mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce industry and why?

Haarscheidt: Our solutions for small parts warehouses are particularly suitable for the majority of small-volume shipments, short response times and efficient handling of returns in online retail. We have developed highly dynamic and scalable solutions for handling containers and cartons. Our products are energy-efficient, powerful and reliable. In other words, points that are very important when it comes to intralogistics in the e-commerce sector. The overall package is rounded off by our warehouse management system, which optimally controls material flows, analyzes system statuses at all times and provides the system operator with information in the event of emergencies.

Scarce

materialfluss: E-commerce is the growth driver for intralogistics par excellence. What innovations does the industry have to offer for both large and small operators of online stores - from Amazon to Rudi's tire store?

Heimo Robosch: In order to be able to support the growth scenarios and changes in the business models of e-commerce operators, all developments are moving in the direction of flexibility. For example, innovations in the area of autonomous vehicles, which are ideal for small, flexible solutions, or the pocket sorter as an entry-level solution in the e-commerce business, through to flexible shuttles that can grow with customer requirements.

mfl: What requirements does modern intralogistics place on e-commerce providers and their service providers?

Robosch: Throughput time and absolutely error-free work are the key issues, as they give us a competitive advantage. In addition, efficient returns logistics are absolutely essential for commercial success in some e-commerce sectors. The business must be able to adapt to extremely steep peaks in performance, such as Black Friday - both the warehouse systems and the entire warehouse operation must be able to cope with this.

mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector and why?

Robosch: The OSR Shuttle Evo combines the advantages of previous shuttle systems - namely being able to access a large number of items permanently and quickly regardless of the ABC curve - with the advantages of the new generation, where the entire system and therefore the investment can grow with the customer. In combination with a pocket sorter, the customer has even more flexibility for extremely high throughputs in larger applications and an integrated solution for returns. Autonomous vehicles such as the Open Shuttles from Knapp flexibly connect routes and storage areas. The KiSoft Analytics software provides the right data.

Lard

Dr. Kurt Schmalz, Managing Partner J. Schmalz GmbH - Photo: J. Schmalz

materialfluss: What requirements does modern intralogistics place on e-commerce providers and their service providers? What has changed as a result of the boom in online retail?

Kurt Schmalz:Online retail is growing enormously. This requires more flexibility and speed in the warehouse. Large online retailers are focusing on automation, for example with mobile robots. Human-machine collaboration (HRC) is becoming increasingly important. We are therefore developing solutions that are also suitable for collaborative systems. However, the requirements of small and medium-sized online retailers have also changed: We can support them with manual lifting aids, because here too the general growth is reflected in more frequent handling. For ergonomic loading, the handling systems must be intuitive to operate and allow a high working speed.

mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector and why?

Schmalz: Plug-and-play solutions are becoming increasingly important in automation. The basis for this is our vacuum technology, which must function without compressed air for mobile applications. Our ECBPi cobot pump generates the required vacuum electrically directly at the gripper, which also makes it interesting for handling tasks with collaborative robots. Our new cobot gripper is the ideal complement. Its special design ensures safe HRC and is extremely variable thanks to its flexible foam gripping surface. In general, our products solve crucial applications such as the handling of individual workpieces or the so-called grip in the box. Our JumboFlex vacuum tube lifter is designed for manual handling, where the focus is on frequently moving light goods. It enables ergonomic working at high cycle rates of up to 600 picks per hour.

Pfenning Logistics

materialfluss: What demands does modern intralogistics place on e-commerce providers and their service providers? What has changed as a result of the boom in online trade?

Matthias Schadler: Material flows are becoming torrents in e-commerce. And logistics providers are becoming high-performance service providers with whom e-commerce can fulfill its central service promise: To deliver. Not within one or two days, but here, now and now. In the world of unlimited availability of goods, the logistics provider's "same day" becomes the store operator's USP. This requires not only highly available systems, but also a level of automation that accelerates the throughput speed to maximum speed at the click of a customer's mouse. As the variety of articles increases, so do the demands on warehouse and material flow systems. Innovative technologies such as pick-by-vision, in which order pickers wear data glasses and move around in augmented reality, will soon become the standard in speed-loving e-commerce. This already means for the layout planning of warehouse logistics: the goods must reach the man or woman by the shortest route. Uncomplicated and fast.

mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector and why?

Schadler: Our "multicube" real estate concept provides a suitable answer to the special requirements of e-commerce: thanks to the modular design, different products can be stored, picked and dispatched in these logistics centers under optimal conditions and a wide range of value-added services can be provided under one roof. This makes us a suitable partner for large e-commerce platforms that trade in completely different goods and product worlds, from cosmetics and lifestyle products to food.

SSI Schäfer

Matthias Schadler, Managing Director pfenning logistics - Photo: pfenning logistics

materialfluss: What requirements does modern intralogistics place on e-commerce providers and their service providers? What has changed as a result of the boom in online retail?

Heribert Hochrinner:The online grocery trade is currently experiencing a boom. Although this is responsible for high growth figures, it presents companies with new intralogistics challenges. This results in a wide range of requirements for the respective distribution network and therefore for the internal material flow. These have an impact on quantities, load carriers and delivery options, among other things. Fulfillment in online retail is struggling with additional market trends such as high growth, strong delivery peaks, tightly defined delivery windows, an increasing selection, especially in the fresh range, a low drop rate on the last mile and increased pressure on margins as well as the processing of e-commerce orders in the dark store. In order to guarantee rapid order processing and dispatch through to same-day delivery, the supply chain must be fully optimized. After all, customers not only expect low prices, but also the best possible service.

Heribert Hochrinner, Sales Manager Food Retail at SSI Schaefer - Photo: SSI Schaefer

mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector and why?

Hochrinner: In order to meet the specific challenges, a high degree of flexibility and individuality is required. Whether with manual, partially or fully automated solutions for storage, picking, buffering and transportation - SSI Schaefer coordinates and consolidates the flow of goods across all temperature zones and enables optimum service. SSI Schaefer offers a wide range of solution modules perfectly tailored to customer-specific requirements: The portfolio includes storage systems for the fully automated storage of large and small load carriers in a wide range of temperature zones as well as conveyor systems for internal transportation between the individual storage areas. Software-based process optimization and visualization are a must. SSI Schaefer's own Wamas software has the same modular structure as its other solutions. It has standard interfaces to external systems and can therefore be easily and seamlessly integrated into the user's existing IT landscape. The key to long-term success in a highly dynamic market environment is therefore a holistic optimization of the process chain with an individual degree of automation - across the entire life cycle.

viastore Software

materialfluss: What requirements does modern intralogistics place on e-commerce providers and their service providers? What has changed as a result of the boom in online trading?

Dr. Harald Göbel: Online retail opens up new sales channels and is particularly easy and convenient for customers. Logistically, however, the concept is a major challenge. Manufacturers, retailers and service providers have to be extremely flexible, respond to customer requests in real time, check the availability of products, make reservations, deliver on time and earn money even with order sizes of one. What is also required is complete transparency of the logistics process so that customers can track every step of their goods online and see them in real time. In addition to high-performance sorting technology, warehouse and material flow software and simple processing for logistics employees are crucial to ensure efficient processing of goods and efficient returns handling.

mfl: Which of your products or services are particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector and why?

Göbel: Our viadat warehouse and material flow software supports all core functions in logistics and production - from goods receipt and dispatch to returns management. As it is scalable in terms of function and performance, it is particularly suitable for the e-commerce sector. The WMS intelligently calculates all processes in advance. Employees can view all information directly. Flexibility is important so that rush orders, for example, can be processed reliably and quickly. Here, process and inventory monitoring ensures the end-to-end traceability of goods. The software can be seamlessly integrated into existing environments and is very user-friendly.