With over 1600 installations worldwide, the KNAPP group ranks among the leading suppliers of logistics automation systems and warehouse software. KNAPP designs, installs, maintains and upgrades solutions that feature state-of-the art order picking, conveying and storage technologies. Headquartered in Graz, Austria, KNAPP has eight manufacturing locations, 20 subsidiaries and 13 representative offices around the globe. Employing some 2500 staff worldwide, the group achieved a record turnover of over 383 million Euros in the fiscal year 2013/2014.
Craig Rollason, Managing Director, KNAPP UK Ltd, speaks to Warehouse & Logistics News.
WLN – As the Warehouse Automation category experts, how has the category been performing in the last 12 months? What are the major trends and developments?
The market for automated systems has been buoyant and consequently the KNAPP team has been very busy preparing tenders and realising systems for clients. The impact of e-commerce continues to be significant, with many of our existing customers and new clients needing to expand their logistics operations for e-tail. Among the automated systems being implemented, there is an increasing proportion of shuttle-based storage, such that this concept – which was pioneered by KNAPP back in 2002 – can now be viewed as a core technology in intralogistics.
WLN – What are your core products and services: what are you best known for providing?
KNAPP’s OSR Shuttle™ system forms the heart of our ‘low-complexity warehouse’ concept, which aims to reduce the number of different technologies in the warehouse in order to minimise costs and facilitate maintenance. To date, we’ve delivered over 15,000 shuttles in over 200 systems worldwide. With an independent shuttle on every level of the storage cube, served by dedicated lifts at the aisle ends, the efficiency of the OSR Shuttle™ is quite remarkable – it achieves up to six times the rate of totes in/out than a traditional ASRS, while having about 20% less footprint and only some 5% of the energy consumption. In addition, KNAPP is renowned for its ergonomic and paperless order picking systems – using pick-to-light, RF, voice and vision technologies.
WLN – What developments or upgrades have you made to your core products and services in the last 12 months?
We are continually developing our OSR Shuttle™ technology, such that the system now handles heavier and larger loads than ever before and also multiple loads. In addition, our KiSoft Vision image recognition technology is no longer a stand-alone system but rather has been integrated into other solutions such as our robotic picking system and also quality-checking workstations.
WLN – What makes you the ‘go to’ supplier in your area of expertise?
It’s a combination of innovative technology, deep know-how in specific sectors and a reliable support network. Many clients these days are very aware of lifetime costs – making system resilience, ease of maintenance and energy efficiency key factors in supplier selection. Our clients – especially those involved in the very challenging logistics of e-commerce – rely on us to provide preventative maintenance services, comprehensive supply of spare parts and rapid servicing in the event of a system failure.
WLN – Have you launched any new products and services in the past year? How are they performing?
The first installation of KNAPP’s Pick-it-Easy Robot solution was successfully delivered earlier this year. Supplied to Basiq Dental, a dental supplies company in The Netherlands, this state-of-the-art robotic picking system uses KNAPP’s KiSoft Vision image recognition technology. The software identifies the articles for picking and calculates the ideal grip point for the robot arm’s gripper, with up to 1800 picks per hour possible.
WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in?
Key business sectors for KNAPP include e-commerce, fashion, general retail & lifestyle, food retail, pharmaceuticals and tools & spares.
WLN – Can you name some of your major customers and tell us about the work you do for them?
Major projects in the UK include systems for John Lewis, Boots, Clarks, British Gas, The Co-operative Pharmacy and Alliance Healthcare, all six of which have resident service teams provided by KNAPP. This figure will rise to eight when the solutions we are installing for two major high street retailers go live. We work in partnership with our clients to develop their material handling systems to meet current and future business requirements. For example, this year we’ve been busy with major extensions to the systems supplied to Boots and John Lewis.
WLN – Can you tell us about your latest major projects, and what they involve?
Work to kit out the second distribution centre for John Lewis at its Magna Park campus in Milton Keynes has kept many members of our team busy this year. Connected to the existing facility by a bridge, the new DC features not only a high-bay pallet store but also a hanging garment system supplied by KNAPP Group member, Dürkopp Fördertechnik. Meanwhile, we’re also working on major systems for two brand-new retail clients.
WLN – Have you made any big moves recently in terms of investment in the business, recruitment and so on?
The KNAPP Group has invested in more staff, with another 200 employees joining during the fiscal year 2013/14 to bring the global total to 2500 employees. The group also continues to invest heavily in research and development, with more than 7 per cent of turnover – amounting to 27.7 million Euros – ploughed into R&D in the year 2013/14 and over 400 staff focused on new developments in all the core business areas.
WLN – What was your company’s single biggest achievement in the last year?
It’s difficult to single one thing out, as we achieved our largest ever turnover in the UK through winning some key orders and we – or our clients – also picked up a number of prestigious awards for our solutions. The biggest achievement was probably securing the order from M&S for the automated handling systems at its national distribution centre in Bradford, as this is a significant order for a new client for KNAPP and we hope that this project will be the start of a long and mutually beneficial partnership.
WLN – What are your plans for 2015? Are you planning to bring out any more products or services, move into new markets or enter new countries?
KNAPP is opening a production facility in Shanghai shortly, which will handle supply of equipment to the Asian and Australian markets. This follows on from the success of our sales office in Beijing, which opened in 2008, so the establishment of a production location for the Asia-Pacific region is the next logical step.
WLN – Are you exhibiting at any major trade shows this year?
We will be exhibiting at the IntraLogisteX show at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and the Internet Retailing Expo at the NEC, both of which take place in March.
WLN – What are your predictions for the industry in 2015?
As the technology behind logistics automation – such as vision technology and robotic picking – continues to become more affordable, so the attractiveness and scope of automated handling will increase. The Internet of Things, whereby physical objects can be made to communicate with digital systems, has really interesting potential in the logistics arena and I’m sure we’ll see new developments in this field next year – in installations, their operation and also their maintenance.
WLN – What other headline news from your company can our readers look forward to reading about in Warehouse & Logistics News in 2015?
We will be promoting the benefits of YLOG shuttles to prospective clients in the UK in the coming year. YLOG Industry Solutions GmbH is a subsidiary of KNAPP AG that markets a revolutionary extension of shuttle technology that is especially suited for use in production and distribution solutions for small and medium sized enterprises. With swivelling wheels and an innovative power supply system, YLOG shuttles can move both crosswise and lengthwise in a store by rotating. This allows them to reach every location and also – through the addition of spurs – to serve workstations directly. YLOG shuttles move between levels via specially designed lifts, so a single shuttle can automate an entire rack system. Modular design allows more shuttles, racks or lifts to be added to suit higher throughputs. We believe this solution has huge potential in the UK.
Phone: 01844 202149
Email: sales.uk@knapp.com
Web: www.knapp.com
Twitter: KNAPP_AG_de
Facebook: KNAPP-AG
LinkedIn: knapp-ag
Comments are closed.