HHLA drone control center

Equipment and solutions from 14 intralogistics providers have been nominated Forklift of the Year Award 2021. From March 22 to 26, industrial trucks , robots, special vehicles, software, and complex warehouse technology systems were put to the test in Dortmund .

From a respectable field of 36 manufacturers, the ninth round of the has long been dubbed "Oscars of intralogistics," features not only traditional forklifts and warehouse equipment, but also numerous suppliers with a strong focus on the future. Anita Würmser, chair of the IFOY jury, considers this " a clear statement of where we're headed." Autonomization, technology, software, and holistic solutions, she believes, are "now more important than ever."

Participating companies include arculus, Cargotec Engineering, Hai Robotics , Hänel, H+E Product Development, HHLA Sky, the BMW subsidiary Ideal , Interroll, Nimmsta , Oppidum Tic , Still , Synaos , Volume Lagersysteme, and Waku Robotics. A mix that promises interesting insights.

During all participants undergo the three-stage IFOY audit at the Dortmund Trade Fair Center. Experts use standardized procedures to examine the finalists' key performance indicators. Specialists from the Dortmund-based Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), the Chair of Technical Logistics at the University of Dresden, and the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow, and Logistics (fml) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) examine their innovative value. At the end of the test camp , jurors from Europe, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa take at vehicles and take a seat behind the wheel . The coveted trophies will be awarded on May 21st at the Vienna Hofburg Palace.

The finalists

arculus it to the finals with two products and solutions : Its cross-manufacturer fleet management system enables users to operate AGVs from different manufacturers side by side via a new VDA 5050 interface, including planning and intelligent route planning based on real-time information .

Also in the running is the arculee2 . Developed for in-house production and logistics environments, this autonomous mobile robot with a payload of up to one ton is intended to bring autonomous driving and the efficiency of mass production to industrial applications. The device is controlled by a robot unit that allows over-the-air updates and fleet teach- in .

Cargotec Engineering Ireland secured a strong position in the round with the second generation of its world's first all-electric truck-mounted forklift, the Moffett E4-25.3NX ton forklift boasts numerous safety features, a fully electric three-wheel drive, and is emission-free.

Hänel has reached the final round with a warehouse solution . The warehouse technology manufacturer implemented the integration of twelve Hänel Rotomat storage lifts across two floors for MSC Technologies, a provider of embedded systems. The carousels not only connect the physical flow of goods but are also seamlessly integrated into the SAP environment. Additional benefit : The lift control system becomes an SAP terminal.

This is what a husky can look like.

H+E's HUSKi tugger train solution also made it to the finals tons , thus enabling autonomous intralogistics in the bulk goods sector.

Also nominated is the Integrated Drone Control Center from HHLA Sky , a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). This drone management system organizes all processes for operating drones and remotely controlled vehicles using a single platform and is capable of flying more than 100 drones simultaneously and beyond visual line of sight.

HAI Robotics , is represented in two finalists . First, the jury was impressed by the brand-new Haipick A42T , the world's first ACR (Autonomous Case Handling Robot) telescopic lift. This enables intelligent "goods-to-person" picking and, with its telescopic lifting function, covers a height of up to 6.50 m.

Haipick A42N model was also nominated. According to the company, the A452N is the world's first autonomous carton picking robot that enables mixed picking of cartons and totes of different sizes. The manufacturer uses 3D visual recognition technology to enable the device to locate and directly access to totes and cartons without codes.

The nomination of the newly founded BMW subsidiary IDEALworks demonstrates that an automobile manufacturer can also boast a strong position as an intralogistics provider iw.hub with its cloud-based control platform AnyFleet, can be implemented in production within two days without any structural adjustments.

's Smart Pallet Mover also made it to the finals. This new, modular, and mobile robotic solution for automating pallet transport in production machinery and order picking, designed to transport pallets or crates weighing up to 1,000 kilograms.

forklift manufacturer Still , which has already won several trophies in recent years, is operating in familiar surroundings EXH-S 25, a low-lift truck with a 2.5 t load capacity for particularly tough and confined work areas, was nominated. It is characterized by its particularly compact dimensions and can travel at speeds of up to 14 km/h. Still for its Warehouse Solution for the new production warehouse of Danfoss Power Electronics in Tinglev, Denmark: a fully coordinated combination of three automated series-production industrial trucks, each with all system components.

Interchat: Communication is key in every case.

The jury nominated five startups for the 2021 finals in the "Start-up of the Year" category. Nimmsta is competing with the HS 50 , the first back-of-the-hand scanner with a touch display that enables hands-free scanning. A platform called Logistics Interchat from Oppidum Tic to monitor compliance with social distancing regulations . Also reaching the finals is the software system Synaos Logistics from the Hanover-based startup of the same name. This solution for orchestrating factories and logistics centers using artificial intelligence and cloud technologies optimizes intralogistics processes, controls autonomous mobile robots, and optimizes routes. The fourth candidate in the final round of the start-up category is the Volume Wave , which sees itself as the world's first compact, fully automated pallet shuttle warehouse with single-location access, has a very high storage density and aims to position itself as an alternative to distribution centers with storage and retrieval machines and wide and narrow aisle warehouses.

The fifth startup finalist is Waku Sense from Waku Robotics, which can be used to evaluate and optimize the performance, reliability, and utilization of different robot types across different locations.

www.ifoy.org