Materials handling equipment manufacturers Jungheinrich, Still and UniCarriers emerged the big winners at last night’s prestigious International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) awards.
The award ceremony, dubbed the “Intralogistics Oscar” was held at the BMW World in Munich, Germany as part of the CeMAT@transportlogistic exhibition.
The winners were picked from a record-breaking pool of 14 machines and solutions which made it to the final round this year. An international jury tested the shortlisted machines over one week in late February to decide the winners.
“There was intense discussion, heated debate, and in the end it was the most difficult decision the IFOY jury has ever had to make,” IFOY jury executive chairperson Anita Würmser says.
Four awards were handed out on the night, including “Best Counterbalanced Truck up to 3.5 tonnes”, “Best Counterbalanced Truck from 3.5 tonnes”, “Best Warehouse Truck” and “Best Intralogistics Solution”.
German materials handling equipment expert Jungheinrich snagged the “Best Counterbalanced Truck up to 3.5 tonnes” award for its EFG S30s three-tonne electric forklift.
According to the jury, the machine’s completely overhauled workplace with several added innovations won them over.
“Jungheinrich is thinking ahead when it developed the new EFG S30s,” the jury says.
They add the EFG S30s is an extremely driver-friendly machine with predictable handling which makes for a very comfortable ride. They also named the EFG S30s a perfect all-rounder for the mass market, with an ergonomically and intelligently designed workplace that meets the needs of a new generation of drivers.
“The easy and automatic battery change function and the ‘Pure Energy’ technology concept permitting two-shift duty without the need to change the battery are further innovative features that have not been implemented in such a systematic way before,” the jury concludes.
Taking out the award in the “Counterbalanced Trucks from 3.5 tonnes” category is Still’s RX 60-80 eight-tonne electric forklift which high degree of innovation had the judges convinced.
“In this performance class, the series-produced RX60-80 with electric drive represents a clear innovation providing significant benefits for the customer,” the jury explains.
In addition to its numerous ergonomic innovations, the jury was also impressed with the eight-tonner’s power and agility.
“The maintenance-free encapsulated drive unit complete with multidisc brakes make the 80-volt truck the ideal machine for combined indoor and outdoor use.”
In the” Warehouse Trucks” category, UniCarriers came out on top with its Tergo URS narrow aisle and reach truck which impressed the jury with its versatility and forward-looking ergonomic concept.
“With the Tergo URS, UniCarriers combines the benefits of high warehouse density and reduced handling requirements, and also sets a benchmark in terms of ergonomic design,” the jury says.
“Operating characteristics are highly responsive and predictable, and meet the current market demand for efficiency and ergonomics in a unique way.”
Still emerged as the biggest winner of the night, picking up another award in the “Intralogistics Solutions” category for its general contractor project for Kuraray Europe GmbH’s new raw materials warehouse.
According to the jury, the key factor in their decision is the innovative combination of AGVs with a pallet shuttle system as well as the link-up of automatic and manually operated units.
“Still succeeded in installing a fully functioning, failsafe 24/7 solution with state-of-the-art technology for Kuraray in the record time of just nine weeks, setting a new benchmark with an outstanding amortisation time of three years,” the jury explains.
All winning trucks and solutions are on display at the CeMAT@transportlogistics fair which runs from May 5 to 8 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre.