After weeks of testing by experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) and intensive jury consultations, Jungheinrich has been selected as a winner in two categories of the IFOY 2016 Awards competition - for the world's best Warehouse Truck highlifter and the world's best Special Vehicle. The company was the only finalist to receive an award in two categories.
Nominees in the IFOY 2016 competition included solutions from Crown, BYD, Jungheinrich, SSI Schaefer, STILL and Toyota.
EKX 516 awarded as best "Warehouse Truck highlifter"
Jungheinrich received an IFOY Award in the category of "Warehouse Truck highlifter" for its new EKX 516 Very Narrow Aisle High Rack Stacker / Order Picker. This man-up vehicle is able to lift loads of up to 1,600 kg and reach heights of up to 18 metres. The high level of innovative features was cited as the main reason for the judges' decision.
"By introducing the new EKX 5 series Jungheinrich has set a new benchmark in the high rack stacker segment," said the jury in its statement. Unique features are the modular platform concept, lightweight design, passive vibration damping system and synchronous motor technology, giving 93% efficiency. This new technology saves energy and, thanks to Floor Pro, the narrow-aisle forklift can also be used efficiently on uneven warehouse floors. The EKX achieves maximum efficiency when combined with the Jungheinrich Warehouse Navigation assistance system, which drives the very narrow aisle truck to the next storage position semi-automatically.
The Fraunhofer IML Institute emphasized: "All in all, the customer benefits can be rated as very high because the functions for performance fulfilment on the one hand and energy efficiency on the other, not to mention the safety features, are all very well implemented in this industrial truck."
Dr Oliver Lücke, Jungheinrich Board of Management member in charge of Engineering, was delighted to accept the award along with the development team and several staff members: "I am particularly pleased that we have won this award with our flagship product – the EKX Series 5. We have implemented a host of innovations in this truck and have set a new benchmark. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the dedicated team effort that went into developing this highly innovative product, confirming our status as a comprehensive solutions supplier."
EJQ 325 awarded as best "Special Vehicle"
The EJQ 325 was the winner in the "Special Vehicle" category, which was included in the competition for the first time in 2016. This custom product from the Jungheinrich special-build vehicle line was specially developed for Deutsche Bahn to accommodate ICE train railcar wheelsets and the wheelset changer. The solution is based on standard Jungheinrich components. Experts on the jury emphasized the precision in particular: "A combination like this exhibits the use of extremely sophisticated technology and has never before been realized for industrial trucks in this way. What's really special is the option of being able to operate the truck from two opposite positions."
Once again, the experts from the Fraunhofer IML Institute rated the customer benefits of the Jungheinrich solution as very high in the innovations check because the vehicle is specifically tailored to individual complex requirements and operating conditions. The all-wheel drive enables outstanding vehicle manoeuvrability so that the operator can safely transport the 2.5-tonne ICE train wheelsets even in confined spaces. The mast used to raise and lower the load offers forward reach, tilting, side shift with a large range and tine adjustment to enable the precise positioning required for assembly and disassembly purposes.
"In special vehicle construction, Jungheinrich has been successful in producing a truck which accommodates customer requirements for absolute precision and does its work with millimetre accuracy. What makes this truck so special is the use of tried-and-trusted standard components in such a way that the whole is more than the sum of the parts," concluded the panel of experts.
The Jungheinrich team was thrilled to win the award. In the words of Dr Lücke: "We are proud to have won the award for this special-build truck – a batch size of 1 for a very specific customer application. The Luneburg plant has more than 25 years of experience in the development of such product solutions. This award is a confirmation of Jungheinrich's outstanding solutions competence on the market."
Background information
The International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award has proven itself an indicator of economic efficiency and innovation since 2013. Thanks to its technical expertise, it is considered the leading intralogistics innovations award. The winners are selected every year by an independent jury of leading trade journalists. The decision is based on an objective test and a scientific innovations check. The two test series compare the competing products submitted by finalists. The IFOY Award is sponsored by the Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), under the auspices of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
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