idealworks wins IFOY AWARD 2021 in category for Automated Guided Vehicle.

+++ New BMW Group spin-off wins over independent specialist jury +++ iw.hub granted Best in Intralogistics seal of approval +++ Innovative control concept offers extreme flexibility and performance +++

Munich. The iw.hub autonomous mobile robot (AMR) by idealworks has won the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) AWARD 2021. Topping the category for Automated Guided Vehicles, the logistics robot by the new BMW Group subsidiary won the favour of an independent jury of industry experts and journalists from specialist publications of global renown, who confirmed its tremendous flexibility, impressive performance and sheer innovativeness.

The AMR had already received the seal of approval as Best in Intralogistics in the spring of this year, after successfully completing the IFOY audit. Now, less than eight months after the BMW Group spin-off idealworks was founded, the CE-certified autonomous mobile robot has convinced the jury again, receiving the IFOY AWARD on 5 July at the German Football Museum in Dortmund. 

The iw.hub works with an innovative control concept that offers extreme flexibility, said the panel of jurors from various nations after putting it through a complex, multi-stage test routine. “The performance of this machine is impressive, especially when it comes to speed and picking up badly positioned loads,” they explained. Anita Würmser, Chairwoman of the IFOY AWARDS jury, described the robot as “a particularly flexible solution that takes just a few days to install and is very reasonably priced. The ‘factory-in-a-day’ is now within reach.”

“The iw.hub by idealworks is a unique logistics innovation that has met with a considerable response and demand, both within the BMW Group and with customers worldwide. The fact that idealworks, a spin-off of ours, has been able to scoop such a prestigious award only months after it was established is a testament to our extreme innovativeness and process expertise,” said Milan Nedeljkovic, Member of the  BMW AG Board of Management, Production. 

The IFOY AWARDS run under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Established in 2013, they are among the most prestigious accolades for intralogistics products. “We are delighted to receive this IFOY AWARD for bes AGV,” said Michael Schneider, CEO of idealworks, explaining the importance of the award for the 100% BMW Group subsidiary. “At idealworks, extreme innovativeness, performance and flexibility are a part of our DNA. For us to share a stage with the best of the best is a huge honour and confirms we have chosen the right pathway: we have developed an autonomous mobile robot that offers a decisive value-add and will bring lasting change to the logistics industry.” The logistics robot was developed within the BMW Group and is used there extensively. But since the autumn of last year, it is also being utilized by other renowned companies in various industry sectors.

About idealworks: 

idealworks was established in November 2020 as a 100% subsidiary of the BMW Group. The Munich-based spinoff specialises in the development of autonomous transport robots and their control systems. Focusing on developing the most intelligent, flexible and most collaborative logistics services, idealworks aims to promote innovation and the use of autonomous logistics. In combination, the CE-certified iw.hub autonomous mobile robot, the iw.brain control unit and the cloud-based AnyFleet control platform provide unique performance and tried-and-tested hardware for the autonomisation of intralogistics workflows in industry settings.