This September, we proudly marked a milestone in our European journey: the official opening of our new Automation Headquarters in Cologne. THE FUTURE OF WAREHOUSING, a two-day event brought together over 130 hand-selected partners, customers, and industry leaders to experience the next era of automation in material handling.
A Vision for the Future of Warehousing
Only one year after opening our European Headquarters in Cologne, we have doubled in size. The launch of the Automation HQ represents both a natural progression and a bold step forward towards our long-term strategy. Guided by the vision “Material Handling to Material Moving”, we are redefining how logistics can harness Automation, AI, and Digital Intelligence to transform warehouses across the globe.
An Exciting Program for Industry Leaders
The two-day event hosted 75 guests each day and featured a comprehensive program of keynote speeches, Q&A, presentation on the future from CEO John He, and live product & solution demonstrations. In the afternoon, guests took part in a structured group workshops: rotating every 35 minutes across five interactive islands designed to showcase our complete automation portfolio.
This unique format allowed every attendee to see, touch, and experience solutions that range from entry-level automation to fully autonomous warehouse ecosystems, illustrating the scalability of EP’s approach regardless of complexity.
The Five Workshops
Station 1: XPL and Cross-Docking
The journey began with the XPL201 automated ride-on pallet truck, demonstrating its role in cross-docking and logistics use cases across our domestic market in China. We showcased our core competence in developing the industry’s best AI algorithms for maximum transport throughput, an intelligent system that continuously learns to optimize which truck picks which load and where it goes, proving that fixed-path solutions deliver peak performance. The XPL201 is scheduled to enter the European market by the end of 2025.
Station 2: Machine-to-Machine Communication & Remote Robot Control
At this station, EP and Unchained Robotics showcased a joint solution combining a palletizer, Palomat, and the XP15 robot. The setup emphasized machine-to-machine (M2M) communication and introduced new functions built on the same plug-and-play philosophy including easy setup, automatic transport, and seamless integration with existing machines in the warehouse or factory. This setup supports our vision in step-by-step, bottom-up automation.
Station 3: From First Step to Scalable Success
This station highlighted not just the products themselves but most importantly our partner-centric approach and roadmaps to success, which we demonstrate by helping our customers scale and find practical applications. The third station spotlighted the XPMM Mono-Mast & TPL251 semi-automatic order picker. The XP is our standard product with added features and cross-over technologies that combine manual and automatic operation,. The message at this island was to think about what automatic transport can do and identify at least one use case in every warehouse.
Station 4: Entry-Level Automation with EP Standards
EXP15 entry-level smart pallet truck, winner of the IFOY Award, took the stage. We also presented our standards: EP Care and AI-driven service solutions, showing how even entry-level equipment can be elevated with intelligent service and lifecycle support which is part of our foundation.
Station 5: DAS System, Warehouse@Anywhere and the new XQE122 Automated Reach Truck
The final stop, hosted by VP Automation Arjan van Zanten, introduced the XQE122 Automated Reach Stacker and our Warehouse@Anywhere concept, built on the principle that any place can become a warehouse at any given time. This station showcased the importance of data connection and material flow, featuring EP’s Digital Autonomous System (DAS) and digital twin technology for real-time warehouse optimization. Guests also experienced a presentation by EP’s partners Ravas, who demonstrated their integrated weighing solutions.
A Milestone for EP Europe
The opening of our European Automation Offices and Warehouse was a platform for discussion, inspiration, and forward-looking ideas. Notable guest speakers joined the event with their expertise:
- Mr. Colin Chen, Senior Technical Expert with a career spanning Microsoft, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia, shared insights into the global impact of smart technologies.
- Mr. Peter Stellbrink, a renowned voice on technology, ethics, and human development, offered thought-provoking perspectives on how AI and robotics are reshaping the future of work.
By combining different perspectives with hands-on demonstrations, the launch event became a milestone in our European expansion. More than being positioned as a product innovator, the event established us as an industry leader at the forefront of Automation, AI, and Intralogistics. With our new doors now open, we invite the industry to explore and embrace the future of warehousing together!
Let’s Grow Together!
EP Equipment’s commitment to driving innovation and creating meaningful solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. Follow EP Equipment as we push boundaries and reimagine the future of warehouse automation. Stay tuned for updates, events, and innovations.