SmartPocket: TGW Logistics presents a revolutionary pocket sorter
(Marchtrenk, Austria, 26 February 2024) The new pocket sorter from TGW Logistics will be celebrating its world debut at the LogiMAT trade fair. Rather than a drag chain, it relies on mobile robots that travel independently along a network of rails to reach their destinations. Thanks to this innovative concept, it sets a new bar in terms of efficiency, scalability, and reliability. Unlike conventional systems, it does not leave potential unexploited and is tailored to actual requirements, providing significant cost advantages not only with regard to the initial investment, but also during live operation.
As the philosopher Heraclitus said, nothing is more constant than change. Our world is changing more and more rapidly, and developments now often occur in a disruptive rather than linear manner. In an environment marked by great uncertainty, it is hardly possible to confidently predict what the future will bring.
Whether due to the development of the different industries, unpredictable ordering behavior, or labor shortages: stability and the ability to plan ahead are plummeting. Sweeping, long-term supply chain investment decisions cause headaches for those who have to make them. They must offer their customers a high level of service, while at the same time guaranteeing maximum efficiency and reliability in order fulfillment. That is the only way to hold their own against the competition.
Conventional pocket sorters are designed to cover peak loads. Outside of such peak times, however, they leave a lot of potential unexploited. This means that users are paying for performance that they do not need.
Following the motto "Stop paying for potential," SmartPocket's high scalability represents an intelligent alternative. The pocket sorter from TGW Logistics can be adapted to changing business developments at short notice. Customers can easily purchase increased performance in the form of additional modules. This can significantly reduce the initial CAPEX, while recurrent operating expenses (OPEX) also remain low. Therefore, the investment risk dwindles as well.
"SmartPocket is a game changer for automating warehouses," according to Matthias Stötzner, Vice President Pocket Sorter at TGW Logistics. "The disruptive hanging goods conveyor uses autonomous sensor-driven robots that travel independently along a system of intersecting rails toward their destinations. This approach provides a lot of flexibility for system design and operation, and facilitates high scalability and optimal redundancy. Idle time is significantly reduced."
