Finalists for the IOFY Award 2017 have been announced

"The signs are pointing to electric, autonomous, individual and intralogistics is clearly ahead here. The trendsetters and innovation leaders of the new intralogistics have prevailed in the first round of the IFOY," says Anita Würmser, Chairwoman of the IFOY jury.

They will compete in round two at the IFOY Test Days in March, where all nominated vehicles must undergo a week-long comparison at the premises of IFOY partner Messe München. The IFOY Test measures the hard facts and compares them with the competitor devices available on the market. The IFOY Innovation Check, which is compiled by specialists from the Dortmund-based Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) and the Chair of Machine Elements and Technical Logistics at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, focuses on the innovations and how they compare to the market. In addition, the jurors drive and evaluate all the nominated devices themselves.

Image: Unicarriers

Among other things, the judges assess innovation value, technology, design, ergonomics and handling, safety, marketability and customer benefits as well as cost-effectiveness and sustainability.

Nominated in the "Warehouse Truck" category: Jungheinrich, Still, UniCarriers

The jury has made three nominations in the Warehouse Truck category. The world's first autonomous horizontal order picker iGo neo CX 20 from Hamburg-based manufacturer Still has been nominated for the final and will therefore be put to the test. The vehicle, which is just 80 centimetres narrow and has a load capacity of 2,000 kg, has laser-supported environment recognition and can join the current material flow or move in platoons regardless of local conditions. The vehicle recognizes and interprets the operator's intentions based on their movements. This makes the iGo neo CX 20 the first order picker with cognitive capabilities. Jungheinrich received the second nomination in the category for the world's shortest universal stacker in its class - the Jungheinrich EMD 115i. Equipped with a Li-ion case weighing just 17 kilograms, it can be charged to 50 percent in 30 minutes at any 230 V socket, making battery changes superfluous. Available since August 2016, the electric pallet truck is lightweight, maneuverable and offers a number of innovative details, such as the transparent mast cover. It masters numerous simple stacking tasks up to a height of 1520 mm as well as short transport distances for loads weighing up to 1,500 kg and is ideal for use in stores, very narrow storage areas or for transporting on trucks.

Picture: Torwegge

The third truck nomination goes to the brand new EPH 125 DTFV from UniCarriers. The new flagship from the Swedish manufacturer, which has only been available for two months, has been developed for order picking tasks both outside aisles and for reaching great lifting heights in rail-guided or induction-guided aisles. With its powerful 48-volt AC motor and a load center of 600 mm over a lifting capacity of 1,250 kg, the EPH demonstrates its strengths above all in intensive operation and at extreme heights of up to 12.1 meters. Innovative detail: the fold-back mast simplifies delivery considerably.

"Special Vehicle" nominated by Crown, kickTrike and Still

The jury also made three nominations in the Special Vehicle category. The first nomination goes to the WAV 60 from Crown, which was launched in May 2016. The multifunctional device is used where ladders are usually used, such as in confined and high-traffic environments in retail or production. The "electric ladder" reaches speeds of up to 8 km/h, travels and lifts simultaneously and reaches reach heights of up to five meters.

Picture: Still

The second nomination goes to the start-up kickTrike for its electric transporter of the same name. The first intralogistics e-bike has been on the market since November 2016 and transports everything except pallets weighing up to 170 kilograms. The kickTrike reaches 25 km/h, is foldable and the exchangeable battery can be swapped in 20 seconds. Part of the concept is the fun factor, which is intended to ensure intuitive operation and greater efficiency.

Another nomination goes to the Hamburg-based manufacturer Still for the special design of a tugger train with automatic loading and unloading for oversized load carriers up to 1200 x 2400 millimetres. On behalf of a British transmission manufacturer, Still developed a new LiftRunner C frame with two electrically controlled, telescopic fork pairs, each with a load capacity of up to 1,000 kg. The automated tugger train replaces two front loaders.

Nominated in the "Automated guided vehicle systems" category: SSI Schäfer and Torwegge

SSI Schaefer and its cooperation partner Identytec won a nomination with the Automated Driverless Delivery (ADD) concept for fully automated replenishment control with automated guided vehicles (AGVs). This is a 2-stack AGV which, combined with Auto-ID technologies and a software-based eKanban, creates a completely closed control loop for small and large load carriers (SLCs/ GLTs) in production and warehouse logistics.

Picture: SSI Schäfer

Torwegge received the second nomination for its modular TORsten underride AGV. The AGV, which is only 210 mm high, can transport all standard industrial load carriers and individual components weighing up to seven tons thanks to its different platforms. TORsten navigates autonomously in space and plans its routes independently using a 2D layout of its surroundings. The most striking feature of TORsten is the omnidirectional drive concept from SEW Eurodrive. This not only enables movement in confined spaces, but also turns around its own axis.

"Special of the Year" finalists: Jungheinrich, Still, UniCarriers

The jury makes three nominations in the Special of the Year category. The prize is awarded for a component or a technical detail. Jungheinrich makes it to the final with its intelligent system for easy localization of industrial trucks within the warehouse. The Jungheinrich indoor localization system makes it possible to create position-based reports and analyses of all forklift movements, both live and retrospectively. Each forklift truck is equipped with a smartphone which, in conjunction with several beacons installed throughout the warehouse, calculates the respective position of the forklift truck and transmits the data directly to a server. The web application can be used to view the truck's position immediately and at any time, along with a wide range of evaluations based on this data.

Picture: Kicktrike

With its self-cooling PowerPlusLife battery, Still has won its third nomination this year. Conventional lead-acid batteries quickly reach their physical limits in very tough applications and in three-shift operation. Even the use of one or two interchangeable batteries can sometimes not achieve sufficient cooling cycles. The patented reduction of the operating temperature by up to 20 degrees significantly increases performance and extends the service life by up to two years, even in the toughest applications.

UniCarriers wins another nomination for its ergonomic alternative to the dead man's switch. To ensure operator safety, order picking vehicles are equipped with a dead man's switch. However, operators unconsciously exert more pressure with the foot that actuates the dead man's switch, which leads to one-sided strain, especially in order picking trucks with a wide working platform. UniCarriers has developed a system that equips the floor plate with sensors across the entire surface and thus replaces a dead man's switch.

The winner of each category is chosen by a jury of 25 renowned trade journalists and the leading logistics media in 16 countries around the world.

The IFOY will be awarded on the opening evening of the world's leading logistics trade fair transport logistic on May 9 in the BMW World, Munich.

www.ifoy.org