As always, the recent MODEX show in Atlanta featured an innovation award contest for exhibitors, which this year generated 193 entries, across four categories. That latter figure was up from three until a Sustainability category was added this year.
From the 193 entrants, the judges selected three finalists, which each made short presentations on the MODEX show floor.
Supply Chain Digest Says... |
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Winners were then selected and announced at MHI’s Industry Night event on Wednesday of show week in March.
The four categories with the winning company and product are listed below:
• Best Innovation of an Existing Product - ForwardX Robotics: An Autonomous Forklift
• Best IT Innovation – Configura: Warehouse Space Planning Software
• Best New Innovation - Slip Robotics: Automated Truck Loader and Unloader
• Best New Innovation in Sustainability - Avery Dennison: Linerless Labels
Below, we list each winner and include their own description of their entry from the entrant’s form. As a result, they are very commercial in tone.
Best Innovation of an Existing Product - ForwardX Robotics
Summary of Innovation
The Apex C1500-L Autonomous Forklift represents a groundbreaking advancement in material handling technology. Equipped with state-of-the-art environmental perception capabilities, this forklift boasts an array of multi-line LiDARs and obstacle recognition cameras, setting new standards in operational safety and efficiency. Its ability to surpass conventional CE certification standards is evident in its heightened awareness of both ground and overhead obstacles. Additionally, the Apex C1500-L’s innovative design allows for the autonomous recognition and adjustment to pallet pockets, ensuring precise and square pickup every time, irrespective of the pallets' orientation.
This forklift is further enhanced with advanced sensors in the forks, facilitating versatile pick-up and drop-off heights and ensuring the safe handling of goods without the risk of damage during stacking operations. The integration with ForwardX's fleet management software makes the Apex C1500-L a seamless addition to existing logistics operations, offering versatility in a wide range of applications from case picking in e-commerce to handling large racks in automotive manufacturing. With a substantial payload capacity of 1500 kg and a lifting height of up to 3 meters, the Apex C1500-L stands as a formidable player in modernizing warehouse and manufacturing environments.
Best IT Innovation – Configura: Warehouse Space Planning Software
Summary of Innovation
CET Material Handling sets a new standard in material handling system design, positioning itself as a frontrunner for the Modex Best IT Innovation award. This revolutionary software is a game-changer for intralogistics, warehousing and distribution center design. CET operates seamlessly in both 2D and 3D and utilizes Parametric Graphical Configuration (PGC) technology to eliminate errors, improve efficiency and streamline the design process. Real-time Bill of Materials and pricing, along with comprehensive documentation creation, contribute to error reduction and overall project success.
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CATEGORY SPONSOR: SOFTEON |
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What sets CET Material Handling apart from other space planning platforms is our strategic collaborations with industry leaders like Dematic, Dexion, and Nedcon. This partnership integrates manufacturer-owned Extensions and our new Material Handling Library, featuring contributions from top names like Kardex, SICK, and Intralox. Users benefit from tailored solutions, enhancing accuracy and efficiency. Beyond extensions, CET's commitment to direct manufacturer involvement reflects industry excellence.
Best New Innovation - Slip Robotics: Automated Truck Loader and Unloader
Summary of Innovation
 SlipBot Automated Loading Robots (ALRs) empower anyone to auto-load and auto-unload any truck in just 5 minutes – at any dock, in any trailer, and with zero Wi-Fi or IT integration required. Why is that significant? The global supply chain is a network of networks, with many nodes exchanging freight through one common “universal standard interface”: the loading dock. But the speed and throughput of this dock interface hasn’t increased in over 50 years, making each dock a network bottleneck. Truckers spend 23% of their workday idling at a dock waiting for forklift operators to load and unload their trailer, while forklift operators carry freight between the trailer and staging area as quickly as possible despite the high risks of damage and injury.
Now, those same people can turn any bottlenecked dock into a reliable high-speed interface with the click of a button: using a handheld device to command SlipBot ALRs to auto-load and auto-unload any truck in just 5 minutes. The secret is the proprietary combination of SlipBot’s universally-applicable large ALR form factor, “cobot” product design, and Slip’s robots-as-a-service (RaaS) network that makes truck loading and unloading safe, fast, and fun without the usual robot hassles. Traditional automated trailer loading systems (ATLS) are inflexible and have limited reach since they require costly fixed installations, dock modifications, and custom trailers. Automated forklifts struggle to reliably manipulate varied freight and navigate inside trailers, and even in the best case they can only match the speed of a human-operated forklift at 1-2 pallets per minute. SlipBot ALRs consistently carry 10-20 pallets per minute (and all other freight types, including parcels) between any trailer and staging area – delivering 10X speed AND safety upon arrival at any dock. It just works. Companies using SlipBots have increased dock throughput by 300%, reduced truck and trailer idle time by 91%, reduced labor downtime costs by 85%, reduced total freight damage by 40%, and even increased total facility output by 20% by freeing up productive space in the facility
Best New Innovation in Sustainability - Avery Dennison: Linerless Label Stock
Summary of Innovation
Our linerless labels are a continuous-roll form of direct thermal paper media made with typically a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The labels also have a special top release coating on the facesheet. When the roll is wound, the adhesive does not stick to the top of the facesheet. In that way, a roll of linerless labels is similar to a roll of tape. Linerless labels are for use with printers that are designed with release surfaces along the paper path. These platen rollers, feed rollers, and knives are specific for use with linerless labels.
Our linerless solutions enable improved sustainability as no liner waste, no matrix waste and no media is used between labels resulting in 50% more labels per roll and 32% less material used vs standard linered product. A switch from DT Linered product to our DT Linerless results in 49% reduction in carbon and 34% reduction in water.
A list of all the entrants can he found here: MODEX 2024 Innovation Award Entrants
Do you have any thoughts on MODEX 2024 innovation winners? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback button below (email) or in the Feedback section.
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