KNAPP is a global leader in intelligent automation for production and distribution environments. With 8,330 employees and 54 locations worldwide, the group develops and delivers tailored solutions, powered by advanced software and AI. KNAPP technologies drive the success of world-class brands and are supported by an extensive Customer Service network.
Managing Director at KNAPP UK Ltd
Craig Rollason, Managing Director at KNAPP UK, spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
What are your best-known products and services?
We offer technologies for handling totes, trays, cartons, pallets, hanging garments, flat packs and other single items. Our best-known solutions are the Evo Shuttle storage system, the Pick-it-Easy Robot, the EcoPocket and AutoPocket pocket sortation systems and our Open Shuttle AMRs. In addition to pocket sorters, we supply split tray, push tray and cross belt sorters. We also provide solutions for pallet handling – stacker cranes, pallet conveyors, palletising robots and our pallet-handling AMR, Open Shuttle Fork.
How do you think your industry sector is performing at the moment?
The combination of geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic factors is making the logistics automation market quite challenging at the moment. However, the drivers for automation remain strong and the future outlook is positive, particularly where automation can offer a flexible, scalable and cost-efficient solution.
How many markets are you in and what is your biggest market?
The KNAPP Group has a presence on six continents. We have enjoyed impressive growth in Latin America in recent years, with projects for leading fashion brands, C&A and Lojas Renner. Australia and New Zealand are also areas of growth, with customers including Super Retail Group and the Woolworths supermarket chain. Our colleagues at KNAPP North America have supplied automated systems for four vast fulfilment centres for Walmart recently, with a fifth coming soon. KNAPP customers worldwide benefit from the expertise focused in our Business Units: Retail, Fashion, Healthcare, Food, Wholesale and Industry.
What are your most recent product innovations?
The latest product in the KNAPP range is AeroBot, our brand-new storage and transport system. Launched earlier this year, this award-winning solution features intelligent storage bots that move in three dimensions: lengthwise and crosswise on the floor and vertically by climbing the racks. The bots can access any area of the system and work independently of one another, resulting in high availability and reliable operation. AeroBot’s intelligent design makes it fast to implement and the system can grow as required, by adding more locations for storage space or more bots to boost performance.
Can you tell us about any recent contract wins or projects and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?
Earlier this year we secured a fifth extension to our automation at Matalan’s distribution centre in Knowsley. Our systems – including the proven Evo Shuttle and pocket sorter technologies – have enabled Matalan to extend its order deadline for next-day delivery by 6 hours, as well as reducing the average time from order placement to delivery by 48 hours. The latest expansion will make the automated system double its original size. Other recent contracts in the UK include projects for Alliance Healthcare, Asmodee, Boots, Cohens, Coopervision, Day Lewis, Ethigen, Harper Collins, HubRx, John Lewis & Partners, M&S, National Veterinary Services, Next, Peak Pharmacy and Phoenix Healthcare.
What is your strategy for growth and success in 2026?
We will continue to focus on developing deep partnerships with our customers – really understanding their business needs and being pro-active in finding solutions. At KNAPP, we style ourselves as the ‘value chain tech partner’ of choice for leading brands. This means we are a technology partner for the entire value chain – that is, all the interlinked business activities from production to the end user. We provide the right automation, information and services for every step in that chain.
Can you tell us about any areas, such as in AI, where you’re currently making technical advances?
More and more of our solutions are being supercharged by AI. These include the Pick-it-Easy Robot automated fulfilment system; KiSoft Genomix for managing master data; KiSoft Analytics for real-time analysis and visualisation of client data; and redPILOT for simplifying and automating labour management and resource planning. Healthcare is another area where we are pioneering solutions. Our Pack2Patient system provides automatic assembly of patient-specific medication orders, helping to mitigate the effects of labour shortages and freeing up valuable time for pharmacists. We’ve also had success recently with our D³ Daily Dose Dispenser, which is a fully automated solution for producing patient-specific medication blister cards.
Can you foresee autonomous mobile robots and goods-to-person systems becoming more mainstream to improve efficiency and reduce manual labour?
Absolutely. It’s clear that many companies struggle to attract and retain warehouse staff. Automation not only helps to mitigate these labour shortages, but also secures significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy and cost-effectiveness. Crucially, it also enables the harnessing of data, which can add enormous value to a business and allows the application of AI to further enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
Are you placing greater emphasis on employee wellness?
Employee well-being is a key area of focus for KNAPP UK, which is reflected in our success with Best Companies. Following a very successful engagement survey last year, we moved from being ‘One to Watch’ with ‘good’ levels of employee engagement to 2-star accreditation with ‘outstanding’ engagement. We’re also committed to investing in training, to enable employees to develop their careers. In our most recent cohort of learners, five achieved the Level 5 Operations/Department Management qualification and four successfully completed the Level 3 Team Leader course. In addition, 12 of our employees are fully trained Mental Health First Aiders, making themselves available to their colleagues for confidential support and, if necessary, signposting for professional mental health services.
What sets your company apart?
We are renowned for the quality and reliability of our solutions. KNAPP products are manufactured from high-quality materials that guarantee a long service life, even in intensive applications. For example, the automated systems we installed for global shoe brand, Clarks in 2005 are still running smoothly 20 years later. A key reason for this is the resident Customer Service team at Clarks’ distribution centre. Customer Service is another factor that sets us apart from our competitors. As well as providing reactive field service, we have resident teams of engineers at 21 of our customer sites across the UK. They provide a data-driven, proactive approach to service management in order to maximise efficiency, uptime and system life.
How future-proof and flexible are your solutions?
Many of our systems are modular in design, allowing them to grow with the customer’s business. To help ease capital investment and make automation accessible to organisations of various sizes, we’ve also developed a number of ‘aaS’ (as a Service) solutions in recent years, including for our AI-powered Pick-it-Easy Robot. Also available is KiSoft@Cloud, our Software-as-a-Service solution, which allows companies to secure all the benefits of a powerful and secure WMS without the high cost of IT infrastructure and expertise. KiSoft@Cloud customers also benefit from regular updates and new functionality at no additional cost.
How would you sum up your company in three words?
It will have to be four words:
Value Chain Tech Partner.
KNAPP UK LTD
01865 965000
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