BLG LOGISTICS together with its partner engelbert strauss is the winner of the European Logistics Award of the European Logistics Association (ELA). After winning the 2015 German Award for Supply Management for the project entitled “Stargate junction – logistics at the interface between humans and robots,” the two companies have now received distinction at the Pan-Europeanlevel. Thomas Krüger, Managing Director of BLG Handelslogistik, and Matthias Fischer, Head of Operational Projects at engelbert strauss, accepted the coveted award in Brussels.
The proven concept, is a ‘goods to people’ principle which has revolutionized the entire field of intralogistics at BLG’s Frankfurt logistics center since October, 2014. Enabled by technology called ‘G-Com,’ developed by Grenzebach gmbH, racks move in fully automated mode toflexible and ergonomically designed pick stations or ‘stargates.’ Transport vehicles (or ‘carrys’), used for this purpose, are short enough to run under the mobile racks, raise and carry them to the stargates on a defined path.
G-Com can be dynamically adapted, scaled and expanded in response to changing market conditions and customer requirements. If, for example, the order volume grows, additional transport units can be used to enhance performance oradditional racks can be installed to increase capacity. And G-Com is significantly more efficient than the conventional people-to-goods approach. The system creates stationary, ergonomically designed workstations, supports and takes pressure off its operators in different ways and minimizes unproductive activities, such as searching or covering long distances. This mode of operation closes the gap in automated pallet storage (high-bay warehouse) and automated package storage (automatic small parts warehouse) in the form of automated spare parts storage (G-Com).
When presented the award, Thomas Krüger, Managing Director of BLG Handelslogistikshared his view of the future requirements in logistics:
“We believe that the pick & store system implemented jointly by us and engelbert strauss is an important practical test for many future requirements, particularly regarding the new demands arising from the discussion over Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0. In addition to the people-to-goods and goods-to-people systems, robots-to-goods-to-people systems will establish themselves soon in many cases.”
He added, “As a logistics provider, we are frequently only able to boost innovation to the extent permitted by the client. And for this reason we are also extremely grateful that engelbert strauss had the courage and farsightedness to implement this project with us.”
Matthias Fischer, Head of Operational Products at englebert strauss said: “Through our logistics system in Frankfurt we have not only found a flexible and economical solution for the challenging task in Frankfurt, but have also developed a pioneering and promising concept for the future.”
About the European Logistics Association (ELA) and the ELA Award
The European Logistics Association (ELA) is an organization encompassing more than 30 national logistics federations in Western and Central Europe and beyond. The members of these national logistics federations are logistics specialists from industry andservice sectors. The ELA reaches 55,000 logistics specialists within its network. The organization supports a profession and not a sector and is therefore a neutral body. The ELA provides logistics specialists with a platform for networking and supports professions in the logistics and supply chain segment. To achieve this, the organization confers the ELA Award once a year, the European gold medal in the field of logistics and supply chain. From the finalists of the respective national prize winners the ELA selects the best logistics project and the best logistics professional of the year. In addition, the organization offers a certification program that targets a uniform qualification standard in the logistics sector and maintains an intensive exchange withthe European Parliament and different Directorate Generals in the European Commission.