The International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Awards represent the Oscars of supply chain management. These 25 products stand to gain glory in the 2023 awards!
A total of 25 products from 23 companies have been nominated for the 2023 IFOY Awards. These finalists will undergo the IFOY audit at Test Camp Intralogistics at Messe Dortmund from March 27 to 30. Journalists from around the world – including FOCUS – will travel to Dortmund to put the finalists through their paces.
“The audit of the IFOY finalists promises a spectacular setting this year. With their selection, the jury has lined up the best of the best in intralogistics. They show where the journey of intralogistics is heading in the future: classic warehouse technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated; quick commerce, robotics, and AI are making their way into logistics; and innovative details are making warehouse life more efficient, easier, and more productive,” emphasises Anita Würmser, chairperson of the IFOY jury.
Intralogistics specialists AGILOX, Combilift, Continental, Crown, DS AUTOMOTION, HIKROBOT, IdentPro, Jungheinrich, Kemaro, Libiao Robotics, Mobile Easykey, NIMMSTA, Raymond, STILL, Volume Lagersysteme, and Youibot Robotics are all aiming to win one of the trophies. When it comes to start-ups, meanwhile, the finalists are 1MRobotics, Loady, ff Fördersysteme, HUNIC, Predimo, Sentics, and sereact.
FIVE WAREHOUSE TRUCKS NOMINATED
The jury selected a total of five manually operated warehouse trucks for the finals: three in the highlifter category and two lowlifters.
The Aisle-Master OP from Irish forklift specialist Combilift, with a lift height of 12.1 m and a load capacity of two tonnes, combines the advantages of a narrow-aisle forklift and an order picker. The forklift shows its strength in the high-performance segment and manoeuvrability in narrow aisles, for rack delivery and bulk order picking. The combi device can also be used as a conventional forklift truck with rubber tyres for indoor and outdoor applications, such as loading and unloading trucks.
The brand new SP 1500 from US supplier Crown has been nominated as a finalist before its official market launch. The completely redesigned order picker – with a reach height of 11.2 m and load capacities of up to 1.25 tonnes – has been optimised in terms of all-round visibility, performance, and speeds. With its ergonomic operator area and numerous innovative details, it is aimed not only at traditional order picking, but above all at the requirements of retail and e-commerce.
Two finalist slots have been secured by the Hamburg intralogistics specialist STILL. The company’s further developed PXV vertical order picker impressed the jury with its gripping height of 14.5 m. Equipped with numerous safety and comfort features, a person on the 1.2-tonne highlifter can reliably pick loads in both wide and narrow aisles, thanks to its compact and variable vehicle dimensions.
The jury also gave the green light to STILL’s manoeuvrable pedestrian pallet truck, the EXH 16. With a load capacity of 1.6 tonnes, this lowlifter is particularly suitable for truck transport and last-mile applications. Advantageously, the lift truck features a unique tiller head with an integrated display for intuitive handling.
US manufacturer Raymond also made it to the finals of the lowlifter category, with its 8910 End Rider Pallet Truck. The rugged 3.63-tonne capacity pallet truck was designed with a focus on energy efficiency, and can be tailored to a variety of applications including cold storage, wharves, loading and unloading, and long trips to handling centres. It incorporates numerous options for better ergonomics and more productivity.
FOUR NOMINATIONS FOR AGVS AND AMRS
The bandwidth of IFOY applicants is traditionally large and internationally diverse in the field of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) which, for some years now, have not only come from the intralogistics sector. This time, four suppliers made it to the finals.
The new AGILOX ODM (omnidirectional dolly mover) from Austrian supplier AGILOX is an intelligent logistics robot for small-load carriers weighing up to 300 kg. It does not require any additional infrastructure or navigation aids, can turn while stationary, and offers parallel driving. The first ODM can be installed in under 12 hours; each additional installation takes just 15 minutes. The core target group is the pharmaceutical and electronics industries.
The AMR IL 1200 from Continental Automotive Technologies is designed for use in warehouses or logistics centres, as well as production logistics with heavy pallets, such as those found in the automotive and metalworking industries. With its integrated lifting system and various body options, the AMR IL 1200 transports pallets weighing up to 1.2 tonnes at a speed of 2 m/s.
The F4-1000C Forklift Mobile Robot from Chinese manufacturer HIKROBOT, with a load capacity of one tonne, is an alternative to conventional warehouse forklifts and, with its positioning accuracy, is particularly suitable for 24/7 use in extremely narrow aisles, as well as for material handling in the automotive, manufacturing, and consumer electronics industries. Under the control of the in-house Robotic Control System (RCS), the F4-1000C works in tandem with other vehicles.
Also from China, the Automatic Trolley AT100 of Youibot Robotics consists of the brand-new AT100 AMR assistance picking robot and the YOUIFleet fleet management system. The intuitive combination of AMR and batch picking trolley for loads up to 100 kg manages a speed of 1,5 m/s and was developed specifically for sorting and picking tasks in existing infrastructures, as well as for workflows of retailers and 3PLs.
THREE INTRALOGISTICS ROBOTS IN THE FINAL
There are three automated warehouse systems in the intralogistics robot category.
The automated, ultra-compact, and scalable PowerCube compact warehouse system from Hamburg-based intralogistics company Jungheinrich adapts to almost any infrastructure and container dimensions. It can be used 24/7 across all industries and delivers four times the storage density of shelf racking at room heights of up to 12 m. The powerful lithium-ion shuttles can simultaneously pick up two 50-kg containers and load on the fly.
With the Airrob container handling robotic system from Chinese manufacturer Libiao Robotics, the robots can “climb” up the shelves to store, pick, sort, and move plastic containers weighing up to 35 kg. This simple and cost-effective solution is particularly suitable for micro-fulfilment centres or warehouses on a production line. Airrob focuses on e-commerce, footwear, apparel, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and production parts storage.
Volume DIVE from Volume Lagersysteme is a sophisticated robotics-based storage and picking system for heights up to 14 m. The robot can pick and deliver totes at any position without a lifter. Standard euro containers are stored as well as beverage crates, which may also be used outside the system. Although DIVE was developed for quick commerce, it is also an alternative to energy-intensive mini-load applications. Throughput can be scaled up to 4 000 containers per hour. In the smallest version, Volume DIVE takes up only 16 m².
