The names of the winners of the International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award 2015 were, as always, a well-kept secret. When the congratulatory speakers announced the names of the recipients at the IFOY Award Night at BMW World in Munich, the celebrations began. Jungheinrich, Still and UniCarriers won the prestigious IFOY Awards in four categories, and the metal and glass trophies were presented to the delighted recipients to the accompaniment of applause from the 160 invited guests.
14 machines and solutions made it through to the final round this year, more than ever before. “There was intense discussion, heated debate, and in the end it was the most difficult decision the IFOY jury has ever had to make”, said Anita Würmser, Executive Chairperson of the IFOY Jury during the award ceremony at BMW World in Munich. She added that this underlines the high technical quality of the shortlisted finalists. With this year’s decision, the jury has also laid down a market for electromobility and multifunctionality in intralogistics.
Victory in the category of Counter Balanced Trucks up to 3.5 tons went to the EFG S30s three-ton electric forklift from Jungheinrich. The key factor in the decision of the jury was the completely overhauled workplace featuring numerous innovations. “Jungheinrich was thinking ahead when it developed the new EFG S30s”, said the jury, going on to say that the EFG S30s is an extremely driver-friendly machine with predictable handling that makes for a very comfortable ride. The jury called the EFG S30s a perfect all-rounder for the mass market, with an ergonomically and intelligently designed workplace that meets the needs of the new generation of drivers. The easy and automatic battery change function and the “Pure Energy” technology concept permitting two-shift duty without the need to change the battery are further innovative features that have not been implemented in such a systematic way before.
An electric forklift also led the field in the category of Counter Balanced Trucks from 3.5 tons. The jury selected the RX 60-80 eight-ton electric forklift from Still as the best truck of the year, placing particular emphasis on the high degree of innovation. “In this performance class, the series-produced RX 60-80 with electric drive represents a clear innovation providing significant benefits for the customer”, is the verdict of the jury, who added that the RX 60-80 shows that the trend towards electric forklifts has now finally arrived in the high-performance segment.
In addition to offering numerous ergonomic innovations, the eight-tonner impressed the jury above all with its power and agility. The maintenance-free and encapsulated drive unit complete with multidisk brakes make the 80-volt truck the ideal machine for combined indoor and outdoor use.
In a head-to-head finish, the Tergo URS from UniCarriers carried the day in the “Warehouse Truck” category. The combined narrow aisle and reach truck impressed the jury with its multifunctionality and its forward-looking ergonomic concept. In the words of the jury, “with the Tergo URS, UniCarriers combines the benefits of high warehouse density and reduced handling requirements, and also sets a benchmark in terms of ergonomic design. Operating characteristics are highly responsive and predictable, and meet the current market demand for efficiency and ergonomics in a unique way”.
Still picked up a second IFOY Award for its general contractor project for the intralogistics concept for the new raw materials warehouse of Kuraray Europe GmbH. The key factor in the decision of the jury was the innovative combination of AGVs with a pallet shuttle system as well as the link-up of automatic and manually operated units. The jury said that Still succeeded in installing a fully functioning, failsafe 24/7 solution with state-of-the-art technology for Kuraray in the record time of just nine weeks, adding that this solution sets a new benchmark with an outstanding amortisation time of three years. This is “an extremely intelligent intralogistics solution with significant benefits for the customer”, said the jury, emphasising that, with the Kuraray project, Still has set a benchmark for the future in the field of warehouse planning and design.
The winners of the IFOY Award are selected once a year by an independent jury of leading international trade journalists. A neutral test and a scientific “innovation check” form the basis for assessment by the jury. Both test series compare the finalists with their respective competitors. Since 2013, the IFOY Award has become established as a benchmark for cost efficiency and innovation. Due to the specialised expertise it represents, it is seen as the most important innovation award in intralogistics. The sponsor of the IFOY Award, presented under the patronage of the German Ministry of Economics and Energy, is the VDMA Materials Handling and Logistics Systems Sector Association. The official logistics partner of the IFOY Award is Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, and the IFOY partner is CeMAT, the leading international trade fair for intralogistics in Hannover.
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