The compact counterbalance pallet stacker Linde L06 AC AP was developed as a customised solution.

Custom orders made up almost a third of Linde's production last year, reflecting the fastest growth segment in the business.

The company reports a significant surge in its Customised Options (CO) in the last decade, with less than 20% percent of all industrial trucks undergoing modifications on the production line in 2004.

"There has always been a certain share of customised versions, which is due to the fact that even with the large variety of products found in 85 Linde series and around 6,000 optional features, it is just not possible to meet all the specific individual requirements," says Dr. Ralf Dingeldein, vice president - new trucks at Linde MH.

"What is new, however, is that customised vehicle solutions are being ordered more and more often to achieve further cost reductions through improved material flow."

To be able to cope with the thousands of customised solutions annually, Linde MH has integrated the manufacture of these trucks into the series production process wherever possible. CO specialists accompany the process from order processing, design, development and procurement all the way through to manufacture, assembly, documentation and service, irrespective of the production plant in question.

One of the spin-offs of the CO process is that new variants are developed and added to the range.

Linde cites the example of the L06 AC AP compact counterbalance pallet stacker. This self-supporting vehicle, which can lift loads of up to 600 kg and is equipped with a stand-on platform, was developed for one of the world's largest furniture companies. In order to operate more sustainably and reduce costs at the same time, the home furnishing giant switched over to pallets made of corrugated cardboard that are 10 cm lower than the previously used wooden pallets. Therefore, it was no longer possible to use a standard pallet stacker.

"With this new customised solution, we open up a broad spectrum of applications, far beyond this individual case," says Tobias Zierhut, head of product marketing at Linde Material Handling. "Possible fields of application are found, for example, in production and assembly, or in warehouses with narrow aisles."