Supply chain solutions provider KION was theatrical in the opening of its CeMAT Asia exhibit with CEO Rob Smith literally acting as conductor to musicians on string instruments. 

Once the music started, it activated a series of Linde Material Handling robots which performed a series of tasks in perfect timing with the music, creating what the company calls a “logistics symphony”.

“This creative opening vividly brought to life KION’s vision of ‘Harmonized Intralogistics’,” the company states. “Enabling logistics systems to cooperate as seamlessly and adaptably as an orchestra, sounding a powerful note for the future of smart logistics.”

This year CeMAT Asia was the biggest since it was first held in 1999, covering a record exhibition area of 240,000sqm, with nine themed exhibition areas and more than 1,000 companies from across the world exhibiting.

Centre stage at Linde’s exhibit was the recently released 32T battery electric range as well as a miniaturised automated smart factory demonstration powered by KION’s in-house developed software. 

Several of Linde Material Handling’s automation solutions also made their debut, including a double-pallet counterbalance robot, a four-way shuttle system, pallet transport robots, and tote-handling robots.

Dematic chose CeMAT Asia for the global launch of its FD Shuttle System with builds on its Multi-Shuttle technology. The system can handle a mix of totes, cartons, and trays, and is engineered to support high-bay warehouses up to 24m and, Dematic says, it is suitable for industries such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, and third-party logistics.

The intelligent automation solutions provider also had a virtual reality hub at its exhibit where visors could immerse themselves in Dematic’s smart warehouse projects.

Chinese equipment maker Hangcha launched its X1 Humanoid Logistics Robot, developed for materials handling and which it describes as “underscoring the company's evolution from industrial vehicles manufacturer to architectural leader of intelligent logistics ecosystems”.

The X1 has a rated load of 15kg, stands at 1,8m high and can work at a maximum height of 1.8m.

The robot also features omnidirectional movement with its four-steer-wheel omnidirectional chassis which has a moving speed of 2m/s, 360-degree all-round perception with 3D cameras and 3D LiDAR as well as 22 independent degrees of freedom.

It has a 650mm rated load centre distance and also features multi-stage, long-range task planning, and flexible obstacle avoidance.

Seer Robotics also debuted its latest wheeled humanoid robot at CeMAT ASIA which performed a series of tasks such as tightening screws and moving a range of packages before dropping to perform a mechanical street dance.

“From agile mobile robots and dexterous humanoid robots that can bend and grasp, to our rugged all-terrain robot dog squad,” Seer Robotics says, “did you get a glimpse of the future of smart logistics?”

Netherlands-headquartered smart logistics developer Hikrobot, had its range of intralogistics solutions on show including its F5 series autonomous reach trucks and F3 series forklift mobile robots which have been designed to work together to automate inbound and outbound operations.

The F5 reach truck is designed for soft package staking and high-bay storage with lift heights up to 5m while the F3 enables ground-level handling of block pallets.

Noblelift Group subsidiary, Zhongding Intelligent Technology - which is rebranding to Zending for overseas markets - launched four new products - the M125 pallet-four-way shuttle, high-speed Miniload bin stacker crane, a multi-layer bin shuttle system and a self-layer-changing bin shuttle.

China’s Quicktron Robotics showcased its QuickMix suite, a suite of integrated goods-handling technologies including G2P systems, QuickBin+, QuickBin Ultra, QuickCube, and Mixed Picking Workstations while Chinese forklift manufacturer MiMA showcased its latest products including the MQC80 multi-directional forklift and MCC16 man-up turret truck for cold storage.

More than 100,000 visitors were expected to attend CeMAT Asia 2025 (final figures are yet to be released) with the sheer size and scope of the event a clear indicator of the importance of China on the global materials handling landscape.

As Wang Ernestine, marketing manager with equipment manufacturer Suzhou East Machinery, commented in a post on LinkedIn: “Exciting innovations, promising products, and inspiring business opportunities. The pace of industry growth is incredible — the future is bright!”