Opinion
"Everything flows"...
... that's what went through my mind last month when I was walking through the crowded aisles of Logimat. Visitors streamed through the halls, mobile transport systems darted between people. Shuttle systems, storage and retrieval machines, forklifts and pallet trucks, conveyor belts and conveyor systems - all of which ensure a smooth flow of materials.
And it is not only in intralogistics that everything is in a state of flux: manufacturing and logistics processes can now hardly be separated, intralogistics goes beyond warehousing and distribution and extends to production and assembly. This year, Cemat is once again taking place at the same time as the Hannover Messe. Visitors will be able to find out all about networked and automated manufacturing and logistics processes.
Everything flows - Panta rhei. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus certainly wasn't thinking of intralogistics or modern industry when he said this. Rather, he was getting to the heart of the changing nature of life. Everything is constantly moving and changing. But on closer inspection, this doesn't seem so inappropriate to me either, as our industry is also always dealing with change. Today, we are talking about topics such as Industry 4.0, networking, artificial intelligence and robots. Just a few years ago, these were the topics of science fiction films.
Material flow is the focus of this issue. By definition, it considers the process chain of operations involved in the extraction, handling, processing and distribution of goods, for example the processes of processing, testing, handling, conveying or storing. However, the flow of materials is now also accompanied by a flow of information. Data also flows; it is recorded, transported, processed and output. This makes it possible to control and monitor the material flow from incoming goods to storage, picking and outgoing goods. Goods are recorded, managed and tracked in real time, the replenishment process is automated, production processes are faster and the delivery process is more precise.
Everything flows - in this sense, I don't want to interrupt your reading flow and wish you an exciting read.
Yours
Annina Schopen
Editor handling
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