Innovation in materials handling recognised at Motan Awards

The winner of the Motan Innovation Award (MIA) has been unveiled at K 2016 in a ceremony celebrating the competition to find the best innovations in materials handling. 

The winner of an industry award to find the best innovations in materials handling has been announced at K 2016.

Ludwig Reissner won first prize at the inaugural Motan Innovation Awards (MIA), organised by Motan Holding gmbh, for the ‘Matrixkoppler’, an automated material station for small conveying systems that makes materials changes more efficient and safe.

Conventional material stations require manual switching of the hoses leading to the material loaders during material changes. The Matrixkoppler automated the material allocation with a newly designed multiple switch. This way, contamination from neighbouring lines can be prevented. This is practical, cheap, and completely new.

Reissner was awarded prize money of €10,000 Euro. Second and joint prize winners, listed below, were also given monetary prizes.

Second place: Team Fabian Kienzler

Together with Arnulf Hörtnagl, Marc Hiefer, and Oscar Lattner, Fabian Kienzler developed an alternative method for drying of granules.

At the core of the innovation is the use of an inductive heating element – for energy transfer via radiation. Here, pre-warmed air flows through the granules to extract moisture. This new automated drying is efficient and can be controlled precisely. The idea was born while searching for a dew point sensor.

motan awarded this development with prize money of €5,000 euro.

Third place: Peter Haupt

Energy that is used for drying and dosing in usual material flow constellations is used more than once by the dry dosing unit developed by Peter Haupt. The idea is focussed on dramatically reducing energy consumption – and therefore costs. Operation can then also be designed more ergonomically.

motan is honouring this development with prize money of €2,500 Euro.

Third place: Karl Wolfgang

Better utilisation of material and increased cleanliness are the benefits of using the Octa-Flow-Bag by Karl Wolfgang. If octabins are emptied with an automated conveying system in production, then material normally remains in the corners and must be sucked out manually. This new development transports remaining material automatically into the middle of the octabin, where it can be removed easily.

motan also awarded this development with prize money of €2.500 Euro.

The judging process

A top-class jury evaluated the nominated solutions over a period of 8 months, judging them on their level of innovation, relevance for practical application in the plastics industry, and technical feasibility and market potential within materials handling.

The prizes were awarded by Sandra Füllsack, CEO of motan holding gmbh, as well as the four jury members.

The submissions for the next mia 2018 awards will start in January 2017 and the prize giving ceremony will take place in two years’ time at the Fakuma exhibition in October 2018 in Friedrichshafen.