As we head towards the second quarter of 2026, it’s already shaping up to be another massive year for automation product development. In this March roundup, we pull together the latest materials handling automation headlines with coverage of product unveilings, leadership announcements, deployment news and an intellectual property (IP) case coming out of Germany.

In March

STILL introduces the AXL 15 iGo, a low lift pallet truck, which automates the handling of goods at the loading ramp at LogiMAT. The pallet truck uses 3D visual SLAM technology and LiDAR-based localisation to ensure precision and safety.

Toyota Material Handling introduces its Swarm Automation Transport, an automated warehouse transport system that combines the Toyota SAI125CB Automated Counterbalance Stacker with T-ONE Control System intelligent automation software.

BlueBotics unveils its SmartPass function for its ANT software suite, designed to improve the obstacle avoidance capabilities of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

An intellectual property case in Germany sees Teradyne Robotics taking legal action against the German subsidiary of Chinese robot maker Elite Robots for copyright infringement.

Attachments manufacturer Cascade Corporation acquires a majority stake in Austrian-based Cargometer, a company that specialises in 3D freight dimensioning on moving forklift and autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs).

Cyngn announces it will be integrating NVIDIA’s Isaac Sim open simulation into its high-fidelity forklifts. NVIDIA describes the simulation, built on its Omniverse platform, as “a scalable, photorealistic, and physically accurate robotics simulation application”.

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) announces the three CEOs who will be heading up its new warehouse automation business, Toyota Automated Logistics (TAL), when it is formally launched on April 1.

AGV International begins commercial production of its new Hexabot T506 AGV after a successful trial with plastic piping manufacturer DKYA Nederland.

Alstef Group introduces its new autonomous intelligent vehicle (AIV), featuring  an “advanced perception bubble”, a continuously updated awareness zone that enables the vehicle to detect, interpret, and respond intelligently to people, equipment, and environmental changes.

Jungheinrich launches its Mobile Robot EAC 212a, a high-lift vehicle designed for automated storage and retrieval processes up to 1.2m. The robot enables the automation of material flows between goods receipt, warehouse, production and dispatch.

Autonomous vehicle developer Cyngn appoints Ran Makavy to its board of directors. “Ran has scaled growth and platform teams at global technology companies and knows how to convert product strength into adoption,” says Lior Tal, CEO of Cyngn. 

Yale Lift Truck Technologies wins silver in the Most Innovative Product of the Year - Enterprise category at the Best in Biz Awards for its Yale Relay System, a drag-and-drop portal that replaces the software coding requirements typically associated with forklift automation.

In February

Dexory unveils its next-generation autonomous mobile robot (AMR), which it claims is faster, more efficient and also capable of capturing “significantly more” data across warehouse operations.

STILL introduces its first automated counterbalance high lift pallet truck, which joins its iGo portfolio of automated materials handling products. The EXV-CB iGO pallet truck has a load capacity of 1.4T, a storage height of 3.8m and a maximum speed of 7.2km/h.

Symbotic announces its acquisition of Fox Robotics, a strategic move to expand its access to the wider materials handling automation market. Fox Robotics is the developer of the FoxBot ATL autonomous forklift.

Global pure-play automation staffing and recruitment provider Proactive Global opens an office in Atlanta, Georgia to serve as its North American headquarters.

In January

Intelligent manufacturing and supply chain solutions specialist Körber, acquires the remaining stake in its Indian joint venture partner, Godrej Körber Supply Chain Limited from Godrej & Boyce, turning it in to a wholly-owned subsidiary. 

MHS Lift expands its partnership with logistics automation specialist, Movu Robotics, by commissioning its third Movu system to be deployed in North America. 

SSI Schaefer partners with Moffett Automation, a provider of high-density pallet storage systems that incorporate free-roaming shuttle technology, a collaboration that it claims will help to shape the future of warehouse automation. 

MiMA Forklifts launches its newest AGV body, the 3.5 to 5T MKV Series four-wheel counterbalance body, which it says has been designed for precision and power and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) releases its Top 5 Global Robotics Trends for 2026. 

Corvus Robotics names Michael McSpedon as its new chief revenue officer. “Mike joins us at a pivotal moment as Corvus moves from early deployments to broad enterprise adoption,” the company states. 

Boston Dynamics launches the latest version of its Atlas humanoid robot with Hyundai Motor Group announcing its goal to mass-produce the product model and deploy units at scale across industrial sites as production-ready humanoid robots. 

Latin American commerce and financial tech company Mercado Libre signs an agreement to deploy Agility Robotics’ humanoid robot Digit, into fulfilment operations in San Antonio, Texas.

If it’s happening in materials handling, you’ll see it covered in Forkliftaction’s weekly news editions. We bring together the key market developments from around the world, including the latest on materials handling automation. Register here for your free subscription.