They say the first impression counts, as it triggers lasting emotions and I recently attended the most recent IMHX. The biggest trade show in the UK was held in Birmingham Sept 6-8 and was dedicated to professionals who manage, operate and optimise supply chains.

A company’s supply chain seems more critical than ever in the current landscape as it deals with unexpected roadblocks and challenging consumer demands. At the same time, industry-wide technology innovations are growing. Recent times during and post-pandemic have seen massive advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced analytics and automation. These technologies have evolved faster than ever, particularly during the pandemic, startups with their new solutions and innovations continue to rise rapidly. Furthermore, these innovations come with new expectations and standards, pushing companies to adapt to the times or fall behind.

NEC hosted the IMHX show and along with the Image Line Communications’ team, including me as a PR Executive and our Communications Director, were there to support our clients. It was also an excellent opportunity to see the latest innovations developed since the previous edition in 2019.

 

And IMHX 2022 did not disappoint. It was an exhibition where companies could find solutions, services, and suppliers to help them address the challenges facing their supply chains and make their operations more efficient going forward. There was a good number of visitors on the 6th when we visited and it increased on the 7^th where we also present. We heard from exhibitors, it continued to be so on the 8th, so the trade show was well-visited and successful.

BotsAndUs had daily demos in its first appearance at the show

Our clients BotsAndUs was one of the exhibitors and demonstrators, a London-based technology manufacturer and creator of robotic systems, believes that real-time data will revolutionise the supply chain industry. Their platform uses fully autonomous robots to measure, track and find goods across warehouses without workflow disruption. This platform harnesses data to create dynamic digital twins, designed exclusively to fully automate receiving and stock taking processes.

BotsAndus technology allows companies to unlock the power of accurate real-time data to make better informed business decisions about their operations – judging by what is actually, physically, happening on sites and correcting the errors of digital systems.

BotsAndus exhibited for the first time and they had several demos each day in the main demonstration area, where visitors could see the system in action.

Andrei Danescu, Co-founder, CEO BotsAndUs, declared: “IMHX was an amazing opportunity for us to showcase our offering to a very select and elite audience. The event was busy, exciting and energizing. The visitors were very engaged and the interest was absolutely amazing.

 

Expert panel discussions with specialists

IMHX 2022 hosted numerous panel discussions in the Logistics Theatre area and it was great to see our BotsAndUs client among the specialists invited to share their expertise on day Two. I really like the fact that everyone in the audience was provided with a headset to hear the panel cutting out the noise from the exhibition.

James Osborn, VP of Business Development eGrocery Investments, TGW Group, led a discussion regarding a very relevant topic: “To what extent will we see supply chain automation in our stores in the future?” Oana Jinga, Co-founder and CCO of BotsAndUs, and Ashley Hartwell, Managing Consultant, Supply Chain Consulting Group, shared their insights from their experience and extended the talks on several other subjects. Two of them were focussed on the nature of buying and installing technology solutions and what retailers can do to avoid common mistakes.

Co-founder and CCO of BotsAndUs, Oana Jinga, gives her perspective on how the company’s AI robotic platform is evolving. “At first, we had a high demand for our robots in airports and retail stores, and then BotsAndUs moved to warehouses. Now it is a completely different robot that uses an intelligent platform to measure, track and find goods across warehouses without workflow disruption. We had customers who have found boxes hidden in the warehouse after six and a half years. This platform harnesses data to create dynamic digital twins, designed exclusively to automate receiving and stock-taking processes fully. The worldwide events that occurred in the past years forced retailers to invest in e-commerce operations. There is a whole range of technology options on the market, but make sure you pick the right solution for your business.

My advice is not to think it is a burden or very expensive. BotsAndUs provides total flexibility with RaaS (Robot-as-a-Service) business model. Customers can have a full-stack solution that includes hardware units, software updates, maintenance and support, data and analytics for a monthly subscription fee per robot unit deployed, enabling scalability of their fleet to match peak and low season requirements.”

Nomagic travelled from Poland to visit IMHX

One of our other clients, Nomagic, the Intelligent Robotics Company for Item Handling, visited IMHX and travelled especially for this exhibition all the way from Poland to get more familiarised with the UK market.

The company has developed a robotic arm that can identify and pick items from storage totes to automate fulfilment processes, including packing into final customer boxes. The system adds extra performance to e-commerce logistics and makes humans’ jobs less repetitive. The robotic arms started at first by picking up and moving small consumer electronics and related items like phones, cables, and small toys, before extending to items like bagged apparel.

Nomagic, founded by Kacper Nowicki, Chief Executive Officer, Marek Cygan, Chief Technology Officer and Tristan D’Orgeval, Chief Strategy Officer, brings Expertise in robotics, AI and cloud together with experience in intralogistics.

A look at sustainability highlights at IMHX 2022

• IMHX partnered with Ecologi to improve its sustainability footprint in the lead-up to and during the show.
• As part of the #IMHXForestProject, over 5,000 trees were planted, allowing 2,000 visitors to offset their carbon footprints.
• Clare Bottle, CEO of the UKWA, hosted a panel in the Logistics Theatre at IMHX 2022, discussing the results of an independent research report into solar Energy in the warehouse sector. The report was commissioned by the UKWA and produced by specialist consultancy Delta Energy & Environment (Delta-EE).

IMHX proved to be a worthwhile experience

The opportunity for our team to view a wide variety of solutions and innovative ideas has proven invaluable. I must say I was impressed by the demonstration of German Bionic exoskeleton solution in the UKWA pavilion. The wearable technology provides manual handling workers with the physical support needed to lift an additional 30kg and has been proven to lower the risk of back injuries significantly.

Overall, the feedback is that IMHX 2022 was an enjoyable experience. I was fascinated by the new technologies exhibited and impressed by the rising number of robotics and AI meant to support human work and make businesses more efficient. Now, I’m looking forward to IMHX 2025!