German Industry and the „Space Economy“: Opportunities in the Changing World of Spaceflight
New Growth Opportunities for Industry According to the press release, the Bonn Academy of Economics (BWA) sees a great opportunity for German industry in the increasing commercialisation of space travel. According to the BWA Academy, a new, market-economy-driven phase of space travel has begun, which is heavily reliant on industrial capabilities. This could be particularly beneficial for the struggling automotive and supplier sectors […]
Bio-based foam as a sustainable alternative for industry
Sustainable innovation without production overhaul The press release states that the „xPBS“ project has developed a bio-based extruded foam made from polybutylene succinate (PBS) that can replace conventional petroleum-based materials such as polyethylene. According to Fraunhofer, the new foam is suitable for applications in packaging, transport solutions, and construction, i.e. in areas with high demand. According to the press release, particularly [...]
Panattoni is developing its largest City Dock® project in Neuss
Extensive new build project in a central location According to the press release, the company Panattoni is planning its largest City Dock project to date in Neuss. A modern business park is to be built on a site of approximately 85,500 square metres in the Hammfeld district, which was previously used by the US company 3M. According to Panattoni, approximately 32,600 square metres of hall space and around 6,500 square metres of office space will be [...]
Nationwide survey on automated piece-picking launched
Objective and Background of the Survey According to a press release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), a nationwide company survey on the topic of piece picking has been launched. The aim is to record the current level of automation in individual item picking in Germany and to analyse technological developments. According to the press release, this is intended to create a reliable data basis to establish the status and […]
DHL supply chain accelerates automation with SOFTBOT platform
Faster integration of robotics solutions According to the press release, DHL Supply Chain is now relying on the SOFTBOT platform from SVT Robotics to accelerate automation projects worldwide. More than 8,000 collaborative robots are already in use at various company locations. According to DHL, the plug-and-play platform is designed to integrate new robotic systems up to twelve times faster than [...]
AI robotics optimises order picking at OPO Oeschger
Initial situation: Automated, but with a bottleneck OPO Oeschger has largely automated logistics processes, in particular through a shuttle warehouse. Nevertheless, the manual removal of articles was said to be a bottleneck in the picking process. According to Sereact's press release, the company was therefore specifically looking for a solution that could be integrated into existing processes without major structural or system adjustments. [...]
Digital transformation of logistics: Fraunhofer develops open multi-agent systems
Challenge and project objective According to the Fraunhofer press release, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML has reached an important milestone for the digital transformation of logistics with the completion of the SKALA research project. According to the information provided, there has often been a lack of interoperability between IT systems, while isolated systems and paper-based processes have slowed down the efficiency of companies. The project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and [...]
Sustainable Mechanical Engineering: Research project develops more energy-efficient car headlights
NALYSES project researches sustainable product development According to the press release, the NALYSES research project investigated over a period of more than three years how the ecological footprint of technologically complex mechatronic products can be reduced and their suitability for a circular economy improved. According to the press release, the aim was to create new methods and technologies for more sustainable product development. The project [...]
Software reduces empty space in shipping boxes
Fraunhofer IML presents optimised carton set solution. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML has developed CASTN, a software package that analyses and optimises the volume utilisation of shipping cartons. According to the institute, the aim is to reduce empty space, thereby cutting material consumption, transport costs, emissions, and overall expenditure. According to a press release, many companies currently use their shipping cartons inefficiently. CASTN [...]
Defence platform BASED expands founding circle
Christoph Keese joins as co-founder The European defence platform BASED is entering a new growth phase and is expanding its leadership team, according to Commvisory: media entrepreneur and investor Christoph Keese will become co-founder. The platform emerged from the Munich Security Breakfast in 2024 and connects defence and dual-use start-ups, industry, investors, and public procurers to accelerate innovation towards [...]