Linde Roadster at FCS

Linde Material Handling has delivered its first Roadsters to Frankfurt Cargo Services GmbH (FCS) at CargoCity South at Frankfurt airport.
 
Designed without the A-pillar on the left and right, the Roadster offers the driver a comprehensive field of view of the driving path environment and the load.

FCS is the first customer to be supplied with the first serial production trucks - a total of six Roadster trucks with a load capacity of 3 T and 6 m standard mast have been providing valuable services at the airport since the end of last year, especially in the tricky loading of air freight pallets.

"Some of my colleagues at FCS first saw the Linde Roadster at a trade show and immediately realised that the open design is an optimal solution for us," says Steffen Kuhn, head of infrastructure, quality and project management at FCS.

"Pilot testing was extremely positive. All the drivers who worked with the truck during these six months were impressed. So it was quite clear that we would order them as soon as they went into series production," Kuhn continues.

"The correct loading of the aircraft pallets is extremely important for the airlines as it ensures that nothing can slip and gets damaged in the aircraft cargo hold," explains Oliver Pschorn, industrial truck manager at FCS. "Normally, we therefore need a freight assistant on site to help the truck driver. With the Linde Roadster, in many cases, this is no longer necessary as the driver has such an excellent view. This saves us time and money that we can now use elsewhere."

With the Roadster, Linde has a unique selling point that cannot readily be copied by any other manufacturer. As Daniel Butte, head of product management forklift trucks at Linde, explains, the design is based on the overhead tilt cylinders of the Linde counterbalance forklift trucks. These absorb the forces acting on the mast during operation and direct them backwards via the overhead guard frame.