IFOY AWARD 2015
The Winners are ...

Counter Balanced Truck up to 3.5 t: Jungheinrich EFG S30s

The IFOY Award 2015 in the category "Counter Balanced Truck up to 3.5 t" goes to the EFG S30s from Jungheinrich AG in Hamburg. The jury selected the three-ton electric forklift as the best forklift truck of the year.

The key factor in the decision of the jury was the completely overhauled workplace featuring numerous innovations under the working title 'Operator in Mind'. Jungheinrich was thinking ahead when it developed the new EFG S30s, said the jury, adding that it is an extremely driver-friendly machine with predictable handling that makes for a very comfortable ride. The jury called the EFG S30s a perfect all-rounder for the mass market, with an ergonomically and intelligently designed workplace that meets the needs of the new generation of drivers. The easy and automatic battery change function and the "Pure Energy" technology concept permitting two-shift duty without the need to change the battery are further innovative features that have not been implemented in such a systematic way before.

IFOY Award – Counter Balanced Truck of the Year 2015

Jungheinrich introduced the overhauled EFG S series last year. Like the combustion-engined trucks in the S range, the electric forklifts are also equipped with increased load centre distance (600 mm instead of 500 mm) and come with a reinforced chassis and axles that can withstand the higher loads. The EFG S30s is therefore also eminently suitable for heavy-duty operations in narrow spaces.

The spacious cab is easily accessible, also thanks to the extremely slim steering column, which is adjustable in height and angle. Jungheinrich has developed the new Duo-Pilot operating concept for the hydraulic functions, and the controls are integrated in the also new armrest. The operating levers are ergonomically designed, and both the left-hand (lifting, lowering, tilting) and right-hand levers are multi-functional. There is an additional storage compartment underneath the armrest, further increasing the range of storage options for the driver. The key information such as driving mode, battery status and wheel position is shown on a modern, well-lit display. Visibility from the cabin of the test truck was outstanding, and one of the key advantages of the new compact mast is the 85 percent improvement in through-visibility compared to the predecessor generation.

The EFG S30s in the test was equipped with an electrically operated side-on battery change system that greatly facilitates battery change. A button on the rear of the driver compartment activates a small rail on which the battery can then be pulled out. In the IFOY test, the EFG S30s achieved above-average scores for productivity in driving mode 5.

Counter Balanced Truck from 3.5 t: Still RX 60-80

The IFOY Award 2015 in the category "Counter Balanced Truck from 3.51 t" goes to the RX 60-80 from Still GmbH in Hamburg. The jury chose the eight-ton electric forklift as the best heavy-duty truck of the year.

The key factor in the decision of the jury was the highly innovative character of the Still RX 60-80. As a series-produced forklift with electric drive, it constitutes a clear innovation in this performance class with significant value added for the customer. The RX 60-80 shows that the trend towards electric forklifts has now finally arrived in the high-performance segment.

In addition to offering numerous ergonomic innovations, the eight-tonner impressed the jury above all with its power and agility. The maintenance-free and encapsulated drive unit complete with multi-disk brakes makes the 80-volt truck the ideal machine for combined indoor and outdoor use.

IFOY Award – Counter Balanced Truck of the Year 2015

The RX 60-80 launched in April 2014 adds a very high-powered but compact and extremely agile electric forklift to the RX 60 series of electric trucks.

Developed for "optimum handling performance", this machine is designed for heavy, large-sized loads coupled with considerably lower energy, maintenance and service costs compared to diesel and LPG forklifts in this class, underlining the fact that electric drive concepts are a viable alternative in the eight-ton segment.

Getting to the driver's seat is quite a climb, but it's an easy one via three large steps. The most conspicuous features of the electric truck are its high seat and short overall length of less than 3,500 mm. The shape is due to the 1,240 Ah/80 V battery; it is the beating heart of the machine, and the driver sits right on top of it at a height of 1,220 mm, ensuring an excellent view of load and surroundings. The turning circle of the machine is just three metres, which means it can be used in working aisles of less than five metres in width. This makes the RX 60-80 one of the most compact forklifts in its class.

The driver in the cockpit has an excellent view of all the necessary information. One new feature is the function on the display that computes - and graphically displays - average consumption as well as a positive or negative trend. The values on the display were almost identical with those recorded during the IFOY test. In terms of visibility and line of sight, the cabin poses very few problems thanks to its extremely large glazed areas and slim columns. The driver's seat is laterally offset to the left, providing a good view of the left-hand side of the load. The new hydraulic joystick "4Plus" makes for convenient operation, and the handling of the RX 60-80 was extremely stable and predictable in the IFOY test.

The forklift uses 14 percent less energy in the Blue-Q energy-saving mode, equivalent to over an hour of additional operating time. One of the main advantages of the RX 60-80 is the side-on battery change, which takes just three to four minutes using a lift truck without the need for an additional suspension crane. This ensures that the RX 60-80 is ready for deployment around in the clock - also in multi-shift operations.

Warehouse Truck: Unicarriers Tergo URS

The IFOY Award 2015 in the category "Warehouse Truck" goes to the Tergo URS from Swedish manufacturer UniCarriers GmbH. The jury selected the combined narrow aisle and reach truck as the best new warehouse truck of the year.

The combined narrow aisle and reach truck impressed the jury with its multifunctionality and its forward-looking ergonomic concept. With theTergo URS, UniCarriers combines the benefits of high warehouse density and reduced handling requirements, and also sets a benchmark in terms of ergonomic design. Operating characteristics are highly responsive and predictable, and meet the current market demand for efficiency and ergonomics in a unique way.

IFOY Award – Warehouse Truck of the Year 2015

The Tergo URS is based on the Tergo family and is a narrow aisle and reach truck in one. It can carry loads of up to 1,500 kg and has a maximum lifting height of 10,350 mm. Development work on the URS focused on ergonomic aspects, high service standards and total cost of ownership.

The main feature which is a one-of-a-kind in the market is the individually adjustable driver cabin. The seat has a wide range of settings and can even be adjusted to suit the weight of the driver.

The floor plate with pedal is height-adjustable (max. 70 mm), and the slim backrest enables the driver to turn with ease when reversing.

The truck has a mini-steering wheel on the left armrest, and all hydraulic functions can be operated with minimum hand movement. The individual driver settings can be called up via PIN codes or RFID cards. This means that beginners can work at reduced speed and adjust their settings as they become more experienced, so that the power of the URS also adapts to the skill levels of the driver. 
The tie-bars are intelligently shaped and positioned to ensure a good view of the load. The roof sections are angled and make for maximum upward visibility. Mirrors are mounted on both sides of the mast for a good view of the blind spot.

The Tergo URS is agile yet stable and reliable; in particular, the fork rotates quickly and smoothly. The turning circle of the URS is the smallest in its class. The fact that the forklift is not only induction-controlled or rail-guided but can also be operated as a free range truck is a major benefit.

The patent-pending Dynamic Cornering Control (DCC) feature dynamically reduces the speed when cornering based on the driving speed and steering wheel angle, and this enhances operating safety.
The URS also has a convincing maintenance concept. As the machine is based on the Tergo family, local service technicians can generally provide the necessary support services. 

Intralogistics Solution: Still GmbH for the Intralogistics of the new raw materials warehouse of Kuraray Trosifol

The IFOY Award 2015 in the category "Intralogistics Solution" goes to Still GmbH in Hamburg. The sophisticated material flow concept of the intralogistics solution for the new raw materials warehouse of Kuraray Trosifol in the town of Troisdorf in North Rhine-Westphalia combines semi-automatic shuttle vehicles and automated FM-X reach trucks in a high-density rack-channel warehouse for the first time.

The key factor in the decision of the jury was the innovative combination of driverless transport systems with a pallet shuttle system as well as the link-up of automatic and manually operated units. The jury said that Still succeeded in installing a fully functioning, failsafe 24/7 solution with state-of-the-art technology for Kuraray in the record time of just nine weeks, adding that this solution sets a new benchmark with an outstanding amortisation time of three years. This is an extremely intelligent intralogistics solution with significant benefits for the customer. With the Kuraray project, Still has set a benchmark for the future in the field of warehouse planning and design.

IFOY Award - Intralogistics Solution of the Year 2015

The starting point for the project was the expansion of production capacity for PVB films, which are used as an intermediate layer in windscreens and safety glass. Due to an acute lack of space, the task was to wind up the warehouse sections that had previously been managed manually and to centralise these areas in an automatic raw materials warehouse. With a floor area of 4,500 square metres, the building is almost the size of a small soccer pitch. "We presented our project to a wide range of well-known providers in the market for driverless transport systems and front-to-end solutions. At the end of the process, there were only three providers left who were confident they could implement a suitable solution. At the end of the day, only Still was able to realise the necessary overall concept as general contractor in the extremely short time frame of just nine weeks", says Manfred Kania, Head of Logistics at Kuraray Europe GmbH. The concept comprises a high-density rack-channel system with 3,300 storage places, seven Still pallet shuttles, three automatic FM-X reach trucks, two RX 60 electric forklift trucks, a working platform measuring around 40 metres in length with seven work stations, all conveying technology components, buffer places, and an automatic stacker for empty pallets as well as a material flow computer and the central warehouse management computer. What's special about this solution is that it is the first time that semi-automatic shuttle vehicles communicate with fully automated reach trucks in order to ensure that raw materials arrive at the right production supply station at the right time.

Every day, around 400 pallets of PVB plastic granulate are delivered by truck in "big bags" and unloaded by RX 60 electric forklift trucks. The warehouse management computer scans the goods and registers the driver, guiding him via the Still touchscreen terminal to the correct channel of the pallet-shuttle channel system, where the big bags are automatically received and forwarded to their storage spaces by pallet shuttles.

At the goods dispatch end, three automated FM-X reach trucks are in operation 24 hours a day. They place the shuttles in the correct channels fully automatically and transport the outbound big bags to the conveying system, from where they are then transported to a total of seven work stations. At these stations, the raw material is sucked out of the bags and transported via pipelines to the five production machines in the neighbouring halls. Empty pallets are collected in the automatic stacker, transported via FM-X to the channels that are specially reserved for empty pallets and stored by a shuttle.

The overall system supplies raw materials to the production process 24 hours a day. Twelve pallets are continuously removed from their storage location every hour. As this means that the warehouse trucks are in operation around the clock, the battery voltage of all vehicles is permanently monitored. Once the voltage falls below a certain threshold, the reach trucks or shuttles drive automatically to the battery change station.

The nerve centre of the system is the warehouse management computer. It communicates with the vehicle control computer, the Still pallet shuttles, the material flow computer and the quality management system. It is also responsible for all movements of goods and vehicles, and reports all incoming goods and dispatches to the central SAP system in real time. The processes in the warehouse are stored in automated format in the IT system. This ensures transparency and traceability of all processes and a system availability of at least 98 percent.