Last week, thousands of industry stakeholders swarmed Atlanta for the nation’s largest manufacturing and supply chain event of 2026.
MODEX – the Material Handling Institute of America’s event that alternates yearly with ProMat – focuses on supply chain management, though technology seems to continue to take center state. This year, across 1,000+ exhibits, 200 educational sessions and four keynote presentations, the convention hall was abuzz with automation, robotics, AI and the like – all intentionally designed for businesses struggling to improve efficiency.
IEN’s editorial team hit the show floor this year to lay eyes on some of the top technologies in the field. Here’s a selection of some (not all!) of the best we saw.
MyBull is well known in the material handling industry for its ruggedly capable equipment, built to stand up to indoor-outdoor applications. The company, poised to open its Farmington Hill, Mich. US headquarters in the coming months, showed MODEX attendees several highly automated devices. One was the TMN-T5OUS five-ton AMR-capable tugger. Alongside it was the TMN-FP20 autonomous forklift AMR.
The AMR-capable tugger offers intelligent controls and seamless integration into existing workflows. Vinh Tran, managing director of My Bull Robotics, Americas, told us that the common theme among customers is that they are "overwhelmed" and that smart logistics help improve efficiency by solving problems with flexible and reliable solutions.
Comau is focused on meeting the rising demand for scalable, end-to-end logistics automation.
The company presented the MyMR Autonomous Mobile Robot portfolio, in collaboration with Milvus Robotics. MyMR AMRs are designed to provide "infrastructure-free material transport with fleet management, flexible navigation and fast deployment." The company is also prioritizing its MATE-XT GO wearable robotic exoskeletons, designed to reduced body strain on operators during repetitive or physically demanding tasks.
For FIVES, the Louisville, Ky-based provider of machines, process equipment and production lines for many industries, MODEX was about emphasizing its range of flexible, modular and future-proof solutions.
Brad Perry, FIVES Director of Warehouse and Distribution Sales, explained that customer expectations are moving towards a consultative approach and FIVES is pursuing conversations around full solutions, asking questions like "If you had the opportunity to start over, would you do it the same way?" The company intends to build solutions around solving customer challenges, with a focus on reducing maintenance & labor requirements, and adding value.
Lantech displayed its QL400XT Semi-Automatic Turntable Stretch Wrapper and C1000 Case Erector, showing off “what a smarter end-of-line looks like."
The Kentucky-based company also displayed the SL Automatic High Stretch Wrapper, engineered to protect throughput, reduce film consumption, and deliver consistent, safe-to-ship loads at speeds up to 110 loads per hour.
Built for demanding logistics operations, the SL excels with light, unstable, or variable loads — the kinds of challenges commonly found in modern fulfillment and distribution centers. Its patented LeanWrap technologies ensure every load is wrapped with precision and consistency.
Three product highlights from Teradyne Robotics graced the show floor at MODEX this year. The MiR MC600 a mobile cobot that combines the reliable "legs" of Mobile Industrial Robots’ MiR600 with the heavy-payload "arms" of Universal Robots’ UR20/UR30 cobots.
Additionally, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) leverages AI pallet detection, powered by NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin. It uses 3D vision to identify pallets and do pick up and pallet delivery with unprecedented precision.
beRobox also brought its PALTZ palletizing solution integrated with MiR autonomous mobile robots (AMR). According to the company, this "combined ecosystem" demonstrates a connected, end-of-line approach, where palletizing and internal logistics work together seamlessly.
Datalogic launched its next-generation mobile computers for warehouse operators: the high-performance, ultra-rugged Falcon X60/X65 and Skorpio X40/X45.
Falcon X60/X65 is designed for scan-intensive warehouse environments, combining long-range data capture performance, advanced wireless capabilities, and exceptional durability. Benefits include improvements in accuracy and uninterrupted productivity.
The Skorpio X40/X45 adds a layer of agility to warehouse operations, offering ergonomic, high-frequency scanning. According to Datalogic, the device "enables workers to perform picking, verification, and replenishment tasks with greater speed and comfort. Designed for all-day use, Skorpio reduces operator fatigue while ensuring consistent performance across every shift."
Sonair promoted its ADAR (Acoustic Detection and Ranging) sensor to illustrate its advantages when compared to LiDAR technology. According to company leaders, because ADAR relies on MEMS-based transducer arrays to detect objects in real time, it's reliable in conditions where LiDAR fails. For example, lighting, reflections and dust can all pose challenges for the reliability of camera- or laser-based technologies.
Sonair's technology recently won the LogiMAT Best Product Award. The company is celebrating its first commercial deployment in serial production, in Cleanfix's new autonomous cleaning robots.
stow Group, a Belgian industrial storage and automation solution company, was celebrating the opening of a new production facility in Adairsville, Ga. – its first in the United States. Not only does stow look to meet the increasing demand for cutting-edge warehouse solutions in the rapidly evolving North American material handling market, but it also plans to showcase cutting edge, automated production tools.
The increasing need for high-density and automated storage solutions means stow needed a U.S.-based operation to service customers in the fast-growing North American market.
Nucor Warehouse Systems came about after steel industry leader Nucor purchased pallet rack manufacturer Hannibal Industries in 2021. A year later, the company purchased Elite Storage Solutions, an acquisition that further solidified the new company in steel racking market.
Nucor's MODEX display focused heavily on sustainability -- specifically, it's ability to create a closed loop system where it can process steel, produce steel pallet racks and, also, recycle them. The company also promoted a patented TubeRack design and comprehensive product portfolio including selective, cantilever, pushback, drive-in, roll formed, structural, hybrid and more.
The SEER Robotics MODEX theme for 2026 was “All Robots. One Platform. Fully Under Your Control.” Of note, the SSR-1400US Autonomous Reach Forklift displayed its ability to work in high-bay storage and narrow-aisle environments. According to SEER, the model was produced to address a common challenge in North American warehouses: limited aisle width and high storage racks. Additionally, the SLR-600UL High-Precision Lifting Robot and D1 PRO Quadruped Robot demonstrated the company’s technological depth.
SEW Eurodrive featured mobile automation solutions, as well as its intelligent power and energy management. Of note was the company's Digital Data Interface technology, equipped with a fully digital single-cable technology for synchronous, asynchronous, and linear motors and decentralized drive technology. This allows for a compact installation in tight spaces and the elimination of connection fault risks.
Quicktron Robotics, a global leader in autonomous mobile robotics (AMR) and smart intralogistics solutions, displayed its QuickMix ecosystem. This solution enables multiple robotic technologies to work together within a single coordinated platform, rather than deploying standalone automation modules.
The QuickMix intelligent framework enables warehouses to "dynamically balance storage density, throughput, and operational flexibility across diverse workflows." Featured predominantly is the QuickCube, an ultra-dense pallet storage solution, and QuickBin Ultra, a tote handling solution for high-frequency picking.
Kardex highlighted a unified warehouse work experience, demonstrating a cohesive goods-to-person fulfillment experience that connects AutoStore systems, Vertical Lift Module Kardex Shuttles (VLMs), and software-driven workflows. The Intuitive Picking Assistant (IPA) interface places pick information in the operator's field of view, increasing efficiency and confidence through clear visual cues. Kardex says the results are faster onboarding of new employees, and fewer errors.
Georgia-based Yard Management Solutions (YMS) works to define the hidden costs that impact the performance and profitability of your yard. The company's MODEX booth housed demos of two recently unveiled solutions: YardIQ and YMS Autopilot.
YardIQ helps businesses manage the onslaught of data, analyzing trends -- even reporting anomalies -- to provide leaders with actionable insights that can even be prioritized by severity.
Autopilot is designed to be the eyes and ears of the yard, constantly scanning for issues like idle trucks or underused assets with the goal of eliminating inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
Robust.AI, a leader in AI-driven industrial automation, showcased its Carter: a multi-functional cobot designed to augment existing workforces.
This smart cart offers users automation capabilities that boost the productivity of workers in three applications -- fulfillment picking, point-to-point transport, and mobile sorting -- with just one device.
Carter delivers significant productivity gains, and is currently being used in Saddle Creek and DHL logistics facilities.
Voxel's site intelligence platform delivers real-time insights to proactively reduce risk in safety and operations, all by leveraging existing camera infrastructure. The San Francisco-based company spent its time at MODEX showing off capabilities around safety.
Cameras equipped with AI technologies demonstrated how the tech could identify risks like a collision "near miss" or even an ergonomic issue in the making. The idea was to use highly visual displays to show MODEX attendees how they, too, could leverage AI to identify risk as well as adding visual context to the operating environment to better understand operational issues like bottlenecks or downtime.
MODEX 2028 will be held April 3-6 in Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center. Can’t wait? Consider attending MHIA’s ProMat, April 19-21, 2027 in Chicago.
