Leasing ensures a young fleet

Paper products for office, printing and packaging applications are manufactured around the clock, 365 days a year, at Mondi's two Austrian sites in Ulmerfeld-Hausmening and Kematen an der Ybbs. Intralogistics and dispatch are supported by 85 industrial trucks, 60 of which must be permanently available. "These industrial trucks must not break down under any circumstances, otherwise production would come to a standstill," emphasizes Edwin Strasser-Hölzl, who is responsible for forklift management at Mondi Neusiedler GmbH.

Modern fleet of electric forklift trucks

With this in mind, the company opted for Still full-service leasing of strategically important forklifts back in 2005. "This type of procurement guarantees us a modern, young fleet with a permanently available repair and maintenance service," explains Brigitte Wutzl from the purchasing department. Together with her colleagues, she regularly checks the requirements in the areas of incoming goods, production and dispatch and puts them out to tender every five years. Still has already managed to beat the competition several times - the third contract in a row has been running since May 2016.

"With paper production running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the demands on the industrial trucks are high."

Michael Schulz Head of Systems Engineering and Fleet Management Still

The scope of delivery includes 38 electric forklift trucks from the RX 20 series, 14 electric forklift trucks from the RX 60 series and eight pallet trucks from the EXU, EXV and ECU series. The annual operating hours - up to 3,800 hours - were calculated for each industrial truck. Depending on where they are used, the industrial trucks are equipped with different attachments, such as bale clamps, roller clamps or fork positioners. In addition, three stand-by forklifts are available on site, which can be used at any time if required.

Battery management system increases efficiency and service life

25 interchangeable batteries and several charging stations ensure that industrial trucks are always available, while the high-frequency charging technology supplied by Still with its integrated battery management system works particularly gently. The battery management system uses the state of charge and temperature to calculate which of the batteries is ready for use next and signals this via a green indicator light. This ensures that the batteries are used evenly.

Driver select Still

Still scored further plus points with the side battery change, the electric handbrake, air-sprung comfort seats and the intelligent joystick control, which was very well received by the drivers. Speaking of which, ten of the forklift drivers were actively involved in the decision. They were able to compare the forklifts from two manufacturers and then rate them using a questionnaire - Still also emerged as the winner in this evaluation.

Fleet manager

Creep speed after accident

Mondi also uses the internet-based fleet management software FleetManager 4.x from Still. "For example, we use it to manage employees' access authorizations to individual forklifts and make vehicle parameterizations," reports Edwin Strasser-Hölzl. As an example, he cites the vehicle speed, which is limited to 8 km/h at Mondi Neusiedler GmbH for safety reasons. Should a collision nevertheless occur, the shock sensor built into the devices documents this and thus enables solid analyses of the vehicle data. If a certain value is exceeded, the industrial truck can only continue its journey at "creep speed" for safety reasons. The industrial truck can only be reset to "normal operation" using the master chip. Why "creep speed"? It must be ensured at all times that the industrial trucks can be removed from potential danger zones. "This means that every accident is documented and we can then immediately check the safety of the truck," explains Edwin Strasser-Hölzl.

Another special feature of the project is the 24-hour service provided by the Still service technicians. They are also permanently on call at night and on public holidays and are on site no later than four hours after a call.

Clear view to the front

The negotiations to extend the cooperation were tough, reports buyer Brigitte Wutzl. "The fact that Still was able to prevail again in the end was due to the good price-performance ratio and the technical advantages," she emphasizes. For example, Still was able to meet the entire demand in the load capacity range between 1.8 and 5 tons with electric forklift trucks. In addition, the design of the masts allows "a clear view to the front, which significantly increases driving safety and ergonomics," explains Edwin Strasser-Hölzl. Another safety feature is the dynamic "SafetyLight 4PLUS", which places four moving blue light points about five meters behind or in front of the vehicle in the direction of travel to signal the approaching electric forklift truck.

Comprehensive logbook

The Fleetmanager fleet management system serves as a comprehensive logbook of all forklift truck movements. "This means we can now determine on a monthly basis whether the structure of our forklift fleet still corresponds to current requirements," confirms Brigitte Wutzl. Last but not least, this data provides the ideal basis for the next tender in 2021. Until then, however, the new Still forklifts will still be moving countless rolls, bales and pallets - for sure.

www.mondigroup.comwww.still.de