Colruyt Group and KION partner to scale supply chain robotics

The partnership builds on a pilot program launched in 2023, which saw the first self-developed autonomous pallet trucks deployed within Colruyt distribution centers. Under the original arrangement, Colruyt provided the software intelligence while the KION brand, STILL, handled hardware integration. By shifting the majority of these operations to KION, the companies intend to accelerate the commercial rollout of these technologies.

KION has inaugurated the KION Automation Centre in Belgium to house these efforts, receiving support from the Flemish agency VLAIO. Colruyt Group retains a minority stake in the new entity, ensuring their Smart Innovation team continues to influence the development of artificial intelligence and computer vision systems for future logistics applications. According to Koen De Vos, Director of Supply Chain at Colruyt Lowest Prices, the automation of horizontal transport allows human staff to focus on more complex, specialized tasks within the warehouse environment.