German contract logistics provider DB Schenker has been operating remote-controlled forklifts at its warehouse facility Kassel, Germany, for nine months through a trial with the start-up firm enabl.
Drivers are connected to several different vehicles at different locations, and control the vehicles from a distance. That approach has the potential to increase efficiency and eliminate staff shortages by separating the driver from the forklift, the company said.
Following the results of the pilot period, DB Schenker recently signed a letter of intent committing to a long-term collaboration to scale enabl’s advanced remote control and automation technology for forklifts at several additional international locations.
Karlsruhe, Germany-based enabl raised $3.3 million in a pre-seed funding round earlier this year, saying its material handling-as-a-service business model provides customers with a flexible overall service for the intra-company transport of goods by automating partial process steps, even without full automation.
“The collaboration with enabl allows us to react flexibly to fluctuations in demand and automate our processes to increase productivity. We see this partnership as a valuable addition to our CL digitalization strategy, which will help us to secure our competitiveness in the long term,” Lucas Mömken, Vice President Global Engineering & Innovation in Contract Logistics, DB Schenker, said in a release.
