Dematic this week announced that its Multishuttle 2 has become a Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system, or ASRS.
The Bronze certification from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute shows how data-driven sustainability is progressing in the material handling industry, said Dematic. Launched in 2006, the Multishuttle 2 is a high-speed ASRS that stores, buffers, consolidates, and sequences inventory while increasing storage density.
“We are so proud of this achievement — the Dematic Multishuttle 2 has been an essential part of our customer operations over the past two decades,” says Chris Steiner, senior vice president of product management at Dematic. “This distinction underscores our commitment to sustainable innovation across our entire supply chain and brings with it a responsibility to seek further improvement in our production systems.”
Dematic has research and development engineers, manufacturing facilities, and service centers in more than 26 countries. The Atlanta-based unit of KION Group said its global network of about 10,000 employees has integrated and supported automation for many leading brands.
Multishuttle submitted to extensive C2C assessment
The C2C Certification process validates that a product is safe, circular, and responsibly made, meeting rigorous standards for material health, recyclability, renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social fairness. The assessment required all suppliers of components for the Dematic Multishuttle 2 technology to submit their processes for the same transparent evaluation.
“From an evaluation standpoint, the Dematic Multishuttle 2 project has been technically demanding and highly interesting,” stated Dr. Annette Winterl, the project lead for EPEA, an assessor of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute certification program. EPEA is a part of Drees and Sommer, a global consultancy that focuses on sustainable and ecological solutions.
“With hundreds of components and a broad supplier network, it is among the most complex products we have ever evaluated,” Winterl added. “The Dematic Multishuttle 2 has shown that leading companies can drive innovation while embracing responsible material choices and transparent supply chains.”
The certification level “Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze” is specific to the Multishuttle 2 produced at the Dematic production facility in Stříbro, Czech Republic, and is valid until June 2028.
“The Dematic Multishuttle 2 demonstrates a very high material reuse rate — but we have identified areas of opportunity to go further,” noted Susanne Felker, the project’s research engineer at Dematic. “Achieving this C2C Certification marks the beginning of a continuous improvement of the technology, and one which we aim to build upon.”