For some time now, Feldschlösschen, the largest beverage distributor in Switzerland, has been using a warning system from Elokon in areas where production and order picking employees are on foot and on industrial trucks in areas that are not spatially separated from each other.
In order to implement the vision of «ZERO Accidents» by 2030, which aims to reduce the annual accident rate to zero, Feldschlösschen, together with forklift manufacturer Jungheinrich, has opted for the radio-based environmental warning system.
The production facility at the headquarters in Rheinfelden has been expanded many times over the years, so that production now extends across several warehouses and the basement. Here, production and order picking employees move around both on foot and using forklifts in areas that are not physically separated. Particularly confusing areas, such as intersections and entrances to the transfer corridors, pose an increased risk of accidents due to the constant oncoming traffic.
“The goal was to bring our factory logistics up to the latest technological standards in terms of security, and with Elokon as a partner, which has years of experience and extensive know-how in the beverage industry, we were able to better protect our staff. In addition, the products are also manufacturer-independent, so we were able to use them for our entire forklift fleet,” explains Warehouse Manager Martin Waldmeier.
ELOshield is now in use for the preventive protection of people and vehicles in all hazardous areas of the beverage manufacturer. A total of 30 industrial trucks have been retrofitted with it.
The different functions of ELOshield were individually configured to suit the spatial conditions – for the passageways between the individual warehouses as well as for the bottling warehouse, «ELOshield» was chosen in a «Zone» variant to secure the individual danger zones.
If a forklift enters this area, the ELOshield vehicle module triggers a warning signal and automatically reduces the vehicle's speed. For pedestrians, wearable personal modules are available that emit both audible and vibration warning signals when a forklift approaches. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology ensures barrier-free protection, enabling the timely detection and warning of both people and industrial trucks, even in blind spots and around obstacles.
“In designated areas, the ELOshieldSPEED function for automatically reducing vehicle speed in situations with limited visibility was particularly important,” explains Waldmeier, adding: “Some of our forklifts can move up to 3.5 tons of goods at once. This not only poses increased risks for our personnel – a collision can quickly lead to significant material and building damage.”
Elokon, a specialist in telematics and safety systems for forklift trucks, was founded in 1986, has branches in Germany, the USA and Poland and serves customers in over 40 countries worldwide.
