IFOY AWARD to announce finalists 2026

13 products and solutions from eight nations have reached the final round of the IFOY AWARD 2026. Four companies are competing for the “IFOY Start-up of the Year” Award.
The finalists will face the IFOY Audit at TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS in the Westfalenhalle Dortmund.
TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS will be open to B2B visitors on April 15–16, 2026.

Download (click on pictures): The finalists of the IFOY AWARD 2026.
Best of the Best in intralogistics: At TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS in April, the IFOY Finalists will not only be evaluated by the jury and the test teams, but can also be tested by B2B visitors.
Left: IFOY AWARD Finalists 2026
Right: Finalists of the IFOY Start-up of the Year Award
Photos: IFOY AWARD, company photos

Ismaning near Munich, January 29, 2026. The eagerly awaited finalists for the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) AWARD 2026 have been announced. A total of 49 entries were submitted for this global innovation competition, and 17 products and solutions from eight countries have made it to the finals in Dortmund. Nominated innovations come from Crown, idealworks, Jungheinrich, KNAPP, Libiao Robotics, Locus Robotics, Mobotic, Nomagic, PureLoX SOLUTIONS, SSI Schäfer, STILL, The Mobile Robot Company, and Wiltsche Fördersysteme.

In the spin-off award “IFOY Start-up of the Year”, AI2Connect, Koiotech, Pyck, and Romb Technologies are competing for the title.

The entries were evaluated over a six-week period to determine the panel of finalists. “Artificial intelligence has arrived in intralogistics – as a practical tool with clear benefits, not as an end in itself. It is no longer just start-ups delivering disruptive solutions: established manufacturers, hidden champions, and mid-sized companies are demonstrating how innovation works today. The IFOY Audit is going to be a thriller,” says Anita Wuermser, Chairperson of the IFOY Jury. This sets the stage for intense debates before the winners’ trophies are presented on June 25 in the atrium of IFOY event partner AEB in Stuttgart.

Two integrated customer solutions are in the final
The pinnacle of integrated customer solutions demonstrates in practice what AI and automation can achieve today: Jungheinrich at Liebherr and Locus Robotics at The Quality Group.

At its headquarters in Ehingen, Liebherr has built a new central spare parts warehouse, which has been consolidating the global spare parts supply for cranes since April 2025. 90,000 items are processed there via the AI-based warehouse management system (WMS) from the Hamburg intralogistics specialist Jungheinrich. The WMS controls both the pallet high-bay warehouse with 18,000 storage locations and the small-parts shuttle warehouse with 40,000 bin locations, as well as nine manual storage areas. The Jungheinrich “Data Center” module plays a central role in managing the time-critical cut-off times for shipping providers: the integrated AI calculates the optimal picking start and automatically controls the retrieval process. Within the first months, the system made over 97,000 decisions based on more than 830,000 forecasts. The result: more than 96 percent of picking processes were completed on time, and manual interventions were reduced by over 80 percent.

The European headquarters of the US robotics company Locus Robotics in Amsterdam implemented the LocusONE platform with 350 autonomous Origin AMRs for The Quality Group (TQG) at their Elsdorf site, integrating it with the TQG WMS. On 40,000 square meters, the system orchestrates mobile robots and employees in real time. It scales capacity flexibly in a Robotics-as-a-Service model to 60,000 orders per day, and even higher during peak periods such as Black Week. The rollout was carried out in phases alongside the infrastructure build and completed in under eight months – from go-live with around 40 robots to full-scale operation with about 350 units, connecting three halls today. The feature crucial for e-commerce is LocusONE FastPick, where robots are dynamically grouped at so-called pick walls to handle sudden peaks in demand immediately without physical rearrangement. This allows the platform to respond flexibly to campaigns from influencers.

Three industrial trucks nominated for the final
This year’s finalists come from the USA, Germany, and Denmark: Crown, STILL, and The Mobile Robot Company showcase the innovative potential of classic forklifts and warehouse vehicles.

The new WJ 50 electric low-lift pallet truck by Crown impressed during the nomination phase as a modern electric alternative to manual pallet trucks. Its practical overall package combines the familiar comfort of Crown ergonomics with easy handling, intelligent battery management, and a comprehensive warranty. Although it is lightweight itself, the truck can move loads of up to 1.5 tons. With a front-overhang of only 370 millimeters, it is also extremely maneuverable, making it ideal for tight spaces such as retail and wholesale stores, truck deliveries, or curbside operations.

STILL demonstrates how true inclusion can work in intralogistics with a five-ton forklift adapted for people of short stature, without compromising performance or safety. The special version of the RX 60-50/600 electric forklift, developed together with Barrus Engineering for Voß Edelstahlhandel, features an electrically adjustable floor plate, a customized entry, additional handholds, and hydraulic fork adjustment. At the push of a button, the forklift can be converted to standard size, making it usable by all employees. Advantageously, the conversion concept is transferable to other RX-60 models and existing vehicles.

“Manual when you want it – autonomous when it makes sense”: the J1600 by The Mobile Robot Company is a pallet truck with intuitive and high-quality robotic functionality. The dual-mode machine, with a load capacity of 1.6 tons, can be used both as a conventional electric pallet truck and autonomously, based on 3D LiDAR localization and mapping. Especially for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, warehouse operators, and logistics service providers with one to five operators, the J1600 provides an easy entry into automation – and can reduce manual labor by up to 80 percent.

Three finalists in the Robot Warehouse System category

Robotics is a major trend in intralogistics, and here too, everything revolves around AI. Libiao Robotics from China, SSI SCHÄFER from Germany, and Nomagic from Poland impressed during the nomination phase.

The AirRob PRO from Libiao Robotics is a climbing warehouse robot capable of handling both cartons and plastic bins directly from the shelf, without repacking. What makes it unique is that the gripper mounted on the AirRob climbing platform is rotatable, allowing bins to be picked up or set down on either side of the aisle. This reduces the number of required workstations – and in some cases, they can even be completely eliminated. Dual suction technology, an integrated conveyor, and a vision system ensure precise, gentle handling and high storage density. The scalable system operates on standard shelving, is quick to implement, energy-efficient, and ideal for dynamic e-commerce and 3PL applications.

Automation meets shoeboxes: The Shoebox Gripper from Nomagic, introduced in January, handles them reliably. It is the first robotic arm with a novel mechanical gripping mechanism that can pick unsealed shoeboxes of all sizes, shapes, and orientations. Supported by an AI-based perception system, the gripper identifies each item and controls the grasp so that previously fully manual picking and sorting processes can now be automated. The potential is enormous: according to industry data, shoeboxes account for roughly 20 percent of all items processed in a typical fashion e-commerce warehouse.

At SSI SCHÄFER, peak performance is the focus with the new FastBots Solution. This holistic solution replaces rigid conveyor technology with an autonomous shuttle fleet and seamlessly connects different warehouse types – shuttle, high-bay, or small-parts warehouses – with workstations of any kind or palletizing robots. On just a few hundred square meters, the system achieves five-digit hourly throughput, covering peak loads in e-commerce, fashion, grocery, pharma, and contract logistics. The solution scales from small warehouses to large distribution centers and can be expanded step by step with additional vehicles, workstations, and charging infrastructure – without interrupting operations.

Two Specials of the Year in the final
With Mobotic and Wíltsche Fördersysteme, two German hidden champions are competing in the Special-of-the-Year category.

The MoboDrive ST from Mobotic is a steering-drive unit designed for highly maneuverable AMRs and AGVs. This all-in-one component combines steering, drive, motor control, encoders, and continuous 360-degree rotation in a sealed, compact, and contamination-free module, replacing multiple individual components. Its enclosed design allows configurations that were previously impossible and additionally provides a fast, hygienic solution, ideal for electronics manufacturing, hospitals, and the food and pharmaceutical industries.

With Destuff-it from Wiltsche Fördersysteme, the jury has nominated a mobile container unloading system that assists employees with loading and unloading packages of up to 74 kilograms. Its main innovations are the flexible conveyor belt and the system’s excellent maneuverability – both inside the container and in the warehouse. The unit is height-adjustable, making lifting boxes largely unnecessary. Battery operation allows it to be easily moved from gate to gate, increasing throughput by up to 100 percent and almost completely eliminating injuries. It represents a practical precursor to the still largely unresolved full automation – ideal for e-commerce, contract logistics providers, and large shippers.

Three solutions nominated in the Intralogistics Software category
Software has always been important in logistics, and now “AI inside” is driving disruptive approaches. The finalists from idealworks, KNAPP, and PureLox SOLUTIONS clearly demonstrate this.

With AnyFleet from the German company idealworks, a cloud-based automation platform for intralogistics reaches the final. It surpasses traditional fleet management systems. A core innovation is the manufacturer-independent, open platform architecture, which – thanks to VDA-5050 compatibility – enables seamless integration of heterogeneous fleets from different manufacturers and levels of autonomy. AMRs, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and manual vehicles are coordinated centrally, along with peripheral devices such as sensors, roll-up doors, or traffic lights, as well as WMS or ERP systems, ensuring material flow processes are future-proof. Real-time analytics, simulations, and digital twins additionally provide complete transparency of operations.

With its KiSoft Delivery Solution, the Austrian intralogistics provider KNAPP addresses one of the largest and still unresolved challenges in logistics: the last mile and end-to-end supply chain optimization. This AI-supported software connects warehouses, transportation, and delivery in a single system for the first time, enabling dynamic planning that adjusts in real-time to orders, traffic conditions, and available resources – ideal for next- and same-day delivery. Integrated analytics, a driver app, and seamless connectivity to WMS/ERP ensure precise delivery windows, efficient routes, and on-time dispatch from the warehouse.

PureLoX SOLUTIONS overcomes the limitations of traditional monolithic warehouse management systems with plx.wmx®. This cloud-native WMS from Germany, designed specifically for dynamic sectors such as 3PL, e-commerce, and retail, manages all logistics processes – from goods receipt and storage to picking, shipping, and returns – and supports flexible processes like value-added services or multi-pick strategies. Its patented GO-ONE Engine enables simple adaptation and scaling of processes, locations, or tenants, while API-first integration allows seamless connection to existing systems. The one-version strategy keeps all customer instances always up to date.

Four Start-ups in the final
Software and AI also dominate the start-up category. The jury has nominated four candidates with disruptive approaches for the spin-off award “IFOY Start-up of the Year”: AI2Connect, Koiotech, Pyck, and Romb Technologies.

The Dortmund-based Start-up AI2Connect positions itself as a factory for specialized AI agents in logistics. AI2RampOptimizer is one of several AI agents. It addresses ramp optimization using a self-learning multi-agent system based on predictive learning, reinforcement learning, and rule-based logic. The results: 30 percent shorter waiting times, 60 percent fewer detention charges, and 15 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions. The plug-and-play system is operational in under three weeks without IT integration, with a return on investment of less than three months. The factory approach also allows scaling to yard management, route optimization, and other logistics domains.

Pyck aims to replace traditional warehouse management systems with an Open Source Toolkit for Warehousing Software. Instead of rigid standard solutions, the start-up from Schwaebisch Hall offers a modular system that models warehouse processes using AI and automatically generates software. Unlike conventional WMS, Pyck does not prescribe processes: logistics experts design workflows, data models, and user interfaces themselves – flexible, extendable, and independent of vendors. The promise: lower costs, faster adjustments, and easier integration of new technologies such as AI and robotics.

Romb Technologies from Croatia focuses on Semantic Visual Intelligence for Intralogistics. The technology translates raw image data and gives machines a visual understanding of their environment – comparable to human perception. Unlike classical vision systems, it recognizes not only fixed objects but entire object classes such as people, pallets, loads, vehicles, or drivable surfaces. This enables new applications from adaptive load handling and obstacle avoidance to facility-wide analysis. Target users include AGV and AMR manufacturers, system integrators, and end users who leverage existing cameras for real-time transparency and AI-based analytics.

The jury also gave a go for the AI-based DeepCargo freight measurement system from the Göttingen start-up Koiotech. This AI-supported plug-and-play solution combines 3D sensors, barcode scanners, and proprietary software. It automatically measures freight of any size and shape at a stationary drive-through gate at forklift speed of up to 17 kilometers per hour, detects missing or incorrect master data, and assigns barcodes precisely. The results: highest data quality without process interruptions, up to 50 percent fewer measurement errors, revenue increase of 3 to 5 percent, and 95 percent lower personnel effort.

IFOY Finalists at TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS

The IFOY AWARD is considered one of the most prestigious innovation awards in intralogistics worldwide. The nominated products and solutions undergo extensive IFOY Tests and a scientific Innovation Check to evaluate quality, functionality, innovation, customer value, and market relevance compared to the market standards. A total of eight testers and twenty-four jurors from 18 nations travel to the IFOY Audit at the Westfalenhalle Dortmund.

Interested people can experience the finalists firsthand on April 15 and 16 at TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS. Up to one 100 innovations will be available for testing, and 1,200 participants are expected.

IFOY AWARD

Finalists 2026 at a glance

Crown, WJ 50
idealworks, AnyFleet
Jungheinrich & Liebherr: Automated end-to-end solution with AI
KNAPP, KiSoft Delivery Solution
Libiao Robotics, AirRob Pro
Locus Robotics, LocusONE at The Quality Group
Mobotic, MoboDrive ST
Nomagic, Shoebox Gripper
PureLoX SOLUTIONS, plx.wmx® - Cloud-native Warehouse Management Software
SSI SCHÄFER, FastBots Solution
STILL, forklift truck for people of short stature
The Mobile Robot Company, J1600 self-driving pallet jack
Wiltsche Fördersysteme, Destuff-it container unloading system

Finalists IFOY Start-up of the Year

AI2Connect, AI2RampOptimizer
Koiotech, DeepCargo
Pyck, Open Source Toolkit for Warehousing Software
Romb Technologies, Semantic Visual Intelligence for Intralogistics

This press release and printable images are available in the press area at www.ifoy.org

IFOY AWARD WWW.IFOY.ORG

The International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY AWARD) recognises the year's best intralogistics products and system solutions. The aim of the organisation is to document the performance capability and innovative drive of the intralogistics, helping to boost competitiveness and raise the profile of the entire sector in the public arena. The winners of the IFOY AWARD are selected once a year by an independent jury of international trade journalists. The sponsors of the IFOY AWARD are the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Sector Association and the VDMA Robotics + Automation Sector Association. IFOY partners are Messe Dortmund and the world´s leading forklift attachment manufacturer Cascade. The IFOY logistics partner is LTG. IFOY event partner is AEB. The headquarter of the IFOY organisation is in Ismaning near Munich. The IFOY AWARD is under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Members of the jury: Snejina Badjeva, editor-in-chief Logistika magazine (Bulgaria), Winfried Bauer, editor-in-chief f+h Fördertechnik (Germany), Cecilia Biondi, editor-in-chief Logistica Management (Italy), Alejandra Cabornero, editor-in-chief Logistica Profesional (Spain), Rosa Maria Cherubini, editor Il Giornale della Logistica (Italy), Charleen Clarke, editor-in-chief Focus on Transport and Logistics (South Africa), Theo Egberts, IFOY tester and owner of Buro Andersom / Andersom Testing (Netherlands, without voting rights), Hilda Hultén, editor and publisher Dagens Logistik (Sweden), Klaus Koch, editor-in-chief LogisticsInnovation.org (Switzerland), Véronique Le Voas Barat, publisher and editor Solutions Manutention (France), Valeria Lima de Azevedo Nammur, editor-in-chief LogWeb Magazine (Brazil), Øyvind Ludt, editor-in-chief Moderne Transport (Norway), Bernd Maienschein, specialist editor MM Logistik (Germany), David Maloney, editorial director DC Velocity and CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly (USA), Marilena Matei, editorial director Tranzit / Tranzit Logistica (Romania), Matthias Pieringer, editor-in-chief Logistik Heute (Germany), Szilvia Rapi-Jaubert, publisher and editor-in-chief Supply Chain Monitor (Hungary), Sascha Schmel, managing director association materials handling and intralogistics in the VDMA (Germany, without voting rights), Christoph Scholze, editor-in-chief dhf Intralogistik (Germany), Sebastian Śliwieński, editor-in-chief Warehouse Monitor (Poland), Michal Štengl, editor-in-chief Transport a Logistika (Czech Republic), Jarlath Sweeney, editor-in-chief Fleet transport (Ireland), Ying (Crystal) Xu, representative Editor-in-chief, China Industrial News Network (China). The executive chairperson of the jury is Anita Würmser, logistics journalist and managing partner of impact media projects.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ifoyaward

Reproduction free of charge, courtesy copy requested.

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IFOY AWARD to announce finalists 2026