Key points at a glance - Jungheinrich has taken a stake in automation specialist Navflex - The partnership aims to automate truck loading and unloading - Field trials with major customers are already underway - The concept is designed to work without additional infrastructure - The loading dock remains one of the toughest intralogistics areas to automate Why the loading dock has been so hard to automate Autonomous vehicles, robotics and automated storage systems are increasingly common in modern logistics facilities. Loading and unloading trucks, however, remains difficult to automate. Unlike controlled warehouse environments, the dock presents many variables: different trailer types, changing load carriers, tight space, and fluctuating light and ambient conditions. In addition, people, forklifts and other vehicles often operate in the same area at the same time. This raises requirements for automated systems—particularly for navigation, safety and reliable performance. A joint dock automation solution from Jungheinrich and Navflex With its investment in Navflex, Jungheinrich is aiming to automate a part of intralogistics that has seen only limited progress to date. According to the companies, the development is based on a Jungheinrich vehicle platform that is being adapted for automated dock operations. Navflex is providing the software layer, including autonomous perception, navigation, safety functions and process control. “Loading and unloading trucks is a critical bottleneck in material flow for many of our customers,” says Dr. Tobias Harzer, Chief Automation Officer at Jungheinrich AG. The companies say the project focuses on safe operation in mixed traffic, where people and automated vehicles work side by side. Navflex CEO Chuck Stovall highlights the complexity of the use case: “We deliberately chose to tackle a problem that has long been considered nearly impossible to automate.” Large-scale customer trials already in progress The solution is already being tested with major customers in Europe