Imagine warehouses of the future not as cold steel jungles, but as precision computers that dynamically adapt their operations to fluctuating market demands. When orders arrive, they automatically calculate optimal picking routes. Before equipment fails, they predict maintenance needs. They can even forecast future order volumes based on historical data. This vision relies on one crucial element: powerful software.
Logistics automation leader KNAPP is working to turn this vision into reality. While the company built its reputation on high-quality automated systems like shuttle technology, it's now pivoting toward software as the core value proposition of its solutions, helping clients address omnichannel, e-commerce, and retail fulfillment challenges.
KNAPP's Transformation: From Hardware to Software
Heimo Robosch, Executive Vice President of Sales for the KNAPP Group, notes that while the company has long been recognized for its superior automation systems, the true value of its solutions increasingly stems from expanding software capabilities. These digital tools enable KNAPP to meet diverse requirements across omnichannel, e-commerce, and retail order fulfillment.
Robosch revealed that North America currently represents about 40% of KNAPP's business, with the company maintaining strong global growth momentum—a testament to widespread international adoption of its solutions.
KiSoft Software Suite: The Brain of Smart Logistics
The KiSoft software suite embodies KNAPP's digital transformation, offering predictive analytics and maintenance capabilities that optimize logistics processes while reducing costs. Functioning as the central nervous system of warehouse operations, KiSoft monitors data in real time, makes intelligent decisions, and coordinates equipment and workflows.
Key modules of the KiSoft suite include:
- Warehouse Management System (WMS): The core module manages all warehouse activities from receiving to shipping, optimizing inventory control while accelerating order processing and reducing errors.
- Material Flow Control (MFC): Coordinates automated equipment like conveyors and robots to ensure smooth material movement and maximum equipment utilization.
- Order Management System (OMS): Processes orders from all sales channels and routes them to optimal fulfillment centers while tracking order status.
- Predictive Analytics: Uses historical data and machine learning to forecast order volumes, inventory needs, and potential equipment failures.
- Maintenance Management: Monitors equipment health to predict failures before they occur, preventing unplanned downtime.
Robotic Picking: AI-Powered Logistics
To further enhance efficiency, KNAPP has introduced robotic order picking solutions powered by artificial intelligence from partner Covariant. This technology enables robots to handle complex picking tasks with human-like adaptability.
The robotic solutions offer significant advantages:
- High Accuracy: Precise identification and handling of diverse products, including irregularly shaped or fragile items.
- Continuous Operation: 24/7 functionality dramatically increases picking throughput.
- Adaptability: Flexible deployment across different warehouse layouts and product types.
To simplify implementation, KNAPP developed KiSoft Genomics, a software tool that automates the collection of product master data (dimensions, weight, color etc.) from catalogs and images, significantly reducing manual data entry.
Localized Services: Strengthening North American Presence
Josef Mentzer, CEO of KNAPP North America, emphasized the company's expansion of U.S. staffing and the addition of a software control training center at its Kennesaw, Georgia headquarters. These investments demonstrate KNAPP's commitment to localized service while developing software expertise to better support regional clients.
Software-Defined Logistics: The Industry's Future
KNAPP's evolution reflects a broader industry trend where software becomes the central driver of logistics systems. As fulfillment requirements grow more complex, traditional hardware solutions struggle to keep pace. Software delivers the flexibility, scalability, and intelligence businesses need to navigate dynamic markets.
Looking ahead, logistics providers will increasingly prioritize software investments as a competitive differentiator. Companies like KNAPP that have established strong software capabilities will likely lead this transformation.