IFOY AWARD 2023: "Best in Intralogistics" certificates awarded

23 nominated solutions and products receive seal for successful participation in IFOY audit.

Steffen Bersch, Chairman of the Board of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association, hands over certificates at Messe Dortmund.

Winners will be announced on June 22 at Dortmunder U.

Download (click on image): Awarded for the third time in Dortmund: the "Best in Intralogistics" certificates. Present for the first time: Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: IFOY AWARD

Ismaning near Munich, Dortmund, 29.3.2023. As part of the opening of TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS (March 29-30), the organizers of the International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) AWARD presented the "Best in Intralogistics" certificates of 2023. Representatives of a total of 21 companies accepted the certificate in Hall 3 of Messe Dortmund. The seal may be used by: AGILOX, Combilift, Continental, Crown, DS AUTOMOTION, HIKROBOT, IdentPro, Jungheinrich, Kemaro, Libiao Robotics, Mobile Easykey, NIMMSTA, Raymond, STILL, Volume Lagersysteme, Youibot Robotics as well as the start-ups Loady, ff Fördersysteme, HUNIC, Predimo and Sentics.

The certificates were presented in the presence of NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur by Steffen Bersch, Chairman of the Board of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association.

The "Best in Intralogistics" seal, introduced five years ago, serves to visibly document to the outside world the high degree of innovation of the solutions and equipment nominated for the IFOY AWARD. "Anyone who applies for the IFOY AWARD with an innovation must undergo the three-part audit in Dortmund after being nominated. Only those who successfully complete it are allowed to carry the Best in Intralogistics seal," emphasizes executive jury Chairwoman Anita Würmser.

1MRobotics did not compete in the IFOY test. As the performance values and innovations for the automated nano fulfillment center stated in the application could not be verified, 1MRobotics was disqualified in accordance with the IFOY AWARD statutes.
The start-up sereact was also not admitted to the IFOY test for safety reasons as a result of a corona outbreak and had to be removed from the competition.

The IFOY audit took place for the third time at the Messe Dortmund. It comprises various test series, the results of which serve the 25 jury members - renowned logistics trade journalists from all over the world - as an aid in their decision on the winners. An important principle of the IFOY AWARD is that the nominees in a category are never compared with each other, but always with currently comparable equipment on the market. This ensures that the performance values and the innovation gap can be assessed objectively.

The methodology

The IFOY audit begins with the scientific IFOY innovation check, which is conducted by the Dortmund Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), the Chair of Technical Logistics at the University of Dresden, the Chair of Materials Handling Material Flow Logistics at the Technical University of Munich, and the Stuttgart Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. The scientists provide assessments of the finalists in terms of market relevance, customer benefits, type of execution and degree of innovation. In addition, they verify the innovations stated by the manufacturers and evaluate in an extensive technology comparison whether they are innovative further developments, new compositions or genuine innovations.

The second part of the IFOY audit consists of a survey with practical assessment as well as the practice-oriented IFOY test by trade journalist and Intralogistics expert Theo Egberts. The Dutchman measures the hard facts and compares them with those of relevant competitor products. The equipment undergoes individually tailored driving or functional tests, including the IFOY test protocol, which comprises around 80 criteria and determines, among other things, the equipment's cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency, sustainability, safety, and ergonomics.

The audit concludes with the evaluation of the finalists by the judges and their approved advisors. The jury members form an opinion from the IFOY innovation check, the IFOY test results and their own test experiences and then vote.

Who will win an award in 2023, also known as the “Oscar of Intralogistics”, has not yet been announced. The well-kept secret - also for finalists - will only be revealed during the festive IFOY AWARD Night. It will take place on June 22, 2023, at the Dortmunder U.