BITO’s Big IMHX 2025 Showcase Signals Retail’s Growing Fulfillment Strain

BITO Storage Systems is promising to “turn storage ideas into reality” at IMHX 2025, but the retail world may be looking for more than just polished product demos. With order volumes rising, warehouse labor tightening, and intralogistics complexity growing, storage innovation has shifted from nice-to-have to existential for many retailers.

At the upcoming IMHX expo (September 9–11 in Birmingham), BITO will present an array of products: pallet and carton live systems, shelving, driverless transport (LEO), and even mezzanines and signage—positioning itself as a full-system provider. Its pitch focuses on reliability and sustainability, backed by German manufacturing credentials.

But as The Supply Chainer has noted in recent coverage, flashy tech alone isn’t solving core retail fulfillment challenges. “We’ve seen an explosion in warehouse solutions,” says Hannah Kohr, editor of The Supply Chainer and Retail Meets AI Magazine, “but many retailers still struggle to justify ROI without tying automation directly to better availability, faster delivery, or lower total cost.”

BITO Small parts picking from pallet racks

BITO’s updated LEO system, for instance, enters a crowded market for autonomous material handling, competing with more flexible AMRs and integrated WMS platforms.

That said, companies attending IMHX may welcome the chance to pressure-test vendors. With retailers moving toward dynamic replenishment models and hybrid inventory strategies, there’s room for hardware players—if they can plug into smarter ecosystems and deliver on the promise of real productivity gains.

Bottom line: For retail pros attending IMHX, BITO’s showcase may offer useful ideas—but the real measure will be how these systems scale under pressure, not just how they stack on the show floor.

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