Jungheinrich and Movu Robotics have struck a strategic partnership aimed at speeding up the delivery of high-density automated pallet warehouses.
Under the agreement, Jungheinrich will become the preferred integrator for Movu’s shuttle systems, while Movu will become Jungheinrich’s preferred supplier for the technology.
The two companies will combine Movu’s four-way shuttle systems with Jungheinrich’s consulting, software, integration and service capabilities.
The partnership is designed to make pallet shuttle warehouses quicker to plan, easier to integrate and more efficient to operate.
It comes as rising property costs, complex brownfield sites and demand for greater storage density increase interest in automated pallet storage.
Movu’s Atlas four-way shuttle system can store and retrieve pallets several positions deep, allowing warehouses to make greater use of available space.
As part of the partnership, Movu’s shuttles will be integrated directly into Jungheinrich’s warehouse management system and wider software ecosystem.
The system will centrally manage inventory while helping to optimise storage and retrieval operations.
Standardised software interfaces are also expected to reduce commissioning time and make it easier to connect automated equipment with existing warehouse systems.
The companies will work together on solution design and coordinate service processes throughout the operating life of installations.
Dr Tobias Harzer, chief automation officer at Jungheinrich, said: “Customers today no longer expect individual automation components, but seamless automation solutions.”
He added: “Together, we combine shuttle technology, software, integration and service into an overall system that fits seamlessly into existing warehouse structures.”
Jungheinrich said it was seeing particularly strong demand for high-density shuttle systems in sectors including food and beverage, cold-chain logistics and third-party logistics.
The partnership will also seek to connect different stages of warehouse operations, from goods-in and pallet storage through to dispatch.
Shuttle systems, conveyor technology and mobile robots can be coordinated through Jungheinrich’s software platform, giving operators greater visibility over material flows and allowing systems to be expanded as requirements change.
Movu said its shuttle systems are already used in more than 200 warehouses, including a number of Jungheinrich customer projects in Europe and North America.
One project is under construction for Coppenrath & Wiese, where an automated packaging-material warehouse will bring previously decentralised storage into a central facility.
Another is being developed for Mascot online in Almere, the Netherlands, where an automated pallet warehouse with around 11,500 pallet locations is being built.
Ten Movu four-way shuttles will operate at the site, which is intended to support the retailer’s growth and future logistics expansion.
Noë van Bergen, chief sales officer at Movu Robotics, said four-way shuttle systems were increasingly being used for more than high-density storage.
He said: “Four-way shuttle systems increasingly combine high-density storage with other functionalities like replenishing picking processes and sequencing goods for dispatch just in time, all within the same footprint.”
Van Bergen added that the partnership would combine Movu’s shuttle technology and racking manufacturing capabilities through stow Group with Jungheinrich’s integration, software and service expertise.
The two businesses now plan to align their solution design, software interfaces and service processes more closely as they target further growth in automated warehousing.