The finalists for this year's IFOY Awards include 13 products and solutions from BYD, Jungheinrich, Liebherr, J. D. Neuhaus, STILL, Gebr. Schulte, Wegard and Witron.

In February, the finalists will compete in the second round at the international IFOY Test Days on the premises of IFOY partner CeMAT.

"What is special about the IFOY test series is that the finalists are not compared with each other, (but) with their competitors' devices on the market. Only those who surpass their direct competitors in terms of innovation are among the best in the world," explains Anita Würmser, chairperson of the IFOY jury.

In addition, jurors from all over the world, including Forkliftaction News editor Allan Leibowitz, travel to Hannover to test the nominated devices themselves.

This year's finalists in the Counterbalanced Truck category are BYD ECB50C and the brand-new STILL RX 20 electric forklift.

Jungheinrich received two nominations in the Warehouse Truck category: the ECE 225 easyPILOT Follow and the EZS 7280 tow tractor. Also in contention are the Still OPX-L 16 horizontal order picker and a modular tugger train of the Hamburg-based start-up Wegard.

A new award this year, the Crane and Lifting Appliance category, has two finalists: a 500-mini air hoist from J. D. Neuhaus and Liebherr's MK 140 electric mobile construction crane.

The jury has selected three finalists in this year's Special of the Year category: Jungheinrich's SLH 300 cross-technology battery-charging system, MULTIplus shelves from Schulte Lagertechnik, and STILL's EASY Drive steering wheel developed for the OPX horizontal order picker.

In the Integrated Warehouse Solution category, two suppliers were nominated: Jungheinrich for the expansion of the Keller & Kalmbach central warehouse, and Witron Logistik + Informatik GmbH for the Migros Distribution Center Suhr AG in Switzerland.