From 160 to 1,671 Exhibitors: What 25 Years of Logimat Reveal About Intralogistics

Already in 2003, It Was About Robotics and Digitalization

A look back shows how early many technologies, now established, were represented at the trade fair. As early as the 2003 premiere, exhibitors and expert speakers were dealing with robots, driverless transport systems, and digital identification procedures. Voice- and light-supported picking techniques, such as Pick-by-Voice and Pick-by-Light, were also topics at that time.

In addition, there were web-based software systems that allowed logistical processes to be more efficiently designed. The first Logimat thus already provided a preview of technological developments that would gain importance in the following decades. The fundamental trade fair concept has hardly changed since then: an exhibition clearly divided according to industry segments, supplemented by a comprehensive program of expert lectures.

The Online Trade Changes the Requirements

In the following years, digitalization and the increasing networking of logistical processes moved more into focus. In 2004 and 2005, exhibitors showcased new Pick-by-Voice systems and the first mobile robots, among other things. The idea of allowing complex logistical networks to be largely self-managed was also already being discussed. Interest in the trade fair grew. In 2005, 7,230 trade visitors and 289 exhibitors came to Stuttgart. Thus, both figures had nearly doubled compared to the premiere.

By 2006 at the latest, it became clear what influence electronic commerce would have on intralogistics. Besides material flow automation, digital logistics processes and the Internet of Things were on the agenda. A year later, the trade fair was already dealing with web services and cloud-based software offerings. The last Logimat at Killesberg in 2007 ultimately recorded 463 exhibitors and 11,000 trade visitors.

More Space for New Technologies

With the move to the new exhibition grounds at Stuttgart Airport in 2008, the next chapter began. Initially, Logimat used three halls. There, 571 exhibitors presented their solutions, and more than 15,000 trade visitors attended the event. The focus now shifted to topics that still concern the industry today. These included connected vehicle fleets, driverless transport systems, and energy-efficient technologies. Shuttle systems and flexibly expandable storage solutions also gained importance.

At the same time, the industry increasingly dealt with the energy and resource consumption of their facilities. Sustainable packaging concepts, more efficient drives, and the economical use of energy found their place in the trade fair program. Topics also included ergonomic workplaces and demographic change. The demand for space grew accordingly. In the three years after 2009, Logimat already occupied four halls. From 2012 on, almost every year an additional hall was added due to increasing demand.

Automation Becomes the Defining Topic

In 2014, Logimat reached 32,800 trade visitors. Online commerce had meanwhile developed into an important driver of warehouse automation. Faster goods movements and new requirements for order picking brought automated warehouse and material flow systems more into focus.

In the second half of the 2010s, robots, driverless transport systems, and shuttle solutions were no longer niche topics at the fair. Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things also shaped the specialized program.

At the same time, the exhibition continued to expand. In 2016, Logimat occupied all the exhibition halls available at the time for the first time. When the Stuttgart exhibition grounds expanded to ten halls, the trade fair used the entire space for the first time in 2019.