The best of both worlds: cobolution and Schäflein launch joint robotics company

Pooling expertise and shaping the future of logistics together: With this agenda, cobolution logistics GmbH – a newly founded joint venture between the robotics specialist cobolution and the Main-Franconian logistics company Schäflein – is on its way. The focus of this powerful co-operation is on the development of a wide range of ready-to-use solutions that enable holistic automation in a wide variety of logistics applications.

The use of robotic systems has long been an integral part of many industries. Particularly in the field of production, the “automated colleagues” have literally achieved a high level of recognition. Schäflein AG recognised early on that partially or fully automated solutions also offer huge potential for logistics: The family-run logistics service provider is already using a wide range of automation technologies with great success: from automatic storage systems for small parts (AutoStore®) to continuous washing systems for returnable containers and packaging lines.

Logistics: powered by robotics

So it’s high time for the next big steps in this important future field, as Managing Director Achim Schäflein emphasises: “Robots should support incoming goods as soon as possible, pick and pack parts, load systems independently or remove goods. We will now be developing robotic solutions for these upstream and downstream processes.” By “we”, Schäflein is referring to cobolution logistics GmbH, a joint venture between Schäflein AG and cobolution GmbH, which was founded on 1 April 2022. The latter has built up an excellent reputation in the market for industrial robotics applications within just a few years. Severin Bobon, who launched cobolution together with Kassian Krosch five years ago, is convinced: “Schäflein brings broad logistics know-how – and we bring our extensive expertise in the field of robotics. They complement each other perfectly.”

Smart combination of theory & practice

At the centre of cobolution logistics’ work is the design of integrated system solutions, which then go straight into pilot operation at Schäflein. The benefits of this approach are obvious: by seamlessly linking development and prototyping, the applications can be brought to market maturity under live conditions – on the basis of reliable figures, data and facts. At the end of this process, ready-to-use products can be quickly integrated and offered to third parties, i.e. logistics service providers as well as industrial and commercial companies. “In this way, we are making our joint company an enabler for robotics in goods handling and production-related logistics in Germany and Europe,” summarise Kassian Krosch and Achim Schäflein.

from left: Bernd Schäflein, Christoph Heller, Kassian Krosch, Severin Bobon, Achim Schäflein, Dr Christian Betz