In this roundup of Forkliftaction’s automation coverage from April through May we pull together news of major deployments, the latest strategic partnerships and a wide number of new entries to the materials handling automation market. We also highlight a recent special report in which we talk to the industry about the accelerating automation market. 

This is a roundup of Forkliftaction's independent news coverage. Subscription to the publication is free. 

In May

Exotec will deploy its first Skypod solution to the Korean market for fashion giant MUSINSA. The Skypod supports MUSINSA’s need for highly flexible automation capable of handling SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) complexity among other requirements.

ABB Robotics wins an iF Design Award for its autonomous mobile robot. The Flexley Mover P603 AMR handles payloads of up to 1,500kg, utilises AI-driven Visual SLAM to reduce deployment time by 20%, and enables ±5 mm positioning accuracy.

China launches its 15th Five-Year Plan outlining its economic and social development goals, which firmly places robotics at the heart of its modern industrial system according to International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Start-up humanoid robot developer Humanoid signs a deal to deploy “thousands” of its robots on the factory floors of motion technology company Schaeffler. According to Humanoid the first systems go live before the end of 2026.

From May 31, STEM and robotics students can apply for a scholarship provided through a partnership between Dematic and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Twelve scholarships are being offered – two valued at USD5,000 and 10 valued at USD1,000.

KION makes a strategic equity investment in ZIKOO Robotics, a provider of pallet storage robotics, with the acquisition of a 35% stake in the business. According to KION, the investment signals a significant step in the company’s strategy “to build an ecosystem of automation technology partners”.

In April

MODEX 2026 COVERAGE - Forkliftaction provides a rundown of some of the notable AMR launches from MyBull Robotics, SEER and Quicktron, alongside Swisslog’s new automated storage and retrieval system and Peak Technologies’ new Peak Automation Intelligence, an integrated AI-powered platform.

Noblelift North America launches its Omega AI forklift. According to the company an integral feature of the forklift is an AI touchscreen and voice interaction tablet-based HTML5 operating system called NobleOne, which “features native onboard AI with edge computing and inference via Nvidia AGX”.

A preliminary injunction is issued against Elite Robots Germany, the German arm of Chinese robot maker Elite Robots, after claims from Teradyne Robotics of copyright infringement.

Dematic enters a strategic partnership with GreyOrange, where it will offer GreyOrange’s GreyMatter AI-powered platform, which coordinates robots and workflows, to improve speed and accuracy and expand its automation capabilities.

Yale Lift Truck Technologies unveils a new automated counterbalance stacker with vertical pallet positioning capability. The forklift is powered by the Yale Relay automated lift truck portal, unveiled at ProMat in 2025.

LOGIMAT 2026 COVERAGE – Forkliftaction provides an extensive roundup of the major materials handling product highlights including a wide array of automation solutions including new innovations from STILL, Linde, Cascade, and more.

SPECIAL REPORT - Forkliftaction's Angie Kay talks to the industry about the accelerating automation market. The report highlights recent R&D from companies like Toyota, Agilox, Alstef Group, STILL, Linde, and Hangcha, and asks for insights about where materials handling automation is heading, and to what extent it will reshape the materials handling workforce of the future.

Hangcha Group releases the EZGO Mini Pallet autonomous mobile robot (AMR). The product is specially designed for quick setup using SLAM-based 3D LiDAR navigation, which enables operation without major site modifications.

AGILOX launches a fully automated truck loading solution, designed to move large volumes of pallets inside trucks safely. The new solution utilises a standard AGILOX autonomous mobile robot with no additional sensors mounted on the robot itself.

CaPow, a provider of power delivery solutions for the robotics field, appoints David Scheffrahn of Ocado Intelligent Automation, John Santagate of EMP Advisors, and Matthew Wicks of Logistics Automation Advisors to its advisory board. 

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. To support our independent news service, register here for your free subscription.