The international IFOY competition for innovative material handling products has named the winners of its 2026 awards, the group said Friday.
This year’s 14th annual version of the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award attracted a total of 49 products and solutions as entrants. From that pool, 17 products and solutions qualified for the finals and underwent the multi-stage IFOY Audit in April.
Jungheinrich claimed victory in the premier IFOY category, Integrated Customer Solutions, in a photo-finish decision. The Hamburg-based intralogistics specialist impressed the jury with an AI-powered warehouse management solution developed for Liebherr’s new central spare parts distribution center in Ehingen, Germany.
“Artificial intelligence is the defining technology of our time, and it was the dominant theme of this year’s IFOY AWARD competition. During the audit process, the finalists demonstrated impressively what can already be achieved in real-world operations using AI. The final decision was a nail-biter, full of surprises, in an exceptionally strong field of competitors,” said Anita Würmser, executive chairperson of the IFOY Jury.
The award ceremony, attended by around 150 guests from industry, academia, politics, and the media, was hosted by IFOY event partner AEB at its corporate headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.
In other results, a first in the competition’s history occurred in the Robot Warehouse System category, where a tie in the jury voting resulted in a shared victory for Libiao Robotics and Nomagic. Additional awards were presented to Idealworks, The Mobile Robot Company, and Wiltsche Fördersysteme. And Germany-based Pyck was named IFOY Start-up of the Year 2026.
