing the load carriers of the future in the Enterprise Lab in Dortmund. The partners presented the first use case for the interactive pallet to the public at the trade fair. The aim of the joint development is to digitize the world's largest open pallet pool. The standard Euro pallet is the most important load carrier in logistics. Numerous systems in conveyor and storage technology, means of transport and packaging are designed for EPAL Euro pallets. In Europe alone, the association has over 500 million pallets in circulation. "Logistics relies on pallets. Making them intelligent means making logistics intelligent. Intelligent pallet networks are a milestone on the way to the Internet of Things, with which the true treasure trove of data in logistics can be uncovered," said Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael ten Hompel, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer IML.