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In Stuttgart, the winners of the IFOY AWARD 2026 were announced, one of the most significant competitions for intralogistics products and solutions worldwide. In front of around 150 guests from various sectors, including business, science, and politics, the awards were presented in several categories. Notably, there was a tie in the Robot Warehouse System category, where Libiao Robotics from China and Nomagic from Poland shared the victory.
The award ceremony was led by prominent presenters, including Jan Drömer, Chairman of the VDMA Specialist Association for Material Handling and Intralogistics, and Dr. Lars Kleeberg, Managing Director of the Federal Association for Material Management, Purchasing, and Logistics (BME) e. V. The jury’s decisions were only revealed on stage, adding to the excitement.
Technological Innovations in Focus
The IFOY AWARD is regarded as an indicator of economic efficiency and innovation in intralogistics. This year, a total of 49 products and solutions were submitted, of which 17 qualified for the finals. These underwent a multi-stage audit in April, which comprehensively assessed the performance of the products. Anita Würmser, Executive Chair of the IFOY Jury, emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) was the central theme of this year’s competition. The finalists impressively demonstrated the practical possibilities of AI implementation.
In the Integrated Customer Solutions category, Jungheinrich won with an AI-supported warehouse management solution for Liebherr’s central spare parts warehouse. The solution manages all warehousing and shipping processes and utilizes self-learning algorithms to dynamically adjust workflows. The jury highlighted that the solution can enhance the efficiency of complex logistics systems.
Diverse Solutions for Intralogistics
In the Robot Warehouse System category, both Libiao Robotics with the AirRob PRO and Nomagic with the Shoebox Picker impressed. The AirRob PRO is an automation solution that combines robotics, conveyor technology, and storage, distinguished by its high practicality. The Shoebox Picker, on the other hand, enables the automated handling of shoe boxes in e-commerce and addresses a previously unresolved automation problem in fashion logistics.
Idealworks received the award in the Intralogistics Software category for the Idealworks Orchestration System, a cloud-based platform for the central control of various vehicles and systems. The jury praised the open platform approach, which allows for seamless integration of different technologies.
The title of Industrial Truck of the Year was secured by The Mobile Robot Company with the J1600 self-driving pallet jack, a pallet truck that can be operated both manually and autonomously. The jury recognized the innovative dual-mode concept, which offers users maximum flexibility.
In the Special of the Year category, Wiltsche Fördersysteme won with the mobile container unloading system Destuff-it, which reduces the physical strain on employees when loading and unloading packages. The IFOY Start-up of the Year Award went to the German company Pyck, which has developed an open-source toolkit for warehouse management software.
The IFOY AWARD is supported by the VDMA specialist associations for material handling and intralogistics as well as robotics and automation, and is under the patronage of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The application phase for the IFOY AWARD 2027 has already begun.
