The transshipment hall of transport and logistics service provider Noerpel is a hive of activity: Goods arrive, are reloaded and sent on their way again in the shortest possible time. This requires perfect planning and speed. The team led by Operations Manager Florian Harrer is supported by a new fleet of thirty ERD 220i electric pallet trucks from Jungheinrich. The maneuverable, compact trucks from the Powerline series make goods handling safer, more convenient and more sustainable thanks to the lithium-ion drive.

5,000 shipments per day

Early in the morning, around 40 trucks are waiting in the yard and at the loading ramps. They pick up pallet after pallet and transport them to the Noerpel depots distributed throughout Germany. From there, they are delivered to their destination. It is precisely planned at which of the 113 ramps the individual trucks pick up their freight, as the pallets of goods are already sorted and placed in block storage according to delivery area in the 15,500 square meter transshipment hall. This preparatory work is carried out by numerous colleagues, mostly at night, when the long-distance trucks from all over Europe deliver goods to Ulm for delivery and redistribution. It is this orderly chaos that appeals to Florian Harrer, Operations Manager of the transshipment hall, about his work: "The goods come in and have to go out again as quickly as possible. The constant rotation is exciting every day." Harrer and his team handle up to 5,000 consignments in 24 hours in three shifts. "Sometimes we're talking about ten pallets that belong to one shipment," he explains. "Our hall may not be the largest within the Noerpel Group, but it is the one with the highest turnover of goods."

When it comes to intralogistics, Noerpel has a close partnership with Jungheinrich. "We put a lot of strain on our trucks: they are in use 24 hours a day, six days a week and have to be available at all times," explains Harrer. "When we were offered the opportunity to test the new ERD 220i electric pallet truck from Jungheinrich, we immediately agreed. Our existing trucks were due for regular replacement anyway, and the switch to lithium-ion technology was already being planned at the Ulm site."

Test operation turned into enthusiasm

During testing, it wasn't just the sustainable drive that impressed Harrer and his employees about the ERD 220i: "We were impressed by the overall concept." The ERD 2020i aims to set standards in terms of safety and ergonomics. The driver's platform is secured by a three-sided guard, spacious and comfortable. The automatic adjustment of the speed to the surrounding situation is also useful - after all, the maximum speed of the ERD 220i is 14 kilometers per hour. For example, the ERD 220i uses a sensor to detect when it is in the path of a truck. It reduces its speed to ensure that it drives over the ramp bend safely and without back strain and automatically activates its headlights to illuminate the dark cargo area. The follow-up costs due to wear and tear are also a relevant issue: the driver has to raise the forks slightly to be able to drive at full throttle. If he does not do this, the device only travels at a reduced speed. This means that the wheel arms and forks do not drag on the ground and do not touch down when entering the truck.

Compact vehicle, powerful battery

The ERD 220i is 30 centimetres shorter than its predecessor. Its maneuverability is an advantage in the packed handling hall. The vehicle owes its agility to its design; there is no longer a bulky battery tray between the stand-on platform and the fork. Jungheinrich has housed the two compact lithium-ion battery modules inside the truck chassis. This makes the ERD 220i the most compact truck in its class. The performance of the lithium-ion technology, on the other hand, is great. The ability to recharge the batteries without any loss of power provides flexibility, saves time and ensures high truck availability. "We always had to completely empty our vehicles with conventional lead-acid batteries," explains Harrer. "In order to lose as little time as possible during operation, it was necessary to keep around 50 spare batteries for 30 vehicles." With the help of a pallet truck carriage and a lot of practice, the batteries could be replaced within four minutes, but with 30 devices, the total replacement time amounted to six hours. In addition, a lead-acid battery weighs around 300 kilograms and required unergonomic handling.