It's once again time to start the search for the winners of the IFOY Award.
The entrant portal for the leading international intralogistics award went live today, and the manufacturers of warehouse and material handling trucks as well as the providers of intralogistics services and software can now submit their innovations for the competition. The machines and solutions that come through what is known to be the toughest selection procedure of all can claim to belong to the crème de la crème.
"The key factor in the competition to find the world's best forklift trucks and intralogistics solutions is innovation", emphasises Anita Würmser, Executive Jury Chairperson for the IFOY Award, "but the jury also always attaches importance to the practicability of the machine or solution".
The total of eight categories covers virtually all areas of intralogistics. Besides the two traditional forklift categories "Counter Balanced Trucks up to 3.5 tons" and "over 3.5 tons", the "Special Vehicle" category is open to special-purpose vehicles, container stackers, transportable forklifts or heavy-load forklifts with capacities of over eight tons.
Both "Warehouse Truck highlifter" and "Warehouse Truck lowlifter" are for trucks with a lifting height of below and above six meters. In addition, shuttle vehicles are also admitted to the category "Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)".
The category "Intralogistics Solutions" does not focus on the vehicles but on planning and implementation expertise. The competition is open to successfully implemented integrated warehouse concepts or intralogistics systems or software solutions, such as warehouse management systems, logistics software, forklift guidance, driver assistant or fleet management systems, always within the context of a specific application.
Another feature is the category "Special of the Year" with the emphasis on outstanding technical details or components that significantly improve cost efficiency, sustainability or the physical or psychological conditions for the user. Examples include ergonomic innovations like driver cabins or control elements, safety assistant solutions, automation components or new drive technologies.
Intralogistics providers can register for the competition at www.ifoy.org with immediate effect. Newly developed trucks, trucks that represent further developments or special models with significant technical improvements that came onto market after December 1, 2015 (AGVs, Special of the Year, Solution: since August 1, 2015) are eligible for the award.
Transport logistic fair stages the IFOY Tests in Munich
The decision on which trucks and integrated logistics solutions have the right to call themselves "Best of the Year" in May 2017 is made in a multi-phase selection process. In the first phase, an independent jury of international trade journalists nominates the most promising candidates from among all the entries. These “Best of the Best” vehicles then have to undergo a neutral test and the scientific IFOY Innovation Check on the trade fair grounds in Munich. The two test series compare the finalists with their respective rival trucks and provide the jury with important information on which to base their decisions. The IFOY Test is conducted by Dutch trade journalist Theo Egberts, while the Innovation Check is performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics in Dortmund as well as the Chair of Machine Elements and Technical Logistics at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg.
The decisions of the jury will be announced during the transport logistic in Munich in May.
New IFOY judge
The newly elected members on the jury are Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. magazine "Material Handling & Logistics" and Senior Editor of "IndustryWeek“ based in Cleveland, Harald Ehren, Editor-in-Chief of the German Logistics Newspaper DVZ in Hamburg, Erik Kruisselbrink, Editor-in-Chief of the Dutch magazine "Logistiek Totaal" in Doetinchem and Øyvind Ludt, Editor-in-Chief of the Norwegian "Moderne Transport" in Kolbotn. The jury now comprises 25 members from 18 countries worldwide.
The IFOY Award has become established as a benchmark for cost efficiency and innovation; due to the expertise it represents, it is seen as the authoritative innovation award in the logistics field. The sponsor of the IFOY Award, which enjoys the patronage of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, is the VDMA Materials Handling and Logistics Systems Sector Association. Partners are Deutsche Messe with the leading international CeMAT trade fair for intralogistics in Hannover and the Munich fair with the transport logistic, bauma and IFAT events. IFOY pallet partner is CHEP, the global market leader in pallet pooling, IFOY technology partner is battery charging specialist Fronius based in the Austrian town of Wels.
The Conditions of Participation can be requested from the IFOY office (www.ifoy.org) with immediate effect.
IFOY Award categories in 2017 at a glance
- Counter Balanced Truck up to 3.5 tons
- Counter Balanced Truck from 3.51 tons
- Special Vehicle: forklifts and vehicles for special tasks: container stackers, transportable forklifts, heavy-load forklift from 8.1 tons, special vehicle manufacturing etc.
- Warehouse Truck "highlifter": materials handling equipment above 6 meters lifting height like high-bay trucks, VNA trucks or reach trucks, medium and high order-picking trucks, etc.
- Warehouse Truck "lowlifter": materials handling equipment up to 6 meters lifting height like pedestrian-controlled lowlift trucks, lift trucks, tow tractors, tugger trains, low order-picking trucks etc.
- Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) and Shuttles: shuttle systems, driverless transport systems, automated/partially automated materials handling equipment in the context of the application options
- Intralogistics Solution: a warehouse concept that has been successfully realised at the customer's location. An intralogistics system or software solution in the context of the application options like warehouse management systems, logistics software, truck guidance systems, advanced driver assistance systems, fleet management systems etc.
- Special of the Year: the award goes to a component/technical detail that significantly improves economics or environment, the physical or psychological conditions for the user, like ergonomic innovations, safety assistant solutions, automation solutions, drive technology etc.
