In many industries, rolls, coils, slit strips, wire rings, and drums are standard forms for semi-finished, intermediate, and finished products. The way they are handled throughout internal material flow – from goods receipt to processing and storage – significantly impacts process efficiency, workplace safety, and product protection. “Our product managers, engineers, and consultants are familiar with the specific issues related to handling such quasi-cylindrical objects from numerous projects,” says Oliver Stauch-Vaupel, who heads the Powered Handling and Transport Systems unit at EXPRESSO. He and his team continually develop and implement innovative complete solutions for roll and coil handling, based on the multifunctional floor transporter lift2move, the servo-motorized E-BalanceLift, and extensive in-house expertise in load-handling engineering. A crucial factor that currently sets EXPRESSO apart from many other market providers is the high quality and intensity of the consultation before, during, and after the project phase. The specialists from the German company will explain the methods, tools, and procedures they use at this year’s Fachpack in Nürnberg/Germany (24-26 September 2024) in Hall 7 at booth 650.

Custom tailored

For example, EXPRESSO is showcasing a lift2move of the latest generation, equipped with Industry 4.0 interfaces and lightweight battery packs (Li-Ion) for operating its electric lifting mast. To safely handle rolls weighing up to 100 kg with internal core diameters between 50 mm and 76 mm, the mobile lift-and-lower device can be fitted with a pick-up mandrel, a roll mandrel with top-mounted guide rollers, or a roll turner. Alternatively, a V-block is available for lifting cylindrical parts with diameters up to 600 mm and lowering them flush with the floor. “All these standard systems for roll and coil handling can be adapted in various ways to the requirements of different customers or industries. In addition, we can always develop special customized solutions tailored to specific on-site conditions,” emphasizes Oliver Stauch-Vaupel.

All EXPRESSO handling and transport systems are extensively modularized to inherently provide the necessary variability for customization. What the modular concept does not cover is then taken over by the company’s engineering team. “Whether we configure a standard system for a specific application or start a completely new development, we always immerse ourselves deeply in our customers’ processes and create highly individualized solutions based on our engineering know-how and the interdisciplinary consulting expertise of our area sales managers, project managers, designers, and service teams,” says Oliver Stauch-Vaupel. For visitors to EXPRESSO’s Fachpack stand, this means they can not only inspect the latest versions of the lift2move and the E-BalanceLift but also gain deep insights into the consulting methodology used in developing customer-specific system solutions.

It’s important to note that there are currently hardly any ready-to-use or certified handling devices for roll or coil handling available on the market. Therefore, it is crucial to start the realization of such a solution with an on-site visit from a knowledgeable consultant to analyze the customer’s specific requirements. This involves examining issues with the current state, special requirements of the quasi-cylindrical objects, aspects of ergonomics, route optimization, and more. Often, this initial analysis leads to the first sketches of the future roll and coil handling system. Accompanying this process, configurator apps and the company’s know-how database, featuring over 300 videos showcasing various application examples, are also used.

Delivery and after-sales service

Following the analysis work, EXPRESSO prepares a detailed technical description and calculates the project costs. “At this point, it often becomes evident that we can arrive at very economical solutions surprisingly quickly due to the depth of our consultation,” says Oliver Stauch-Vaupel. The implementation phase then involves providing a pilot device, with which the customer can already conduct practical trials. These test runs may yield further pointers for fine-tuning the future handling solution. The provisional final phase consists of the customer’s acceptance of the finished system and its commissioning. This includes training the operating personnel and final adjustments, usually taking place at EXPRESSO in Kassel. In some cases, acceptance can also occur directly at the installation site.

EXPRESSO’s complete offering also includes regular visits to the customer as part of after-sales support. This serves both as an opportunity for experience exchange with the on-site production and operations managers and to renew the company’s quality promise. “With each service appointment, we work with the customer to develop further perspectives for fine-tuning processes, improving ergonomics, or optimizing MRO services through our technicians and consultants,” reports Oliver Stauch-Vaupel. This high level of customer focus has led many clients to see EXPRESSO as a reliable competence partner who can be consulted whenever there are issues in intralogistics.

During its presence at Fachpack, the company is also offering a range of activities from which customers and interested parties can significantly benefit. For instance, it is hosting an online webinar on roll and coil handling on 6 September at 11:00 am. The webinar will be live, allowing the EXPRESSO experts Maximilian Kühn and Henning Petersen to answer participants’ questions directly. The webinar will focus on case studies that address specific challenges and solutions in industrial roll and coil handling. Shortly thereafter, the company will offer a white paper on this topic for download on its website. Additionally, at the trade fair, it invites experts in material flow, conveyor, or assembly technology to a presentation at the “Innovation Box Forum” in Hall 2 (Stand 208/210).

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Whether retail, industry or trade – almost all companies today operate loading ramps, high-speed doors or loading locks and carry out more or less complex logistical tasks. There is usually untapped potential for optimisation in all of these processes, which can be quickly exploited with the EXPRESSO Connect IoT solution. This modular and scalable gateway offers small and medium-sized companies in particular a simple and cost-effective way to start digitising their processes. The infrastructure of the system – developed by EXPRESSO’s Service & Digital Solutions division – is based on the collection of digital and analogue information from all connected technical units, its transmission via mobile radio to a central server and its evaluation, visualisation and documentation. The big advantage: EXPRESSO Connect works independently of the customer’s network, regardless of the brands of the integrated systems and devices and, if required, also across plants. “The system is open and can be expanded as required, can be used universally and can be utilised for both new investments and existing systems. A connection to the customer’s control technology is also possible,” says Jan-Peter Schulz, Head of Service & Digital Solutions.

Record, evaluate, optimise

If EXPRESSO Connect is used to optimise logistical processes, parameters such as loading/unloading times, gate occupancy and vehicle security, gate opening times, the number of incidents, the number of loading processes and much more can be recorded, displayed, analysed and logged. Based on this, numerous optimisation measures can be implemented, leading to shorter idle times at the loading bay, lower energy consumption during loading, reduced maintenance costs or improved employee time management. “The user operates the system via a responsive design interface on a PC, tablet or mobile phone. They can now also use our new app, which displays all recorded data graphically and makes it clear at a glance where which processes can be optimised – for example, in gate utilisation, truck allocation or MRO cycles,” explains Jan-Peter Schulz. A big plus point is that the EXPRESSO Connect app offers different display types and views. Regardless of their own location, users can, for example, display all loading systems integrated into the system or only those of selected branches. They can also switch between a general overview and various detailed views. And other app applications that focus on other optimisation aspects can be activated at any time – for example, for energy efficiency monitoring, which also records and evaluates the energy consumption of electrical systems and the CO₂ emissions of individual work areas.

Adaptable and quick to install

It is the modular structure and high level of adaptability that make this IoT solution particularly interesting for companies that were previously concerned about the almost unmanageable time and cost involved in getting started with digitalisation. “EXPRESSO Connect is the opposite of all of this,” says Jan-Peter Schulz, adding: “Our Connect Boxes can be installed and the app activated in a single day, data management is automated and users are spared the need for time-consuming training.” The Connect Boxes in question are compact modules that can be used to integrate loading bridges, gates, industrial trucks or transport trolleys into the system. The operating data they register is transmitted wirelessly (4G LTE) to a central server provided by EXPRESSO, which the user can access at any time via their app. They can view and evaluate the operating status of their systems, devices, vehicles, etc. around the clock. Depending on the configuration of the system, various areas of application can also be covered: Remote monitoring of machines, fill level monitoring of containers, visualisation of special process parameters, real-time analysis of data for condition monitoring as well as limit value monitoring, status queries and consumption measurements. “In all cases, the infrastructure developed by EXPRESSO for our digitalisation solution enables the Connect Boxes to be installed and commissioned quickly,” emphasises Jan-Peter Schulz.

Better processes, less energy

The development and manufacture of innovative equipment and systems for conveying, transport and handling technology has always been one of EXPRESSO’s strengths. As the know-how gained from almost all areas of logistics and intralogistics has been incorporated into the implementation of EXPRESSO Connect, the customer receives a practical system that effectively supports them in optimising their value-adding processes. A European food manufacturer already used the IoT solution in 2023 to digitalise twelve existing systems in various plants. Elsewhere, EXPRESSO Connect has proven its efficiency in the digitalisation of loading processes. “In addition to the benefits of documenting truck security, gate utilisation and truck allocation, our system generated considerable added value by reducing heat losses when loading trucks and swap bodies,” reports Jan-Peter Schulz.

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Dr Bünz, how is EXPRESSO currently developing and what do you expect for 2025?

Bünz: We have coped well with the coronavirus years and all their aftermath and currently see ourselves in an excellent position in terms of products and development in all six of our business units. We are expecting a moderate increase in turnover this year and aim to increase turnover by a double-digit percentage in 2025. We are currently holding back on major investments in our own production. But as soon as the general economic climate in Europe brightens up, we’ll get started here.

Does this also mean that you have scaled back your innovation plans at product level?

Bünz: No, by no means. Our innovation management has always been decoupled from economic developments. In the short and medium term, for example, our Service & Digital Solutions and Smart Retail units, as well as the two units Manual Handling Equipment and Powered Handling and Transport Systems, will be launching new developments on the market.

Not all of our readers know your portfolio in detail ¬¬– so could you please specify which innovations users in industry and retail can expect?

Bünz: We will soon be presenting a lean retail solution for retailers, which we have named Independent Payment Process – IPP for short. This is a lite version of our intelligent shopping cart SmartShopper, which works independently of any system and can be easily integrated into a store’s sales processes. It combines scanner, Internet and Bluetooth technology, requires only a minimal investment from the store operator and can be operated with shopping carts and shopping baskets. It is a flexible, low-threshold digital solution that is likely to find rapid acceptance.

Will this smart solution replace the SmartShopper system?

Bünz: Of course not! We only presented the new model range of our SmartShopper family at EuroCIS in Düsseldorf/Germany in February. It includes customised versions for food retailers, beverage and drugstore chains, DIY and cash & carry stores and other retail segments. These are always complete mobile solutions with a hand scanner, colour display and a mobile platform with several load cells, which check the inserted goods for plausibility to the gram and thus significantly reduce inventory differences for the retailer. Everything is linked via network-compatible user and analysis software.

How are store operators reacting to the introduction of the new variants?

Bünz: The first stores have installed the SmartShopper system and well-known retail chains see it as the ideal way to modernise the purchasing and sales processes in their stores. In cooperation with a start-up from the field of artificial intelligence, our retail specialists are also currently developing a systemic long-term perspective. The long-term goal is an AI-supported shopping cart that represents the next generation of the SmartShopper. I don’t want to reveal any more about this yet. It will also be interesting to see what insights our Service & Digital Solutions unit comes up with in the next development stage of EXPRESSO Connect.

What is behind this product name?

Bünz: EXPRESSO Connect is a flexible IoT solution that provides small and medium-sized companies with a cost-effective path to digitalisation. It is a modular gateway that is ready for use at short notice and can be adapted to specific tasks, making the savings potential of intralogistics processes transparent across plants. For example, one customer was able to put the monitoring of 12 systems into operation in just one day. In principle, EXPRESSO Connect is based on the collection and transmission of digital and analogue information from all technical units to a central data portal and their analysis, documentation and visualisation on a dashboard. The system can work independently of existing networks, regardless of the manufacturer and across all plants. It can be used to monitor the status of devices and systems as part of condition monitoring as well as for predictive maintenance.

What is happening in the manual transport equipment sector – for example in the field of hand trucks?

Bünz: We are currently developing a cost-effective e-mobility hand truck. It combines the aspects of efficiency and ergonomics, will speed up the transport of loads and, thanks to an integrated braking system, will enable goods to be transported safely even on inclines. In the spirit of modularity, this e-drive solution will also be designed to allow older hand trucks to be retrofitted. The day-to-day business in this area is also characterised by the constant demand for customised and industry-specific versions. This also applies to the Powered Handling and Transport Systems unit, in which our flexible lifting aid lift2move sets the tone.

Can you be more specific at this point?

Bünz: Our mobile lifting and transport aid lift2move – now one of the German standards – is at the centre of operational material flow processes in many industries. It is available in various basic versions, can be configured and adapted almost indefinitely thanks to its modular design and is the central starting point for many solutions. It can also be adapted to many different load handling systems and is constantly being developed further. In the lift2move solution version, for example, it has integrated fault diagnostics with visual signalling, lockable front rollers and sensor-based safety equipment. If it is also equipped with the Vertical Position Control (VPC) control module for the lift mast, it enables the automatic and repeatable approach of up to eight programmable heights – for example for accurate rack loading, the exact approach of workbenches or the precise operation of workpiece carriers. Under the motto ‘Next Big Thing – NBT’, the Powered Handling and Transport Systems unit is also already working on future prospects that go far beyond the possibilities of today’s lift2move.

That sounds exciting. Can you give us a deeper insight here?

Bünz: We are thinking here of a new type of intelligent industrial system whose functionality combines several technologies and disciplines. It will probably integrate elements and components of modularity, digitalisation, robotics, mechatronics, autonomous mobility and handling technology. It should also be suitable for both stationary and mobile use. Another approach combines the expertise of our two business units Manual Handling Equipment and Powered Handling and Transport Systems to develop autonomous catering and service systems – for use on trains, passenger ships or aircraft, for example.

It seems that there are hardly any barriers to innovation management in your company?

Bünz: For a modern company like ours, I can hardly imagine it any other way. That’s why our innovation management is not channelled according to rigid grids, but instead thrives on the agile cooperation of our employees. I have now realised that this day-to-day interaction sometimes leads to results faster than structures imposed from above. It is not orientated towards formal standards, does not require a learning phase and hardly raises any internal resistance within the company.

Mr Bünz, thank you for this interview.

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The development and manufacture of innovative devices and systems for conveying, transport and handling technology has been one of the core competences of the German company EXPRESSO for decades. Based on the expertise gained in almost all aspects of modern logistics and intralogistics, the specialists in the Service & Digital Solutions division have now realised the EXPRESSO Connect IoT solution. This is a modular gateway that can be adapted to many different requirements and is designed to provide small and medium-sized companies in particular with a particularly simple and cost-effective entry into the digitalisation of their processes and systems. In principle, it is based on the systematic recording and transmission of digital and analogue information from all technical units to a central data portal and their analysis, documentation and visualisation on a dashboard. This can be done independently of existing networks and across factories and plants. “Our system solution can be used for ongoing condition monitoring of all devices and systems involved as part of comprehensive condition monitoring as well as for predictive maintenance. The big advantage is that all data traffic in EXPRESSO Connect runs completely autonomously and independently of the customer’s network – this is a considerable security advantage for the user,” says Jan-Peter Schulz, Head of Service & Digital Solutions. The system is operated from a PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Ideal entry-level solution

The high level of flexibility and its simple structure make this IoT solution made in Germany particularly attractive for SMEs that have previously shied away from digitalisation. The installation effort is minimal, the entire data management is largely automated and the user does not have to familiarise themselves with complex software. All intralogistics system units to be covered by EXPRESSO Connect – for example loading bridges, gates, goods carriers, industrial trucks or transport trolleys – are connected via compact recording modules that transmit all technically relevant operating data via the wireless 4G LTE standard to a central server provided by EXPRESSO. With the evaluation and visualisation software on his desktop or mobile device, the user has direct access at all times. In concrete terms, this means that they can call up, view and analyse information on the current operating status of all devices, systems, vehicles, containers, etc. integrated in EXPRESSO Connect. Typical areas of application that the user can cover are remote monitoring of machines using sensors, control of automated processes in logistics and production, visualisation of special operating and process parameters, visualisation and real-time analysis of condition monitoring data as well as limit value monitoring, status queries and consumption measurements. The data collected in EXPRESSO Connect can then also be used to analyse energy consumption, balance CO² emissions, optimise maintenance cycles, avoid machine failures and reduce downtimes. “In all of this, our digitalisation solution supports the simple connection, installation and commissioning of the EXPRESSO Connect boxes in a plug-and-play process using predefined sensor modules,” emphasises Jan-Peter Schulz.

First projects already underway

One of the first companies to put EXPRESSO Connect into operation is a European food manufacturer. It is using the IoT solution to retroactively digitalise an initial twelve existing systems in various departments and plants. Elsewhere, EXPRESSO Connect was able to prove its efficiency in the digitalisation of logistical loading processes. Jan-Peter Schulz reports: “In addition to the benefits of documenting lorry security, gate utilisation and lorry allocation, our system generated considerable added value by reducing heat losses when loading lorries and swap bodies. After evaluating the recorded data and optimising the loading processes, the door opening times were adjusted so that energy savings of up to 25 percent could be calculated.”

Other obvious application examples for EXPRESSO Connect are in the field of airport logistics for the optimisation of baggage cart handling and in production logistics through the digitalisation of usage data from industrial trucks such as the lift2move from EXPRESSO. However, as the IoT solution is designed as an open system, its use is not tied to specific makes or brands. And because it works with its own complete data transmission, it can also be installed independently and in parallel to existing company networks.

Few manual transport devices are as widely used in logistics as the EXPRESSO hand truck. As a safe and ergonomic solution for transporting cardboard boxes, beverage crates, barrels or storage boxes, it has proven itself in the supply chains of many industries worldwide. The basis for its development into a product classics and German standard was laid by the entrepreneur August Manss with a patent application in July 1953. Read here how EXPRESSO has managed to reinvent the hand truck as a versatile modular system ever since.

When the engineer and company founder August Manss applied for a patent in July 1953 for “a transport trolley (…) that can be used simultaneously as a hand truck (…) and as a stacking trolley”, he laid the foundation for an exemplary success story in the field of manual handling technology. Today – 70 years later – the EXPRESSO hand truck is not only a globally sought-after piece of transport equipment, but also an established product classics in the company’s portfolio. It is used millions of times and is currently even listed as the German standard in the brands of the century. A decisive factor in the continuing success of the hand truck is its further development into a modular system, from which new customer-, sector- and country-specific hand truck solutions can be generated again and again. “In addition to the high-quality workmanship, durability and reliability, this versatility and adaptability is undoubtedly one of the most important competitive advantages of our hand truck today,” says Karsten Grötecke, who heads the business unit Manual Handling Equipment at EXPRESSO.

Skids for stair transport

Initially, according to the patent specification, it was above all the new, particularly large runners that offered the user a decisive added value and handling advantage. This allowed the hand truck to “slide over stairs during transport”. As early as 1967, the EXPRESSO engineers developed the first aluminum modular system, which has been consistently expanded to this day and now offers design scope for more than 2,000 different hand truck variants. Thanks to this high degree of flexibility, the EXPRESSO hand truck has proven itself in countless applications in the food and beverage industry, for courier and parcel services and in intralogistics. In many vehicle fleets, it is part of the vehicle service equipment. EXPRESSO has also added a wide range of accessories to the modular system, which can be used to quickly adapt any standard hand truck to special handling or transport tasks. For example, a folding water bottle attachment can be used to accommodate round, square and triangular 20-litre bottles, and a height-adjustable hook can be attached to transport returnable KEG drums of different sizes.

Quality Made in Germany

From the very beginning, the EXPRESSO hand truck was designed as a quality product made in Germany. This applies to all aspects of material selection, construction and assembly. As a result, this transport device has been able to assert itself on the market as a durable and sustainable product for seven decades. The spare parts promise that EXPRESSO makes to its customers as a premium manufacturer has played a major part in this: Every single part of the hand truck can be ordered as a spare part – today quickly via the company’s web shop. “With our original spare parts and guidance from the DIY videos on our YouTube channel, users can make even a 30-year-old hand truck fit again,” explains Karsten Grötecke. The worn sliding skids on an EXPRESSO hand truck are also very easy to replace thanks to a clip system. The red strip on the integrated wear indicator shows the right time to do this.

On the road to the future

Expanding the modular system, extending the range of services and continuing the high-quality standard are the three cornerstones for the further development of the EXPRESSO hand truck. Karsten Grötecke leaves no doubt that he and his team will succeed in taking the hand truck into the next decade of its product life cycle: “As we always attach great importance to an intensive exchange with our customers, users and sales partners, we are constantly receiving suggestions for technical optimisations, additional modular modules or new accessories. These innovative impulses and their rapid implementation in our engineering are the guarantee that our hand truck will continue to prove itself as a reliable, versatile and also extremely economical means of transport in the future.”