Lödige Benelux is currently equipping dnata's new cargo terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with fully automated storage technology. This closes a circle that began 50 years ago with the first project for KLM at Schiphol. For five decades now, the Lödige Industries subsidiary based in 's-Hertogenbosch has specialised in the development of machines for the efficient movement of heavy loads. And not only in the air freight sector. The company also allows cars to move like magic in its automatic parking systems, most recently underground in Amsterdam's canal district, in order to save space for up to 270 vehicles and relieve city centres of stationary traffic. The company furthermore concentrates on goods lifts, of which around 2,500 have been installed over the past 50 years, which equates to around one lift per week for half a century.

"We are engineers with a passion for moving heavy loads. There is a wide range of applications for our solutions, from logistic systems for airports, distribution centres and production facilities to automatic parking systems of all sizes and a variety of lifting solutions for goods and people. We are currently installing 80 projects a year and maintaining over 3.000 units in the Netherlands and Belgium,” says Arthur van Brink, Managing Director at Lödige Industries Benelux for ten years, and adds: “On the occasion of our anniversary, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all our customers, partners and more than 80 colleagues in the Netherlands and Belgium. Thanks to you and with you, we have been able to successfully realise so many projects, large and small, no matter how big the challenge.”

Seven automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used for the automated transport of cargo containers in the new air cargo terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

This also includes two lorry lifts for Forum Rotterdam. Located in the city centre, a smart solution was needed for handling frequent deliveries. With two scissor lifts, lorries weighing up to 50 tonnes can be easily lifted to the unloading level of the building. “We also offer solutions for lifting loads of 100 tonnes or significantly more. For Tata Steel's steel production in IJmuiden, we developed a lift for a zinc pot that can handle up to 350 tonnes, for example,” says van Brink. But there is also huge demand for lifts with load capacities of around 1.5 tonnes, for example in hotels, hospitals, in manufacturing or in the growing segment of self-storage centres.

When transporting materials in the air freight sector, speed, flexibility and efficiency are also needed to move inbound and outbound goods on containers and pallets efficiently and safely through the terminal. As the global market leader for airport logistics solutions, Lödige has already equipped ten cargo buildings at Amsterdam Airport. A newly built air freight terminal is currently being equipped for dnata, where, in addition to other technology, seven of the company’s automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are being used to automatically transport cargo containers.

Having already installed 34 systems in the Netherlands, the automated parking technology tells another success story for the company. The country's largest, for example, allows 270 vehicles to be parked underground in the city centre of Amsterdam since 2023, creating more space for pedestrians, cyclists and green areas. Europe's largest system in Aarhus, Denmark, for around 1,000 vehicles was also developed by Lödige engineers.

“50 years of experience is a strong foundation on which we want to build on in future. Whether planning with BIM, developing advanced automation technology and software or shifting car parking to space-saving underground systems - we are already setting tomorrow's standards today and working on solutions for the day after tomorrow,” says van Brink, looking ahead.