materialfluss Round Table: Solutions for complex cases (with videos)

Stefan Prokosch, Senior Vice President Product Management Industrial Trucks - Counterbalance at Linde Material Handling, Eike Wibrow, Senior Director Advanced Applications at Still, Mats Lindell, Director Logistics Solutions at Toyota Material Handling, Hanno Froese, Managing Director of Jungheinrich Moosburg AG & Co. KG, and Ruedi Wenk, Head of Technology and Development, Industrial Trucks Division, at Stöcklin Logistik AG in Aesch, Switzerland, as well as materialfluss editor-in-chief Martin Schrüfer sat at the round table in the Hotel Bader in Vaterstetten near Munich.

"If you can't advise on the application, you have no chance on the market." Mats Lindell, Toyota Material Handling

First, the participants reported on their experiences at LogiMAT 2018 in Stuttgart. Eike Wibrow, who was just as pleased with this result as Hanno Froese was with the positive reactions to the new reach truck on display, was delighted with "great feedback and a very lively response to our new RX 20 electric forklift truck". Stöcklin focused on fast and maneuverable driverless transport systems - and also met with a great response. Jungheinrich used LogiMAT to present itself as a solution provider, according to Hanno Froese. Mats Lindell summed up the event in Stuttgart with "excellent visitor quality and intensive discussions on the topics of fleet management and control systems".

"Is there a new self-confidence among logistics companies to act not only as manufacturers, but also increasingly as system providers?" asked editor-in-chief Martin Schrüfer at the start of the discussion. For Stefan Prokosch, it was clear: "The time of pure product solutions is over. We are increasingly becoming consultants." Customers demand full transparency about products and processes. General contractors occasionally have problems mapping this from a single source with all the technical possibilities. "We manufacturers are well positioned to be able to offer quickly. This is real added value for the user, who today wants a high degree of standardization and security," says Stefan Prokosch. He believes that the complexity of logistics projects has increased significantly. "That's why there will be more and more specialists who can go beyond just the product."

"The processes have become more complex"

"We have to be able to map special processes and offer them cost-effectively." Eike Wibrow, Still

Eike Wibrow argued along similar lines. "The industry is developing rapidly and processes have become more complex." Customers are behaving more professionally and are increasingly looking at the issue of total cost of ownership. "What availability do I need and how efficiently can I operate my logistics? These are questions that our customers are grappling with intensively," described Eike Wibrow. "It's no longer about individual aspects. The project partner wants to know exactly how high the costs per movement of goods are." And Wibrow defined the task of the logistics companies: "We have to help the customer and offer them in-depth advice on process optimization and warehouse planning." This also applies to special tasks. "We must also be able to map special projects and implement them cost-effectively. Even soft factors such as safety and the level of information in systems play an important role here."

Hanno Froese also sees changing role models. "The user is looking for solutions, the pure product is receding into the background." Logistics companies should therefore no longer focus exclusively on hardware. "As consultants, they have to handle complete systems. If they don't take this step, they won't be successful premium manufacturers for much longer," said Froese. The companies are under pressure to act. "If they can't play in this field, other providers will quickly be on the scene." The requirement is to combine products and solutions intelligently. This requires intensive consultation on topics such as automation, degree of networking and security. "Customers need the certainty that systems will function smoothly in practice." Flexibility also plays an important role. "It remains our challenge to offer modular solutions that meet the various requirements," outlined Hanno Froese.

According to Mats Lindell, topics such as fleet management and control systems play an important role today. "If we can't advise on the application, we have no chance on the market." Developments in the logistics sector are rapid and require a high level of consulting expertise. Customers' buyers are no longer placing orders based on price, but are increasingly looking at the total cost of ownership. "It's about what a system costs over its entire service life," he said. He is observing an interesting development in the labor market. The ongoing wave of automation means that people are being deployed more sensibly. "This is creating more employment, not less. The labor market is booming," he said. It is important to look at logistics projects over a longer period of time. However, the architecture must be in place. "It makes no sense to lay the pipes before the house is built."

"The customer wants an all-round carefree package." Ruedi Wenk, Stöcklin

Ruedi Wenk also believes that the complexity of logistics projects has increased significantly in recent years. As a result, the personnel required for implementation has also increased. "Today, several people are involved in decision-making processes in order to adequately implement projects." Customers demand comprehensive solutions. "They want an all-round carefree package and to be completely served by us. This applies to both hardware and software," he added. Despite the increased complexity, logisticians are required to keep processes as simple as possible.

Skills shortage everywhere

The participants were largely in agreement when it came to the shortage of skilled workers. Qualified people are in demand in logistics - and hard to find. "This is also a big problem in Switzerland. There is a need for employees in the logistics sector, but we need specially trained people who are in short supply," outlined Ruedi Wenk. According to Eike Wibrow, the increased complexity of logistics projects results in intensive customer relationships. In order to maintain these relationships over a longer period of time, trained personnel are required. According to Hanno Froese and Mats Lindell, the tasks for logistics employees are becoming increasingly demanding. "Simpler activities are increasingly being automated and people are being deployed more sensibly," said Lindell. "There will be more and more specialists in the future," Hanno Froese is convinced.

What will the drive technology of the future look like?

"We manufacturers are well positioned to be able to offer fast delivery. This is real added value for the customer." Stefan Prokosch, Linde Material Handling

materialfluss editor-in-chief Martin Schrüfer drew attention to another current topic: what will the drive system of the future look like, where is the lithium-ion battery heading and where will the fuel cell be? For Stefan Prokosch, the lithium-ion topic is "highly exciting". However, the lead-acid battery will continue to be important. "They are still more economical in many applications. Our job is to advise customers perfectly on which technology suits which application," he said. The lithium-ion drive scores points because battery changes are no longer necessary and recharging is very quick. With fuel cells, the availability of hydrogen plays an important role. "If the supply of energy becomes more efficient, the fuel cell also has the chance to gain market share."

"As consultants, we handle complete systems." Hanno Froese, Jungheinrich

For Ruedi Wenk, too, there is a need for thorough advice on which drive is suitable for each application. Meanwhile, he does not see the lead-acid battery disappearing any time soon. "The lithium-ion battery is still relatively expensive and the price is unlikely to fall any time soon," he predicted. Nevertheless, the market share of this drive technology will increase steadily in the future. Especially in shift operation and where acid gassing is disadvantageous. Hanno Froese pointed out the wide range of logistics applications. "We will probably still see combustion engines and lead-acid drives in ten years' time. There are fleets on the market that will still be running for a while," he said. However, it is only a matter of time before lithium-ion batteries gradually replace IC engine-powered trucks thanks to their efficient performance.

Eike Wibrow also pointed out the great importance of sound advice. "You have to adapt the choice of drive to the customer's processes and design the processes in such a way that they can be planned step by step." In his opinion, the use of lithium-ion batteries pays off in many applications. "However, the complete changeover is a major organizational and infrastructural challenge." There are also other alternative drive types that should not be ignored, such as fuel cells. Securing raw materials is important in connection with the use of fuel cells. Eike Wibrow: "In ten to fifteen years, we will have a clearer picture here." Mats Lindell also considers this period to be relevant. However, lithium-ion batteries could only replace combustion engines on a larger scale if the management level implements measures to keep overall power consumption in check. Lindell warned against stopping research and development on the fuel cell. "We will consistently expand these activities," he said, but at the same time referred to the regional differences in the importance of hydrogen propulsion. While the fuel cell is being strongly promoted in the USA, for example, and has met with great acceptance, Europe is lagging behind. "Not much is happening on the German market in particular," he said. There is too little funding available here to help the hydrogen topic achieve widespread success.