At the beginning of the year, the IFOY organisation announced the nominations for this year's IFOY Award. From all entrants, the jury selected 13 products and solutions from BYD, Jungheinrich, Liebherr, J. D. Neuhaus, Still, Gebr. Schulte, Wegard and Witron to compete for the world's best logistics products and solutions of the year.
In February, the finalists will compete in the second round at the international IFOY Test Days on the premises of IFOY partner CeMAT. The IFOY test measures the hard facts. The scientific IFOY Innovation Check, which is prepared by specialists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund, the Chair of Technical Logistics at the University of Dresden and the Chair for Machine Elements and Technical Logistics at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, focusses on the innovation value.
“What is special about the IFOY test series is that the finalists are not compared with each other, yet with their competitors' devices on the market. Only those who surpass their direct competitors in terms of innovation are among the best in the world", explains Anita Würmser, chairperson of the IFOY jury. In addition, jurors from all over the world travel to Hanover to test the nominated devices themselves. Among other things, the IFOY Award assesses innovative quality, technology, design, ergonomics, handling, safety, cost effectiveness and sustainability.
The winners will be chosen by a jury made up of 26 renowned trade journalists from leading logistics media in 18 countries around the globe. The trophies will be awarded on the opening night of the world's leading intralogistics trade fair CeMAT in Hanover.
Nominated in the category "Counter Balanced Truck": BYD, Still
In the Counter Balanced Truck category, the BYD ECB50C with a load capacity of five tons, launched in December, has been nominated. The powerful electric forklift truck provides six hours of continuous operation and can be fully charged in just three hours. With the ECB50C, the Chinese manufacturer is fighting the powerful diesel and gas models, especially when used outdoors.
The brand-new Still RX 20 electric forklift with a capacity of 1.6 tons wins the second nomination. The agile and fast all-rounder for indoor and outdoor use can be operated for the first time with either batteries of the A or B circuit. The concept combines high handling capacity with precision, good climbing ability on ramps and an ergonomic workplace.
Nominated in the "Warehouse Truck" category: Jungheinrich, Still, Wegard
Jungheinrich received two nominations at once in the Warehouse Truck category. The further developed ECE 225 easyPILOT Follow will take part in the test. Using the newly developed remote control option, which can be retrofitted for all ECE models, the 2.5-ton order picker automatically follows its operator to the next picking station. Radio technology is used for a 100 percent reliable connection between vehicle and operator.
Jungheinrich is also nominated for the high-power tow tractor EZS 7280. The special model, which is available since November, was developed for heavy-duty outdoor use at airports, industry or logistics. It offers a towing capacity of 28 tons and sets a new benchmark for electric sit-on tractors. The new alternative to combustion engines achieves a speed of 25 km/h and is particularly strong when driving on ramps.
A further nomination goes to the Still OPX-L 16 horizontal order picker introduced in December. The flagship of the new and versatile OPX order picker series has a rated load capacity of 2.5 tons and sets a new benchmark in terms of ergonomics. The comfortable all-rounder is designed for maximum performance in the tightest working environments and over long distances.
The fourth nomination in the Warehouse Truck category goes to the modular tugger train of the Hamburg-based start-up Wegard. “Wegard Trail” tugger train trolleys are the world first to utilize an autonomous electronic steering. It can thus be combined from different trolley types to meet specific requirements and does not require a special tractor. For the first time, driving maneuvers such as sideways parking, precise positioning and reverse driving are also possible.
J. D. Neuhaus and Liebherr nominated for “Crane and Lifting Appliance”
The jury presents two nominations at the premiere of the Crane and Lifting Appliance category.
With the 500-mini air hoist, J. D. Neuhaus has won a nomination for its world premiere. The compact all-rounder, developed in close cooperation with customers, provides load capacities of 125 to 980 kilograms and is suitable for all applications. It is designed for maximum efficiency due to its considerably higher pneumatic power density and its 100% duty cycle. For the first time in the industry, the JDN 500 mini also features an integrated NFC (Near Field Communication) sensor with service app.
The second nomination goes to Liebherr's MK 140 electric mobile construction crane. The 5-axle model with VarioJib and set-up status detection is only 15.97 meters long and is the first crane to combine the trolley mode for maximum handling operation, and the luffing mode for special operations. This crane symbiosis achieves lifting heights of up to 94 meters and outreaches of up to 65 meters, which have so far only been achieved with much larger machines and an enormous amount of set-up work.
“Special of the Year” finalists: Jungheinrich, Gebr. Schulte, Still
The Jury has announced three nominations in this year's Special of the Year category.
Jungheinrich claims its fourth nomination for the cross-technology battery charging system SLH 300. It is particularly suitable for mixed fleets or companies planning to switch their fleet from conventional lead-acid to more efficient lithium-ion technology. The SLH300 enables charging of both technologies with only one device.
The MULTIplus shelves from Schulte Lagertechnik won another nomination. Despite edge heights of only 25 and 40 millimeters, the shelves can support shelf loads from 85 to 330 kilograms. The new MULTIplus150, which has been specially developed for e-commerce warehouses, is the first shelf that carries 150 kilograms with a shelf width of 1,500 mm and an edge height of only 25 mm.
Still entered the IFOY finals with the EASY Drive steering wheel developed for the OPX horizontal order picker. Behind this is a new operating concept for warehouse equipment. Instead of the classic tiller steering system, a car-like steering wheel is used, which allows all hydraulic functions to be operated simultaneously without having to change gear.
“Integrated Warehouse Solution” nominated by Jungheinrich and Witron
In the supreme discipline of Integrated Warehouse Solution, two suppliers were nominated.
As the general contractor for technical solutions, Jungheinrich completed the expansion of the Keller & Kalmbach central warehouse by the end of 2016. For the C-parts management specialist, the high-bay warehouse (HBW) was extended from five to ten aisles and a further 37,450 pallet storage spaces without interrupting operations for a single day. The originally two-aisle automatic small parts warehouse (ASPW) was expanded by six aisles for a total of 155,000 cartons. The construction of a new tray warehouse for 15,000 customized trays was also added. Today, about 150 tons of goods with approximately 10,000 pick-items in cartons, small load carriers or open fronted storage bins reach Keller & Kalmbach's customers through the outgoing goods department every day. This means that not only the available storage and logistics space increased from 10,000 m2 to 18,500 m2, yet the overall plant performance doubled. In addition to the size, the complexity of the entire plant with its calculation and database processes in the background, the interface to the ERP system and the control of the logistics processes by the Jungheinrich WMS are convincing. Other technical highlights of the plant include robot order picking, direct carton handling, the palletizing robot and a new area for repacking, sorting and setting-up, as well as a washing plant and a shelving system for empty containers.
The second nomination goes to Witron Logistik + Informatik GmbH for the Migros Distribution Center Suhr AG in Switzerland. Witron has succeeded in merging the volatile small volume order picking of migrolino AG with the Migros branch business. migrolino, a subsidiary of the Migros Cooperative Association, is one of the leading providers in the Swiss convenience market. Today, the omnichannel logistics center supplies more than 300,000 retail units to more than 600 Migros branches and more than 118,000 pick units to migrolino shops at petrol or railway stations on a peak day. In particular, the picking performance was increased by a factor of 3 compared to a manual warehouse. In addition, an increase in volume of 9 to 20 million picks per year shall be taken into account in the coming years. To this end, the logistics system integrator has automated and integrated the previously manual migrolino logistics in a two-level, 14,000 square meters warehouse with ongoing operation in such a way that both areas support each other and, above all, optimize themselves to the greatest extent possible. The highlight of the solution is the interaction of IT and mechanics. All plant components and assortments are networked and controlled by the Witron WMS system 4.0. Various logistics modules are used, including the "Order Picking Machinery (OPM)" for fully automatic order picking of trading units, the "Dynamic Picking System (DPS)" for small-volume items, the "Automated Tote System (ATS)" for crates, containers and the fully automatic goods issue buffer. All areas are supplied from an automatic pallet high-bay warehouse.
