IFOY Innovation Check
Made by Fraunhofer IML, Fraunhofer IPA, TU München and TU Dresden

One of the key assessment criteria for the IFOY AWARD is the innovative character of the nominated vehicle. To this end, the technology used in the various trucks is compared with the market standards.

Within the framework of the IFOY Innovation Check, the scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart, the Chair of Logistics Engineering at Technische Universität Dresden and the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow and Logistics (fml) at the TU Munich, assess all the nominated trucks.

The Fraunhofer IML is one of the top names in logistics research, and the expertise of the institute is always in great demand for the application-oriented development of new technologies for intralogistics.The Chair of Logistics Engineering at Technische Universität Dresden is highly specialsed in the design and optimization of facility logistics and production systems including a focus on the machinery and components involved. The TU Munich is one of the top addresses in mechanical engineering and practice-oriented research in material flow and logistics, especially for medium-sized companies. The Fraunhofer IPA - one of the largest institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft - conducts research in the fields of product organisation, surface technology, automation and process technology.

The IFOY Innovation Check focuses on assessment of the innovative character of the equipment in question. Alongside the result of the IFOY Test, the hard data provided by the Innovation Check forms a important support for the decision by the jury.

In order to set themselves apart from the competition, it is essential for manufacturers of materials handling equipment to regularly develop innovative solutions that make their products unique in a segment characterised by the increasing convergence of functional properties. These innovations are the continuous outcome of new technical developments based on known principles or technologies. They may, however, also be based on inventions that un-derpin the USP of a particular solution. The key criterion is the relevance of the innovation, which can be measured in terms of the realisation of marketable products and the potential for successful market introduction in competition with conventional solutions. Only then is a new development or idea a true innovation.

IFOY Innovation Check procedure

For the IFOY Innovation Check, the written documentation submitted by entrants for the IFOY Award is analysed, and the outlined functions and features compared to the state of the art in this field. The innovations highlighted by the manufacturers of the trucks in their documentation and presentations are then examined on-site based on visual inspections and in some cases functional checks in order to verify the claimed functionality. The assessment process pinpoints and evaluates innovative further developments and successful new equipment combinations as well as true innovations.

IFOY Innovation Check

Dipl.-Ing. Guido Follert, Head of Department Machines and Engineering Systems
Fraunhofer IML
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Straße 2-4, 44227 Dortmund
Phone +49 231 9743-253
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.iml.fraunhofer.de

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johannes Fottner, Holder of the fml - Chair of Materials Handling Material Flow Logistics
Technical University Munich
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Boltzmannstraße 15
85748 Garching
Phone +49 89 289 15921
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.fml.mw.tum.de

Dr.-Ing. Mathias Kühn, Research assistant at the Chair of Technical Logistics
(Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Th. Schmidt) at the Technical University of Dresden
Technical University of Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
01062 Dresden
Phone +49 351 463 32112
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://tu-dresden.de/mw/tla

Dipl.-Ing. Richard Bormann, M. Sc., Head of the Handling and Intralogistics Group
Fraunhofer IPA
70569 Stuttgart
Phone +49 711 970 1062
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://www.ipa.fraunhofer.de