The eQart

eQart

We are seeing an increased need for a systems approach for customers to succeed in their internal logistics.

The main application of the FlexQube concept is in internal logistics. We help our customers deliver world-class services and products by offering them flexible and innovative logistics solutions. In simple terms, we help our customers move material from one point to another. Simple in theory, but a challenge in reality.

Internal logistics high on corporate agendas

Consumer demand for unique products and the e-commerce trend has pushed internal logistics high up on many companies' agendas. Good internal logistics is the key to a high level of efficiency. For example, a plant that manufactures cars has changed from primarily assembling cars more towards handling and preparing the material to be assembled. The complexity is huge, with different colors, drive lines, stylings and a large number of extra items of equipment to choose from. Components for building

cars must be prepared and picked from a warehouse and then delivered to the right place at the right time. The material must also be presented in a way that enables efficient, ergonomic selection.

Our customers need flexibility

Given the growing amount of internal logistics it is only natural that interest in automation is growing, and that the use of logistics robots in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing is expected to increase rapidly.

In truth, however, the implementation has barely begun. If you visit a factory today, forklifts and trains are still used as the primary means to move materials. Although pilots and tests are being carried out, the full-scale implementation has yet to take shape. The big journey still remains ahead of us and it will be a challenge both for those who deliver the technology and the customers who implement it. Our conviction is that the transformation must be a step-by-step process. We believe in flexible solutions where the customer can gradually increase their level of automation and have the freedom to find the right solution for the right application.

Internal logistics consists of material presentation + movement

FlexQube should be a leader in approaching internal logistics as a system. Simply described, internal logistics consists of two subsystems that need to work in tandem.

(1) a load carrier that contains the goods being transported on site, e.g. a cart.

(2) a transport device for moving the load carrier, such as a forklift, a towing train or an AGV.

An interaction between these is crucial for the customer to have a functioning system. We see countless examples of customers buying technologically-advanced robots from one supplier, load carriers from another supplier, without having any clear responsibility for the overall solution. The outcome will be a non-functional solution where a lot of focus must be placed on the technical integration rather then on what really counts; that the material is delivered reliably and efficiently and creates real value for the users.

A unique product offering

At present, few companies can offer a systems approach where both transport and load carriers are included in the same product offering. People are either experts in load carriers or in transportation. This puts FlexQube in a unique position. Since 2010, we have delivered nearly 35,000 carts in 3,500 different configurations, created with our patented building block concept. I am confident that very few companies, if any, have the know-how about material presentation that FlexQube has. We are a world leader, with a broad experience of many different industries including manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and e-commerce.

We can also offer the customer a wide range of different transportation options for the carts. Our smart eQart modules transform traditional FlexQube carts into self-driving robots. Through partnerships, we can offer complete systems with FlexQube carts integrated with different variants of traction trains.

”Given the increased amount of internal logistics, it is natural that interest in automation is growing, and that the use of logistics robots in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing is expected to increase rapidly.”

Focus on the future

Our focus going forward is to create the best system for internal logistics. Both through innovative product development, but also through close partnerships with the best in the industry. We will offer a complete system with cart and transport solutions living in symbiosis. This will give the customer the most reliable and most efficient logistics system in the market. A customer who invests in FlexQube's carts should know that they are future-proof and have created the right conditions for building an automated plant or warehouse.

Per Augustsson

CTO FLEXQUBE GROUP