The shortage of skilled workers is worsening year by year. With the forklift remote control cockpit from the start-up "enabl," whose name is no coincidence and which is nominated for the IFOY Award final, several vehicles can be operated remotely via a monitor simultaneously.
Clearly a smart idea with considerable market potential, as the jury of the International Forklift and Intralogistics of the Year Award found during the test days in March, without thereby anticipating the electronic and anonymous voting, the results of which will only be announced on July 3rd at the Phoenix des Lumieres in Dortmund.
The specially developed technology package for forklifts, featuring a sensor array and instrument panel in the cockpit, is called the "Teleoperations Workstation." The CE-certified safety system ensures consistently safe, autonomous, and remotely controlled operation of the forklift and largely prevents operator error. An additional certification according to ISO 27001, primarily to demonstrate cybersecurity, is reportedly underway.
The forklift remote control impressed the test crew, who were particularly impressed by its intuitive operation, comprehensive overview provided by the numerous well-placed cameras on the forklift, and sophisticated assistance functions. The system scales seamlessly between autonomous and assisted remote operation. Currently, automated transport is the primary capability, while more demanding handling operations are controlled remotely.
Proven technologies combined
Enable combines proven technologies (forklifts, sensors, remote control units, and order data management) in an innovative approach. At the same time, the data-centric orientation of the business model, through data collection during remotely controlled processes, offers enormous potential for the incremental expansion of autonomous functions.
There are hardly any comparable products on the market. Other manufacturers tend to focus on the complete automation of forklift processes and only use remote controls for specific applications as a backup solution with local operators.
Photo: enabl/Jungheinrich
After a short commissioning period of one to two weeks, the customer can flexibly integrate the system into all existing forklift processes and benefits from a globally deployable pool of remote drivers. The manufacturer states that the comprehensive "Material Handling as a Service" offering, which includes the forklift, automation, and remote control (including driving services) and optimizes their utilization, results in cost savings of up to 20 percent. In remote-controlled operation, at current speeds of up to 10 km/h, the system achieves performance figures of over 80 percent compared to conventionally controlled vehicles.
The market for innovative logistics concepts is experiencing strong growth, as companies increasingly rely on digital and automated solutions for process optimization. However, current automation solutions are only applicable to a very small segment of the logistics industry (reportedly less than 10%). Remote control enables remote forklifts to implement use cases in all environments where standard AGVs cannot be used.
