More than 20,000 votes were cast in the readers' poll of materialfluss, the specialist medium for logistics and intralogistics. Ten solutions and products competed for victory in the industrial trucks category.

material flow PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2021 - Industrial trucks category

1st place: Reach truck R-Matic Gen 2 from Linde Material Handling
At the end of 2020, Linde Material Handling launched the second generation of the automated reach truck R-Matic. With the new generation of the driverless transport vehicle as a hybrid, Linde Material Handling is building on the knowledge gained to date and presenting a solution that is set to define a new standard in the industry in terms of performance, flexibility and quality. The front safety sensor detects obstacles in the vehicle's path. This is now fully integrated into the chassis, so that the R-Matic can cope with even narrower aisles (three meter aisle width). The R-Matic stores up to a height of eleven meters. Thanks to new 3D load recognition, it registers 20 to 30 times as many pixels as competitor vehicles, according to the manufacturer.

2nd place: Toyota Material Handling with the BT Levio LWI160 electric pallet truck
According to the manufacturer, the compact BT Levio LWI160 electric pallet truck from Toyota Material Handling is set to set a new industry standard. Developed around the modular Toyota battery system with efficient lithium-ion technology, the LWI160 has space-saving dimensions and reduced weight. Designed without a conventional battery compartment, the lithium-ion battery is fully integrated. This means that the device size is independent of the battery capacity. With low energy consumption and high performance at the same time, the device can be handled easily and safely even in confined spaces. Toyota Material Handling's Li-Ion approach enables new design freedom in the development of new equipment and the optimization of ergonomics, visibility and performance. The LWI160 has already won the iF Design Award and the red dot Award.

3rd place: Vetter - SmartFork PremiumCam
Lack of visibility to the front or to the load are among the most common reasons for forklift accidents. Vetter, a specialist in forks, wants to change this. By integrating camera and sensor technology into the forks, solutions for safe and efficient forklift truck logistics have been developed. The SmartFork SideCam is a partially integrated camera system on the side of the fork blade. Both forks are visible on the monitor and the driver can look along the forks during loading and unloading. This ensures easy and safe entry into the panels and significantly reduces drive-in damage. The SmartFork FrontCam is integrated into the tip of the forks. The driver can now see everything that is happening in front of his industrial truck, despite the load being picked up. The driver's field of vision is extended and people and obstacles are detected at an early stage.

2020 saw the premiere of the reader award materialfluss PRODUCT OF THE YEAR, the winners and best placed can be found here.