This start-up wants to digitize pallets

As part of the Fraunhofer IML's Silicon Valley project, a first start-up has been founded. Its idea could relieve the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises in particular.

Across Europe, there are around 600 million Euro pallets - all largely recorded and managed manually or by individual technical systems. That's about to change: A Dortmund-based start-up has developed a digital solution that uses artificial intelligence to identify, track and organise pallets by ID. Medium-sized companies in particular can use it to simplify their processes. For example, there will be an "e-pallet slip" that can be used to reconcile pallet inventories between companies to prevent empty runs.

The start-up doesn't have a name yet, with one to be announced in early March. It is the first of a series of start-ups in the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics' major research project Silicon Economy. As a counter-design to Silicon Valley, it is to be based primarily on decentralized open-source components. Michael ten Hompel, executive director of the Fraunhofer IML, says: "This spin-off is an important step that shows how quickly new business models can be implemented within the Silicon Economy and on the basis of open source."

The German Federal Ministry of Transport is funding the project with 25 million euros for three years. Work will be done mainly on logistical problems, and the solutions and developments will then be made available for free use. The developers of this project are the scientists Philipp Wrycza, Michael Koscharnyj, Patrik Elfert and Jan Möller.