WW/WAREHOUSIN
Jungheinrich and Automha launch two-way pallet shuttle for gradual automation
Jungheinrich and Automha's UP-Carrier GTJ two-way pallet shuttle, already live in 200+ projects across 25+ countries, offers brownfield warehouses a staged path to automation without structural rebuilds.
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- Marcus Bennett
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Key points05
- Jungheinrich and Automha launched the UP-Carrier GTJ two-way pallet shuttle for high-density pallet storage
- The solution is already deployed in more than 200 projects across over 25 countries
- The shuttle integrates into existing warehouses without major structural changes; industrial trucks handle transport initially
- Jungheinrich Chief Automation Officer Tobias Harzer: "Not every company begins its automation journey with a fully automated warehouse"
- The partnership complements Jungheinrich's existing work with Movu Robotics on four-way shuttles for fully automated warehouses
Jungheinrich and Automha have built a two-way pallet shuttle for high-density pallet storage, and the product already runs in more than 200 projects across over 25 countries, the partners said. The deal pairs Germany-based Jungheinrich's system integration, software, and lifecycle services with the shuttle expertise of Italy-based Automha, under the product name "UP-Carrier GTJ."
The commercial pitch targets a specific, and large, segment of the warehouse market: operators who cannot or will not rebuild. According to the partners, many companies need to raise material flow performance without fundamentally modifying existing buildings or infrastructure, while simultaneously facing rising demands on space utilization, productivity, and process reliability. Shuttle systems, they argue, answer that combination of pressures.
What does the UP-Carrier GTJ actually change?
The solution is positioned as an entry point into warehouse automation rather than a fully automated system on day one. It integrates into existing warehouse environments and increases storage density without major structural changes. At the outset, industrial trucks continue to handle pallet transport — meaning forklifts and the shuttle coexist on the same floor.
The migration path is the point. As operational requirements evolve and automation levels increase, transport processes can be automated subsequently. In practice, that lets a shipper or 3PL time capital expenditure against volume growth rather than committing to a full retrofit up front.
Jungheinrich frames the partnership as proof of its technology-agnostic integration approach: it combines its own technologies with selected partner solutions to build end-to-end automation systems depending on customer requirements. The company already works with Movu Robotics, whose four-way shuttles are deployed primarily in fully automated high-performance pallet warehouses. The new Automha solution addresses the opposite end of the spectrum — existing warehouse environments and customers seeking a gradual entry into automation.
That is a deliberate segmentation of the shuttle market. High-throughput greenfield sites get four-way shuttles; brownfield sites with legacy buildings get a two-way shuttle that bolts in. What the announcement does not say is how the pricing of the two tracks compares, or what conversion costs apply when a customer later moves from truck-supported transport to automated transport.
"Not every company begins its automation journey with a fully automated warehouse," Tobias Harzer, Chief Automation Officer at Jungheinrich, said in a release. "What matters is a development path that leverages existing infrastructure while opening the door to further automation. With this solution, customers can start where they are today, gradually develop their material flows and align investments with the growth of their business."
Why gradual automation is the selling point
Harzer's language — start where you are, align investments with growth — is a direct response to the biggest barrier in warehouse automation adoption: the fear of stranded capital in a full retrofit that operational volumes may never justify. The 200-plus deployments across more than 25 countries give the partners a reference base to argue the model works at scale, though the figure covers the product family's track record rather than new orders under the formal strategic partnership itself.
For shippers and 3PLs, the immediate consequence is a lower threshold to densify storage: more pallets per square meter without construction, and a staged route to automated transport. For rival systems integrators, the deal signals Jungheinrich intends to compete across the full automation spectrum through partnerships rather than in-house hardware alone — Movu for full automation, Automha for the entry tier.
Whether the two-way shuttle becomes the default first step for brownfield automation, or a niche bridge product customers quickly outgrow, will show in the pace of new deployments the partners report over the coming cycles.
Original: jungheinrich.com
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Senior reporter covering regulation, policy and their impact on Ocean and air freight, container shipping at Waybill Wire.
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