The new Active Floor Compensation assistance system from Still detects uneven floors in the aisles and compensates for them in real time. © Still

Martin de Groot, Team Leader Facility and Maintenance, emphasizes: "AFC reacts without delay even at the maximum possible driving speed thanks to the fastest processors. This smart assistance system was one of the deciding factors in awarding the contract. It enabled us to save considerable costs for the time-consuming and expensive refurbishment of the hall floor."

More safety thanks to radio-based collision protection

Work processes in distribution centers are becoming ever faster and more demanding. This also increases the risk of faulty processes, which can lead to disruptions and endanger employees. An investment in occupational safety is not only worthwhile in financial terms, but also serves to improve the company's image, both among its own staff and with clients. An important motivation that ultimately leads to greater productivity. Patrick Laake, Regional Service Manager at Still, explains: "In order to reduce the risk of accidents and prevent personal injury and damage to goods, shelves and vehicles, the aim of our consultation was to develop and implement a holistic safety concept. In order to identify and evaluate potential safety risks and recommend measures, we first recorded the process flows and the required industrial trucks in the logistics center. After the analysis, the vehicles were equipped with our radio-based assistance system for collision protection."

The assistance system interacts with the environment

This collision protection comprises an active 360º antenna set with passive elements at hall gates and busy junctions as well as a driver interface that communicates with the vehicle control system. In the event of danger, the assistance system reduces the vehicle speed in real time, limits the stroke and emits acoustic and visual signals.

Rental equipment flexibly supplements the industrial truck fleet during peak loads © Still

If a vehicle drives into a danger zone, it immediately receives all the information it needs to activate the predefined safety functions. However, the system can not only adapt the performance of the vehicles to the situation, but also interact with the surroundings, such as automatically opening hall doors or switching on the room lighting.

Martin de Groot: "Thanks to the installed functions: Passages and gates, collision protection between people and vehicles and vehicle against vehicle, Still's assistance system protects vehicles and drivers, pedestrians and our sensitive goods, even without visual contact."

Process reliability through all-round service

Patrick Laake and his technicians are available to customers via all communication channels. Thanks to Still's comprehensive service network, a technician is also quickly on site at other locations. "With a trained all-round view, our service department immediately recognizes where and how the safety and condition of the vehicles and storage facilities can be improved," emphasizes Laake. Martin de Groot confirms that the service with Still works perfectly and says: "In the event of a fault, downtimes are always minimal. If a truck breaks down, I call the technician. He comes immediately and rectifies the fault very quickly."

The new collision protection system comprises an active 360º antenna set with passive elements at hall gates and busy intersections as well as a driver interface that communicates with the vehicle control system. © Still

In addition, technical expertise, high quality and fast availability of spare parts guarantee a smooth and successful service process. Standardized, digitally supported and optimally planned repair and maintenance processes reduce downtimes to a minimum for every vehicle type.

Short-term forklift rental increases flexibility in the logistics center

Lapp has been recording double-digit growth rates for ten years. "Due to the constant development of technology, for example the switch from classic telephone cables to sensitive fiber optic cables, warehouse management with a flexible fleet of forklift trucks is the best possible solution for our internal logistics. By renting electric forklift trucks at short notice, we can also react quickly and flexibly to transport peaks in the respective market situation," emphasizes Andreas Gesse. Operations with rigid conveyor technology would have reached their limits a long time ago. The operations manager prudently emphasizes that Lapp is constantly evolving in line with the market and the needs of its customers. The availability of the rented forklift trucks is always ensured through maintenance and service. Depending on requirements, these can be rented for individual days, but also for longer periods.

In a competitive environment, the key to success is smooth and fast internal logistics. Thanks to sophisticated vehicle technology, Still's smart driver assistance systems increase the level of automation and ensure greater safety as well as fatigue-free and ergonomic working. The immediate consequences are increased productivity and reduced costs. Short delivery times, individual logistics services combined with the highest quality standards are thus also guaranteed in the future at Lapp's new logistics center.

The retrofitted driver assistance system for collision protection prevents accidents as well as damage to people, cable drums, vehicles and equipment. Greater safety therefore also leads to greater efficiency and productivity. "I would also like to mention that we are and will continue to be very satisfied with Still regarding the implementation of the new logistics center. Our aim is to continue to grow and develop. We learn from each other and are constantly implementing and using new technologies together. For example, we have been able to integrate our cut-to-length machines into the Still Fleetmanager access control system," summarizes Andreas Gesse.

This article appeared in issue 4/23