IFOY 2016: Three Crown Products Nominated

Jan 31, 2016 Warehousing Ireland Events, Materials Handling, News Comments Off on IFOY 2016: Three Crown Products Nominated

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The Crown C-5 LPG-powered counterbalanced lift truck with hard cabin, the Crown RT 4020 stand-up rider pallet truck, and Crown’s QuickPick® Remote solution configured for Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo Supermarkten have all been nominated for 2016 IFOY Awards.

Crown, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, earned nominations recently for three International Forklift of the Year (IFOY) Awards in 2016 by the international IFOY jury. Nominations include the Crown C-5 LPG-powered counterbalanced lift truck with hard cabin, Crown RT 4020 stand-up rider pallet truck, and Crown QuickPick® Remote solution configured for Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo Supermarkten.

“Our primary goal is to develop high quality, safe, reliable products and solutions that deliver real-world benefits and added value for our customers,” explains Ken Dufford, Crown Vice President Europe. “The fact that we have once again been nominated for this international award – and in three categories – is a tangible example of our global commitment to improving customer efficiency, productivity and safety.”

Crown’s innovative C-5 gas-powered lift truck is equipped with a Crown-built industrial 2.4-litre engine, plus a high-performance powertrain with up to five years warranty and a precise, dual-radiator cooling system that separately cools engine and transmission. The C-5 can also be fitted with an optional hard cabin to provide operators with a more comfortable working environment with an all-round view. The new lift-truck series prioritises total reliability and productivity-boosting efficiency. The truck is designed as a solution to the most demanding and specialised tasks – indoors and out.

Crown’s RT 4020 stand-up rider pallet truck has a lift capacity of up to two tonnes and combines robust, high-performance lift-truck technology with innovative safety features. Characterised by exceptional responsiveness and reliability, the new model is ideal for fast-paced dock work. It also is highly manoeuvrable, even in very confined spaces. Crown’s AC motor is capable of powerful acceleration and travel speeds of up to 12.5 km/h. To protect operators and keep them comfortable and productive, the truck is equipped with a suspended floorboard and a wraparound, soft-foam lean pad. The truck can also be configured with right-hand or left-hand steering, depending on customer preferences.

Jumbo Supermarkten is the largest privately owned supermarket chain in the Netherlands, with more than 580 stores nationwide. Crown configured a QuickPick® Remote solution for the company that has streamlined order-picking operations, significantly enhancing Jumbo’s ability to make deliveries on time. Although Jumbo previously ran trials with AGVs, the company found they only produced marginal improvements in productivity, so the supermarket chain opted for Crown’s semi-automated solution instead. The QuickPick system, which can cost-effectively be integrated into existing working environments, combines GPC 3000 low-level order pickers with an intuitive remote control device.

By implementing QuickPick® Remote, Jumbo improved productivity by 7.5 percent while simultaneously enhancing employees’ job satisfaction. While achieving higher pick performance, operators have been able to reduce the number of movements involved in picking operations, meaning they can now achieve more picks with less physical effort. Martijn Vogelzang, Project Manager at Jumbo, says: “Trialling a fleet of Crown GPC 3000 order pickers optimised with QuickPick Remote resulted in significant productivity improvements and less physical effort for the operators at the Veghel distribution centre, so the decision was fairly straightforward.”

The names of the winners of the IFOY Award 2016 competition will be revealed at the CeMAT opening gala in Hanover on May 31, 2016.

In 2013, Crown took the top IFOY award in the “Forklift Truck Solutions” category for the company’s wireless fleet and operator management system, InfoLink®. In 2014, Crown’s QuickPick® Remote order-picking technology won an award in the “Warehouse Trucks” category.

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