 Peter Woodridge MD of Flexi Narrow Aisle |
By Bill RedmondCemat, the pre-eminent materials handling show for Europe, opened in Hanover, Germany, on 2 May for five days in an optimistic mode following one of the sharpest recessions in more than 50 years.
The optimism appears justified, judging by reactions Forkliftaction.com News's UK correspondent Bill Redmond found while visiting exhibitors on the first two days. More than 1,100 exhibitors are present on about 80,000 sqm of display area, and Wolfgang Pech, Senior Vice President at show organiser Deutsche Messe AG, can take comfort that the intralogistics industry, a theme of the show, did not misplace its confidence in Cemat 2011 to "deliver the goods".
This report examines new products and services at Cemat. Next week's edition will cover the state of the global forklift industry and future developments as seen by some exhibitors.
There was much evidence of hybrid forklifts, despite lithium-ion batteries being up to four times the cost of lead-acid batteries. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched what it claims is the world's first hybrid electric/diesel forklift based on a lithium-ion battery. Marijn Nijhof, marketing communications coordinator, says the forklift has already been sold in Japan but needs to be modified for the European market so will be unavailable there until 2012. The company also showed a new laser-guided AGV, the ATX, from its subsidiary, Rocla, aimed at the order picking function and supported by new Rocla MetRo warehouse management software.
Still Materials Handling said it launched the first diesel/electric hybrid forklift at the 2008 Cemat show and "ours is the first that is sellable now", says Still's Harald Gelson, product manager for IC forklifts. Two have already been sold in Germany and the forklift is ready for commercial production.
 Hyster container handling trucks |
Hyster had 10 new forklift designs at Cemat aimed at addressing environmental and economic issues. Its front axles on reach stackers, for example, reduce wheel scrub, thus cutting costly tyre replacements, while load-sensing hydraulics in its volume IC forklifts cut fuel consumption by 15%. Decibel readings are significantly lower, "so economy and environment are the basic considerations and we have addressed those at this show", said David Rowell, senior product marketing manager at Nacco Materials Handling Group, Hyster's parent.
The world's number two forklift producer, Linde, had many new electric forklifts on show. Two in particular are worth singling out. They are the K family of VNA man-up forklifts, lifting 1.5 tonne loads to more than 16m. They will be available after September. The other development is a driver's cab that rotates 90 degrees, making it far less stressful to drive backwards when obscuring loads make forward driving a safety issue. It will be an option for all IC forklifts in the 2-8 tonne range.
Clark Europe chose Cemat to launch its new generation of electric, four-wheel forklifts, the GEX 40-50 range, a new load class with four, 4.5 and five tonne load capacities. They have two drive motors, 100% AC technology and maintenance-free wet disk brakes, which makes them suitable for aggressive food processing industries, in particular.
Jungheinrich unveiled an interesting development for wide-aisle navigation, which means drivers cannot take a wrong turn unless being deliberately perverse. Based on GPS, it uses barcodes in overhead racking to tell drivers which way to turn. The company also has a lithium-ion battery-powered small pallet forklift now in commercial production.
 EP's very small powered pallet truck |
Although not showing new products, the articulated forklift exhibitors, Flexi Narrow Aisle and Translift Bendi, through its German agent, LOC, were heartened by the show's power to attract potential business. E-P, a Chinese forklift producer with more than 10 years of European sales, was likewise impressed by the first two days and it is clear the huge presence of so many Chinese forklift companies, like LiuGong, Shangli, Tailift, Ningbo Ruyi and Maximal Forklift, is testimony to the importance they put on Cemat as the premier showcase for Europe.
 Ken Biediger, Forklift Product Manager, Luigong |
Ways of extending forklifts' usefulness include many attachments and, like the trucks themselves, they see constant improvements. Bolzoni Auramo, for example, had two new products on show, an intelligent carton clamp and the Black Box, designed to determine the cause and exact time of possible paper reel damage throughout the logistics chain. The clamp uses laser and ultrasonic sensors to detect a load's type and configuration, thus defining the correct hydraulic pressure in the clamping cylinders. The Black Box, with the help of a GPS, indicates if a paper reel has been subjected to extensive accelerations from dropping, hitting or other accidents. The Black Box is hidden in the paper reel's core before wrapping.
In hazardous atmospheres and when transporting hazardous products, forklifts without proper protection can cause fiery explosions. Until now, explosion-proof forklifts depended on one of two prevention systems, a pellistor or infra-red detection. Now Pyroban has combined the two in its new system 6,000, a zone 2 solution for all types of diesel and electric forklifts. Operators can choose infra-red or pellistor gas sensing to suit the application.
Batteries are a costly part of any electric forklift, especially where multi-shift working requires standby batteries. A new product from TVH Parts NV should interest battery users. Called Energic Replus, it revives old batteries by dealing with the sulphation problem that typically restricts battery life to 4-5 years. TVH claims it will add at least two years to a battery's life.