New Narrow Aisle Stacker from Jungheinrich

Apr 04, 2013 Warehousing Ireland Materials Handling 0

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— EFX 410-413 Takes Full Advantage of Warehouse Navigation System

Transponder technology forms the basis for outfitting Jungheinrich’s “small” narrow aisle stacker with the Jungheinrich warehouse navigation system. Users now stand to benefit from higher throughput rates — up to 25 percent more.

In March 2013 Jungheinrich is unveiling its new EFX 410-413 truck. This is an electric front seat/trilateral stacker with a lift height of up to 7 metres. “This truck represents an ‘entry model’ for the narrow aisle warehouse,” explains Sebastian Riedmaier, Head of Product Management for Warehousing and Systems at Jungheinrich. A completely new feature of this truck generation consists of its JXP control system based on RFID technology — already successfully applied to “big” narrow aisle stackers for several years now.

The new technology makes it possible for the EFX 410-413 to take full advantage of the Jungheinrich warehouse navigation system, as the new stacker can now communicate with customer-specific warehouse management systems — something its “larger cousin”, the EKX 513-515, has been able to do since 2008. A logistics interface allows for communication of information from the warehouse management system to the control system of the narrow aisle stacker.

Shortest Route to Destination

The warehouse management system issues storage and picking instructions to the truck. The driver heads for the aisle where the relevant item is stored. The approach to the target position in the aisle is then controlled automatically by the navigation system. “The driver only needs to accelerate and the truck takes the shortest route, at optimum speed and the lowest possible energy consumption,” comments Sebastian Riedmaier. “Our experience over the past few years reveals that by using warehouse navigation, throughput rates can be increased by up to 25 percent,” he says. Apart from higher throughput rates, the design offers enhanced process security, as it prevents incorrect storage. Security scans are no longer needed for each stacker operation, and the navigation system reports the correct storage completion via Wi-Fi to the warehouse management system.

The latest generation of Jungheinrich three-phase AC drive technology is responsible for the new stacker’s high degree of energy efficiency. According to Riedmaier, this technology, developed in-house, is what ensures that “Jungheinrich stackers can do significantly more while consuming less energy.” Regenerative braking and feeding the energy back in when lowering loads adds up to a substantial amount of reclaimed energy. And an active battery management system optimizes power flows and protects the battery. The advantage for the operator in a word: full operation over two shifts without the need for battery changing.

The EFX 410-413 is also flexible, as it can be used in a controlled mode in narrow aisles or driven freely in a wide aisle setting. “This stacker is nimble and flexible in the pre-zone,” continues Riedmaier, adding: “It can even be used to unload lorries!” Due to the front seat design design, the truck can be used like a “normal” counterbalanced stacker. The mast is positioned sideways, ensuring an unobstructed view of the aisle and load.

Jungheinrich ranks among the world’s leading companies in the material handling equipment, warehousing and material flow engineering sectors. The company is an intralogistics service and solution provider with manufacturing operations, which offers its customers a comprehensive range of forklift trucks, shelving systems, services and advice. Jungheinrich shares are traded on all German stock exchanges.

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