Swisslog forms automotive business unit

Warehouse automation equipment vendor Swisslog will form an "automotive business unit" focused on developing logistics automation for high-end suppliers and OEMs, the firm said today.

The unit will provide a single point of contact for companies looking to build fully automated "smart factories," the Swiss firm said. It will complement the existing efforts of Swisslog's parent company, the German robotics firm Kuka Systems GmbH, Markus Schmidt, president of Swisslog Warehouse and Distributions Solutions (WDS) Americas, said in a statement. Swisslog already provides supply chain management services to the auto industry.

"Tier one suppliers and OEMs have already been turning to Swisslog and benefiting from our turnkey solutions designed to streamline their work-in-process (WIP) manufacturing, kitting, and parts storage," Schmidt said in a statement. "With the addition of Swisslog's intralogistics capabilities, Kuka delivers all-encompassing solutions for manufacturing."

Terry Krantz, a veteran executive, will head the new unit.