Prominent reinforcement for Logistikbude GmbH: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael ten Hompel, former managing director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), is joining immediately as a shareholder in the Dortmund-based technology start-up. In doing so, he expands his previous engagement and will support the “Bude” in the future not only technically but also financially. The private investment underscores ten Hompel's enthusiasm for the leading technology and the start-up's vision, according to a press release from the company.
“Michael ten Hompel stands like hardly anyone else for innovation and progress in logistics. That he believes in our vision and supports it not only with advice but also with his own capital means a great deal to us. It shows that we are on the right track,” says Dr. Philipp Hüning, Co-Founder and CEO of Logistikbude GmbH.
The software developed by the Dortmund-based start-up automates,
according to the company, the management of load carriers of all kinds, for example pallets, containers or racking, through the intelligent use of existing data. This creates real-time transparency along the entire supply chain without manual effort, while processes such as account reconciliation, stock reconciliation, and inventory are automatically triggered. In addition, any documents, in particular pallet slips, are automatically posted using AI.
Complete automation as the goal
The startup's grand vision is to fully automate load-carrier management. Even during his time at the Fraunhofer Institute, ten Hompel constantly encouraged his employees to become entrepreneurial and to found their own start-ups — including the Logistikbude team. For about a year and a half, ten Hompel has been supporting the young company as a volunteer board member and brings his scientific and strategic expertise there.
With the entry as an investor, he deepens this engagement out of deep conviction
for the concept. Ten Hompel explains:
“With the Logistikbude's software solution we have the unique chance to establish a digital standard in a central process of logistics. Such opportunities to set standards are extremely rare — that is why I want to be an active part of this development.”
For the former institute director, who throughout his career has worked with forward-looking technologies such as the Internet of Things, load-carrier management is a cross-cutting challenge that has always moved the transport and logistics industry, trade as well as manufacturing companies. The Logistikbude's vision therefore hits exactly the nerve of the industry:
“Logistikbude thinks in a completely new dimension,” he explains. “We are not talking about a few percent efficiency gains, but about a solution that fully automates load-carrier management for the first time. From the beginning it was clear to me that in this idea lies the potential
to fundamentally change processes in logistics.”
Ten Hompel is among the best-known figures in Germany's logistics industry and is regarded as one of the inventors of shuttle technology in intralogistics. He is a member of the board of the Lamarr Institute (AI) and a Senior Professor at TU Dortmund. Until spring 2024 he was the holder of the Chair of Materials Handling and Warehouse Management and the managing director of Fraunhofer IML. Before his scientific career he was an entrepreneur.
Founder and award recipient
Among other things, in 1988 he founded GamBit GmbH (today Vanderlande Industries) and led the company, which primarily focuses on the development and realization of Warehouse Management Systems and industrial controls, until 2000 as managing partner. Ten Hompel has been awarded many times for his commitment: In 2023 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany.
