Robotics player vows ‘no warehouse left behind’

THE NEW brand comes with a new headquarters, developed to strengthen the Robotics business unit and to meet increasing customer demand for warehouse automation and robotics solutions. The new brand replaces the name stow Robotics. The creation of the robotics unit and new headquarters was backed by Blackstone, the majority shareholder of stow Group.

Movu Robotics’ new headquarters in Lokeren, Belgium, combines a 5,000 sq m office area with a 10,000 sq m surface for logistics and manufacturing operations under a single roof, next to a state-of-the-art experience centre - one of the biggest in Europe - where the latest technologies are showcased live to customers and partners.

Employing more than 300 employees by end of the year across Europe and the US, Movu Robotics will operate globally and expects order intake of more than €300 million in 2023.

Movu Robotics offers a complete portfolio of automated technologies for efficient warehouses. This includes the pallet shuttle Movu atlas for multiple deep storage, the AMR solution Movu ifollow for collaborative picking or transport of pallets, the robotised 3D storage and fulfilment system Movu escala and the integrated picking robot arm Movu eligo. All Movu systems are controlled and managed via their own warehouse execution software.

No warehouse left behind

Stow Group CEO Jos de Vuyst says: “Movu Robotics’ philosophy is no warehouse left behind. We want to tackle automation with easier, modular, scalable, flexible and efficient solutions that customers need and helps them to upgrade their warehouses. In this way, we want to democratise materials handling through bringing automation and robotics opportunities to companies that would otherwise find them hard to attain. These customers want robotics and automation solutions to help them meet the challenges of labour shortages, cost increases, storage density, growing volumes and improving accuracy. The higher simplicity of our solutions reduces risk for these customers and speeds roll out.”

The portfolio of simple, standardised, scalable, and flexible systems is said to provide opportunities for SMEs with as few as 5,000 pallet locations to automate, and address challenges such as labour shortages and cost efficiency.

Collaboration

Movu Robotics CEO Stefan Pieters adds: “Movu Robotics is building a strong R&D component and we will devise new additions to our portfolio ourselves. But we don’t want to fall into the ‘not invented here’ trap. We are already working with several partners that can provide specific knowledge or applications to accelerate development and market introduction. We don’t want to take a product from the shelf, put our name on it and sell it. Instead, we are partnering with existing companies and integrating the relevant technology seamlessly to produce a higher quality solution that benefits from our knowledge of the industry.”

Integration

Stow Group has a long history as a storage provider, and says customers gain the key advantage of seamless integrated racking and robotics solutions – for example, the Movu atlas shuttle system working with Movu ifollow mobile robots, or Movu eligo acting as a workstation for Movu escala. A key benefit is that a customer talks to a single face representing a single partner, providing efficient project management and reliable lead times. They will also receive efficient project commissioning for a safe and resilient supply chain that assists in delivering high service levels to their customers.

Route to market

Movu Robotics will target the market with a dual strategy: providing end users with a direct channel, for which Movu relies on a network of sales offices in main territories. 

The other part of this strategy is the indirect channel where Movu can supply a fully functional storage sub-system from its portfolio to a systems integrator for integration into a complete project.

All of this is supported by a global network in customer service and stow’s 40 years’ industry experience.

Check out the experience centre

Visitors to the Experience Centre can see a 20m high Movu atlas pallet shuttle rack with lifts, and shuttles transporting pallets. There are Movu ifollow AMRs picking up pallets from the racks and transporting them. AMRs can also be seen supporting picking from racking. There is a Movu escala bin shuttle warehouse containing 1000 bins with shuttles operating inside. The Movu escala also demonstrates the Movu eligo picking robot application, as well as conventional pick stations. 

Visitors can also get deep insights into the self-developed Movu Warehouse Execution System that is formed by three pillars: Movu ops for managing all operations, Movu tower for checking the available resources and selecting the most suitable shuttle or AMR and Movu pilot that ensures the execution of the order at the level of the individual shuttle or AMRs. 

The Experience Centre has integrated everything possible into the demonstration rack, including a tunnel under the rack, a stairway around the vertical lift, a mezzanine with a picking area. There are also many software screens around the centre demonstrating the controlling software and how visibility of what is going on in a warehouse can be provided from a distance. 

For more information, visit www.stow-group.com / www.movu-robotics.com