With the PowerCube compact warehouse and the addedVIEW fork tine camera, Jungheinrich triumphs twice at the IFOY 2023 and proves its innovation power.
Dortmund - The International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Awards 2023 ceremony took place yesterday in Dortmund, Germany. Jungheinrich was able to assert itself with two products in a strong field of 23 nominations. Both the ultra-compact PowerCube storage system and the innovative addedVIEW fork camera with barcode scanning received the much-coveted awards in their respective categories.
The Jungheinrich PowerCube, an automated compact container warehouse for the particularly compact storage and order picking of small parts as well as unit loads, won in the "Intralogistics Robots" category. The modular racking system of the PowerCube accommodates totes that are are stacked in vertical channels up to 12 m high. This system height enables particularly space-efficient tote storage in a very small area.
The addedVIEW fork camera from Jungheinrich triumphed in the "Special of the Year" category. With its ability to read barcodes directly at the storage location and compare them with the specifications of the warehouse management system, the camera enables a significant minimisation of storage and retrieval errors and thus increases efficiency and safety in the warehouse. By placing the fully digital camera in the fork, the locations of goods movement and scanning converge. Receipting is carried out in a particularly ergonomic way via a button directly on the steering wheel.
Jungheinrich Chief Sales Officer Christian Erlach is delighted with the awards in not only one but two categories: "With these two victories at the IFOY Awards 2023, Jungheinrich is once again underlining its position as a leading company in the development of innovative and efficient intralogistics solutions. We are very proud of this recognition. With the Jungheinrich PowerCube and the addedVIEW fork camera, we offer our customers innovative solutions that increase their competitiveness and significantly improve efficiency in the warehouse."
Jungheinrich addedVIEW fork camera
Accurate documentation of the storage and retrieval of goods is crucial in any warehouse. Errors in the deployment or storage of goods in the warehouse management system (WMS) can lead to serious problems – from incorrectly allocated storage locations and unexpected search times to returns and loss of goods. To effectively address this challenge, Jungheinrich has developed the addedVIEW fork camera with barcode scanner. It is able to read barcodes directly at the storage location and compare them with the specifications of the WMS. This enables immediate and accurate identification and thus the avoidance of errors before they even enter the system. By integrating this technology into the warehouse process, companies can significantly reduce the number of incorrect bookings and stock placements, resulting in a considerable increase in efficiency.
The addedVIEW fork camera is fully digital and features full HD resolution, broadband automotive Ethernet data transmission and software to transfer the results to any WMS. For the Jungheinrich WMS, the product is equipped with additional intelligence. This makes it possible to recognise whether the correct or incorrect barcode is located in front of the tine by means of coloured overlays in the camera image as the forklift passes by. In addition to the advantages for the warehouse management, the forklift drivers benefit from the significantly improved image quality as well as the ergonomic receipting function directly on the steering wheel. Overall, the fully digital fork camera addedVIEW eliminates hidden search and error costs for customers. The process becomes faster, more reliable and thus significantly more cost-effective per pallet.
Jungheinrich PowerCube
Due to the ultra-compact vertical arrangement of the containers, the PowerCube makes ideal use of the storage space and achieves a storage density four times higher than a conventional shelf racking system. The system height of up to 12 m makes the PowerCube the highest compact storage system in its class. This creates space in the warehouse that can be used for assortment expansion or other purposes. The Jungheinrich PowerCube is also unique on the market in terms of flexibility. The automatic compact storage system for small containers can be set up on normal industrial floors without time-consuming reworking, such as milling and sanding, and can therefore be easily integrated into existing warehouses. Since the shuttles move under the containers, the PowerCube can be easily adapted upwards to different building heights and structures. If necessary, it can also be connected to an individually planned conveyor system.
The newly developed PowerCube shuttles move at a maximum speed of 4 m/s and an acceleration of up to 2 m/s². They can simultaneously transport two containers with a payload of 50 kg each inside the PowerCube. This expands and facilitates the application in terms of article range, accelerates reorganisation processes and maximises the throughput per shuttle. At the same time, the shuttles are able to move automatically in the level below the PowerCube shelf. Due to the scalable number of shuttles, the throughput of the PowerCube can be flexibly adjusted in case of increasing demand, seasonal peaks or an expansion of the assortment. Thanks to their high-performance lithium-ion batteries, which are temporarily charged at the workstations during operation, the shuttles are ready for use 24 hours a day without downtime. This ensures a high system throughput and makes the batteries an important reason for the PowerCube's strong performance. Another plus point: as the shuttles can be removed from the PowerCube at floor level for maintenance work, no maintenance platform is required, unlike with competitor systems.
With the PowerCube, Jungheinrich combines efficient processes and innovative hardware with the aid of state-of-the-art software technology. The advantages here include simple connection to the customer's existing IT infrastructure and the design of the software for maximum flexibility in terms of process and performance requirements. With the PowerCube, Jungheinrich presents an integrated and holistic approach to the future of compact container storage and delivers on its promise of a new dimension of efficiency in the warehouse.
About the IFOY Award
The IFOY Award ("International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year") stands for efficiency and innovation and is considered the definitive innovation award in intralogistics due to its technical expertise. An independent jury of leading international trade journalists selects the winners on the basis of a three-stage IFOY audit. In addition to a standardised IFOY test, this also includes the IFOY Innovation Check, which is carried out by specialists from the Fraunhofer IML, the University of Dresden, the Technical University of Munich and the Fraunhofer IPA. The sponsor of the IFOY Award, which is under the patronage of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, is the Association for Materials Handling and Intralogistics within the VDMA. With now a total of twelve wins since 2013, Jungheinrich is among the best list of IFOY winners.