IFOY AWARD 2021
The Winners are …..

 

 

Thunderous applause in Dortmund on July 5, 2021: The winners of the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year Award, or IFOY AWARD for short, were announced at a festive award night in German Football Museum. 

Representatives of the intralogistics providers arculus, Cargotec, idealworks, Interroll Group, STILL and VOLUME Lagersysteme each received a trophy in front of more than 60 international guests from business, politics, science and the media.

The international jurors had nominated 17 solutions and devices in six categories for the ninth round of the worldwide intralogistics competition and voted on the winners after a three-part audit.

The results in detail:

The forklift specialist Cargotec won its first IFOY AWARD in the "Special Vehicle" category with the second generation of its MOFFETT E4-25.3NX, the world's first fully electric truck-mounted forklift. According to the jury, the emission-free and low-noise truck is unique in its class. 

The winner in the category "Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)" is the BMW subsidiary idealworks with the iw.hub. The autonomous mobile robot (AMR), which set an example at the IFOY TEST DAYS with its flexibility and other features, also scored points with its competitive price. 

In the "Special of the Year" category, the IFOY AWARD got to the Smart Pallet Mover (SPM) from the Swiss Interroll Group. The new, mobile robot solution for the automation of pallet transport in the areas of production machines and order picking convinced, among other things, with its high degree of innovation. 

An IFOY AWARD was also won by arculus. In the category "Intralogistics Software", the manufacturer-independent fleet management system arculus Fleet convinced the jury. The system enables the operation of AGVs from different manufacturers in one area via a VDA5050 interface.

This year, the coveted award in the 'Integrated Warehouse Solutions' category went to STILL. With its Danfoss project, the Hamburg-based intralogistics company made it to the top. STILL implemented a perfectly coordinated solution for the new production warehouse of Danfoss Power Electronics for its Danish customer.

In the category "Start-up of the Year", Volume WAVE by VOLUME Lagersysteme came out on top. The world's first fully automated pallet shuttle warehouse with individual access to each storage location impressed with its fundamentally new design principle as well as its professional implementation. 

Special Vehice: MOFFETT E4-25.3NX Cargotec

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the category "Special Vehicle" goes to Cargotec for the second generation of its world's first fully electric truck-mounted forklift MOFFETT E4-25.3NX. The international jury selected the vehicle as the best new release in this market segment. 

Special Vehicle of the Year 2021

The e-Series from MOFFETT offers the world's first truck-mounted forklift with fully electric three-wheel drive. In the compact dimensions of the E4 model, the producer has put among other things batteries, motors, controls and electrified the complete truck. 

In the opinion of the jury, with the MOFFETT E4-25.3NX Cargotec is offering an excellent alternative to diesel-powered truck-mounted forklifts from an ecological as well as an economic point of view. The vehicle presents itself in a modern design and offers the driver a spacious workplace. The safety equipment is also of a high standard. The testers say that the ability to operate in both semi-open and enclosed environments greatly expands the possibilities of this truck.

Truck-mounted forklifts are in high use around the world and are found in numerous industries, including construction, wood processing, gas, beverage production and agriculture. In the coming years, the manufacturer expects an increasing demand for low-emission and low-noise deliveries, which is a challenge for today's diesel-powered trucks. With the new e-series, it is possible to work with zero emissions and low noise. Even deliveries from the truck directly into a building are no problem - with only one person and contact-free. Especially in times of Covid-19, this aspect is important.

Although the E4-NX is a second-generation product, it can still be classified as innovative due to the numerous details and its all-electric design, judges the IFOY Innovation Check. The overall solution - although electric with battery - shows no increase in self-weight compared to the direct comparison with the diesel-powered M4-NX. A change in weight distribution due to the electric motors of the unit towards the front has an advantageous effect on the trailer. When driving, additional hydraulic supports in front of the front wheels serve as an upstream tipping edge and ensure the stability of the truck.

The IFOY testers and the jury see the E4-NX as setting new standards in its field. The all-electric version could be compared with other already electrified in-plant industrial trucks in terms of operating comfort and control sensitivity. The overall concept, with its robust and high-quality design, was also judged to be sophisticated. The significantly lower noise emission of the truck also opens up a much wider time window for deliveries. In terms of economic efficiency, the testers conclude that the lower operating costs lead to a positive cost-benefit balance after a manageable operating time.

Automated Guided Vehicle: iw.hub, idealworks

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the category "Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)" goes to the iw.hub from idealworks, a fully-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group. The international jury voted the autonomous and mobile robot (AMR), which is already successfully in use at BMW and, according to the manufacturer, is up to 50 per cent cheaper than existing solutions on the market with the same functionalities, as the best new product in this category.

Automated Guided Vehicle of the Year 2021

Important factors for the jury's decision include the very high degree of autonomy in the vehicle as well as the convincing use of perception instead of pure sensor use. The iw.hub also got points for its decentralised control concept and its very low overall height. 

The AMR measures 641 by 1440 millimetres (width by length) and has a minimum underride height of 22 centimetres. In mixed traffic with other manually operated and/or autonomous vehicles, it reaches a speed of about 2.2 m/s (almost 8 km/h). This makes the iw.hub one of the faster solutions on the market. The maximum payload is 1000 kilograms.

At least as important for the usage is the flexibility of the AMR, which drives completely autonomously with the help of Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) navigation technology. A starting position and the desired pick-up locations are all that is needed, after which the robot independently creates a map of the surroundings. Sensors continuously scan the environment and optimise the route in real time. Possible obstacles are detected by the AMR and bypassed independently.

Even if a load is not positioned correctly, the robot detects this with the help of a 3D camera at the front. In this case, the iw.hub automatically corrects its position so that the loads are always picked up correctly.

"The iw.hub mobile robot from idealworks is fast, fully autonomous and automatically adjusts its route if necessary," judge the IFOY testers. The solution is particularly flexible, can be installed within a few days and is also attractively priced, bringing a factory-in-one-day within reach, according to the overall test verdict.

In the IFOY Innovation Check, the AGV scored points for its very innovative, highly flexible control concept and for its impressive performance, especially with regard to picking up incorrectly positioned loads and for speed.

Special of the Year: Smart Pallet Mover (SPM), Interroll Group

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the "Special of the Year" category goes to the Smart Pallet Mover (SPM) from the Interroll Group. The international jury voted the new robotic solution developed for production logistics to the top in this field.

Special of the Year 2021

The decisive factor in the jury's verdict is that the SPM significantly increases productivity and safety in production environments by automating in a completely new way. It enables automation where it has rarely been used before: upstream of production logistics, where it reduces waiting and downtime and enables just-in-time deliveries and intelligent buffering.

The SPM is built to transport and buffer pallets or boxes weighing up to one tonne. The unit consists of four main components: a non-driven roller conveyor section, a battery-powered unit on rails, a transfer module and an intuitive online tool for programming the system and connecting it to other machines. The mobile, autonomous conveyor system is flexible and scalable and can be used, for example, as an efficient extension of static roller conveyors.

The desired configuration can be done entirely online, which means that costs and budgeting are clear in advance. The final solution is delivered and implemented in a plug-and-play manner. According to Interroll, an implementation time of only two to three days is possible. The control system is self-optimising and enables optimal planning of preventive maintenance or prioritisation of tasks. Downtime caused by manual tasks is a thing of the past. Interroll says productivity increases of up to 30 percent are possible. Another advantage is that a completely flat floor is not required. As the mover runs on a rail and the feet can be easily adjusted, the system can also be used in existing, less flat environments.

With its digital connectivity and intrinsic safety settings, the SPM works effortlessly in both manual and automated environments. Workers no longer need to go near unsafe areas, reducing the risk of accidents. A significant plus is that no fencing is required. Even if there is a fence, for example for a laser cutting machine, it does not interfere with the SPM.

Among other things, the IFOY Innovation Check highlights the robot moving underneath the roller tracks, which provides the drive for the rollers via a "friction chain", as an innovative solution. Since conventional roller drives are completely eliminated, it is also much easier to install the system.

Intralogistics Software: arculus Fleet, arculus

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the category "Intralogistics Software" goes to arculus, a company based in Ingolstadt. The international jury selected the manufacturer-independent fleet management system "arculus Fleet" as the best new development in intralogistics software.

Intralogistics Software 2021

The most important factor in the jury's decision is not only the brand-independence of the software, but also the fact that the system ensures particularly high efficiency and availability through intelligent on-site traffic management. The system makes it possible to use autonomous vehicles from different companies in the same space, regardless of the navigation technology, kinematic properties and dimensions of the AGVs. The basis is the standardised interface VDA5050.

arculus Fleet is part of the arculus Modular Production System and can be used with arculus Warehouse for goods-to-person logistics or arculus Modular Production for dynamic goods flow. The system can also be implemented as a stand-alone solution. The functionalities are always the same regardless of the mentioned selection.

In addition to designing and optimising layouts, arculus Fleet enables dynamic route planning based on the current traffic situation. For this, all necessary environment objects must first be configured. These include driving instructions and speed limits, but also acceleration and braking capacity, energy consumption, dimensions and orientation of the loads to be transported, possible rolling gates, loading stations and more. Subsequently, the layout is verified in simulation mode, whereupon all important KPIs can be derived, including transport times, AGV utilisation and possible traffic bottlenecks. The optimised layout can be used immediately to operate the plant. In operation mode, specific operational and management information is available, enabling intuitive operation and management of the system.

The use of a standardised interface opens up possibilities for the mixed operation of automated warehouse vehicles that were unthinkable in practice until recently, judges the jury. The fact that arculus Fleet is brand-independent facilitates the selection of the most suitable AGV for a specific transport requirement. The IFOY Innovation Check attested the system a very high relevance and a high customer benefit due to the large number of automatic solutions of different levels in the transport sector.

Integrated Warehouse Solution, Danfoss Project, STILL

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the "Integrated Warehouse Solution" category goes to STILL. The international jury gave the most points for the Danfoss project, which the Hamburg-based intralogistics group implemented for the Danfoss Power Electronics A/S Group. 

For the new Danfoss production warehouse in Tinglev, Denmark, STILL supplied a perfectly coordinated combination of three automated series industrial trucks, including the installation of all system components. System optimisations are carried out via the cloud using the smart iGo insights tool and pedestrians are optimally protected from approaching vehicles by the innovative ELOshield safety system.

Integrated Warehouse Solution of the Year 2021

According to the IFOY jury, the Danfoss project is an impressive example of how automated warehouses can be controlled, monitored and analysed in the future. The relevance of such systems will continue to grow as a result of increasing digitalisation and automation, says the committee. With the system, STILL has succeeded in transferring scientific research approaches into practice and applying it. This will also ensure a very high market relevance in the future. 

The IFOY Innovation Check describes the Danfoss project as a very innovative example of the interaction of well-known logistics components in terms of communication via interfaces for safety, function and optimisation using deep learning methods. In addition, the iGo insights system is presented in a clear user interface with numerous functions that represent the system behaviour in various forms based on the stored operating data. The functionality of the real automatic warehouse is evaluated as exemplary. 

With the increase in the range of frequency converters for electric motor controls, the manual Danfoss production warehouses in Gråsten and Kliplev had reached the end of their capacity. Increasing capacity by merging the warehouses with an automatic warehouse was therefore the aim of the project. In the automated warehouse, there are interfaces from the pallet conveyor systems to the AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) in both incoming and outgoing goods. About 2000 different articles are stored on about 8800 pallets according to the ABC analysis.

Currently, the warehouse is divided into two areas, a narrow-aisle warehouse for fully automated operation and a semi-automated warehouse area. The new automated warehouse ensures daily truck deliveries every three hours five days a week to production in nearby Gråsten.

Start-up of the Year: Volume WAVE, Volume Lagersysteme

The IFOY AWARD 2021 in the category "Start-up of the Year" goes to VOLUME Lagersysteme for its innovation Volume WAVE. The international jury chose the world's first fully automated pallet shuttle warehouse with individual access to each storage location as the best intralogistics new development from a young company.

Start-up of the Year 2021

The essential factor in the jury's decision was the system's fundamentally new design principle as well as its potential to set new standards worldwide. "For the first time, Volume WAVE combines all the essential criteria for a compact yet flexible pallet storage system, from high storage density to high performance and individual access to each storage space," judge the IFOY testers. 

The IFOY Innovation Check calls the system "an impressive solution to the classic problem of combining high storage density and high throughput in fully automated pallet storage with individual access to specific pallets". Even though not every storage system necessarily requires a high storage density, there is sufficient market volume, especially for temperature-controlled warehouses or limited floor space, to attest the Volume WAVE a good market relevance, the scientists emphasise. 

In the storage process, each pallet in the system is placed in a kind of slide. This means that a channel can be cleared at any time and all pallets remain individually accessible. The shuttles - called rovers in the concept - drive fully autonomously on rails and pick up the pallets from above with a specially developed gripper. The pallet is then transported to the beginning of the channel, where it is handed over to the "ferry", a transfer car that transports the pallets to one of the lifts and moves the rovers from one channel to the other.

Energy management is also taken into account. The rover is equipped with supercaps that provide enough capacity to transport loads of 1.5 tonnes over a distance of 50 metres or more. During transport in the "ferry", the rover is recharged. One drive unit per channel is enough to power the sledges. Since all components work together seamlessly, a creep speed with minimal energy is sufficient. All drives, lifts and shuttles are equipped with a regenerative brake energy recovery system.

The patented, compact solution convinces with its high storage density. Compared to conventional solutions, up to 40 percent less space is required, according to the manufacturer. For the first time, the system achieves a bearing density that is comparable with channel storage systems.

The height of the solution ranges from four to 40 metres. The weight that can be stored per storage location is 1200 kilograms. The maximum loading height is 2500 millimetres. Volume WAVE is suitable for both Euro pallets and industrial pallets. On request, other pallet sizes are also possible. Volume WAVE can be integrated into existing buildings and adapted to special requirements. Due to the modular design and the pre-assembled components, existing systems can be easily extended in length and width.