More than 20,000 votes were cast in the readers' poll of materialfluss, the specialist medium for logistics and intralogistics. Fifteen solutions and products competed for victory in the warehouse and order picking technology category.

material flow PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2021 - Storage and picking technology category

1st place: StoreBiter OLS X shuttle storage solution
The winning Gebhardt StoreBiter One-Level-Shuttle X is a flexible and scalable shuttle system based on a combination of established shuttle and AGV technologies. The system can be extended in length and width by adding aisles and equipped with one or more shuttles. This enables step-by-step expansion even during operation. Platforms that connect the aisles with each other allow the shuttles to move freely and without rails between the aisles. At the same time, the platforms offer the necessary flexibility to position work and transfer stations as required and to adapt to changing processes and conditions. As the shuttle can leave the warehouse like a tried-and-tested AGV and travel directly to workstations, every workstation has direct access to every item in the system.

2nd place: Körber Supply Chain - PA15 palletizing system
Conveying instead of pushing, modular components for pallets and containers of different sizes and a compact footprint - with the PA15 modular system, Körber offers a palletizing solution that can meet almost any customer requirement. The palletizing system enables flexibility in layout planning. The product infeed can take place at any height. The modular system with three performance classes offers flexibility paired with intuitive operation and maintenance. In the high-speed range, the system can handle up to twelve layers per minute, with maximum pallet heights of 2,800 mm, layer sizes of up to 1,500 x 1,500 mm and layer weights of up to 150 kg. The Körber palletizer and the appropriate feed systems also convey sensitive products gently. The almost contact-free depositing process onto the pallet remains problem-free even with thin film or paper packaging.

3rd place: AutoStore System - AutoStore Router
This router is a newly developed software platform for the AutoStore storage and picking system. The software increases the productivity and efficiency of AutoStore robots by up to 40 percent. Using special computer algorithms, the most efficient route for storage and retrieval is calculated for each robot in real time. Routing allows the AutoStore system to continuously adapt to external events. The router also enables a higher robot density while maintaining high performance per robot. By adding more robots, the performance of each AutoStore system can be increased - up to four times the total throughput. This enables the router to install applications that were previously not feasible: Small micro-fulfillment solutions as well as large distribution centers.

2020 saw the premiere of the reader award materialfluss PRODUCT OF THE YEAR, the winners and best placed can be found here.