The test camp, held this week in Dortmund as part of the international "Forklift of the Year" award, provided the "best possible stage" for a successful celebration, further boosted by the enthusiastic participation of the Minister of Economic Affairs. Switzerland, represented across borders by Kemaro and Ferag, made its presence felt.
Before the winners of the international intralogistics competition are announced on June 22nd, the jury, comprised of 25 specialist journalists from around the world, met in several sessions and witnessed demonstrations of numerous materials handling, automation, and software solutions on site. Among these, a special category in the exhibition area included, for the first time, a whole range of exoskeletons, power suits, and ergonomic support applications designed to prevent health risks associated with repetitive manual lifting.
Twenty-three of the nominees for the IFOY Award received certificates from Steffen Bersch, CEO of SSI and current chairman of the materials handling and intralogistics division of the VDMA (German Engineering Federation). This is considered an honor in itself. The recipients include a number of well-known companies as well as startups, ranging from newcomers like Agilox to Combilift, Continental, Jungheinrich, Still, Crown, and Raymond.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Economic Affairs, Mona Neubaur, had the opportunity, after donning safety shoes with the required steel toe caps for self-protection, to personally steer several industrial trucks along predetermined paths. 1MRobotics withdrew from the preliminary rounds after the performance figures and innovations for an automated nano-fulfillment center claimed in their application could not be verified due to a lack of data.
It was regrettable that the start-up "sereact" could not be admitted to the IFOY test in time for safety reasons due to a COVID-19 outbreak and had to withdraw from the competition.
The IFOY audit typically begins with the scientific Innovation Check, conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund, the Chair of Technical Logistics at the University of Dresden, the Chair of Materials Handling, Material Flow and Logistics at the Technical University of Munich, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart. The scientists provide assessments of the finalists regarding market relevance, customer benefits, design, and degree of innovation. They also verify the innovations claimed by the manufacturers and, through a comprehensive technology comparison, determine whether these are innovative developments, new compositions, or genuine innovations.
The second part of the audit consists of a survey with practical assessment and a practical test conducted by the office of intralogistics expert Theo Egberts. The Dutchman measures the hard facts and compares them with those of relevant competitor products. The devices undergo individually tailored driving or functional tests, including a test protocol comprising around 80 criteria that determines the economic efficiency and energy efficiency, sustainability, safety, and ergonomics of the equipment.
Photos: klk
The audit concludes with an evaluation by the jury and its advisors, including logistics trainer Martin Schmid, also CTO of the Swiss-based online platform LogisticsInnovation.org, the author, and vice-juror Christian Doepgen, editor-in-chief of the International Transport Journal ITJ (Basel). Final voting takes place electronically and is encrypted via access authorization.
The closely guarded secret of who will ultimately receive one of the "Oscars of Intralogistics" in 2023 will only be revealed on June 22nd at the award ceremony in Dortmund.
(Detailed test reports to follow)
Klaus Koch
