CPT International 4/2019
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LOGISTICS<br />
environment.” Alexander Heimburger,<br />
Sales Manager at the Still branch in Freiburg<br />
and in charge of the forklift fleet<br />
project confirms that “These optimization<br />
potentials came up during the<br />
intensive consultation sessions. In addition,<br />
the service life of the lead-acid cells<br />
was only four years due to maintenance<br />
being carried out in the dusty foundry<br />
environment and because of the necessary<br />
interim charging. The wet-cell batteries<br />
of the industrial trucks also lose<br />
part of their capacity when the vehicles<br />
are used infrequently and irregularly. On<br />
the other hand, the constant voltage of<br />
the maintenance-free li-ion batteries, i.e.<br />
full performance during extremely long<br />
service lives, is impressive. Depending on<br />
the vehicle’s equipment and demands,<br />
use of li-ion technology can be amortized<br />
after just one or two years.”<br />
The hydraulic system of the RX 70’s tilting device is protected against flying sparks and<br />
falling casting residues.<br />
Forklift fleet fits as if tailor-made<br />
During the last four years, about 50 RX<br />
60 electric forklift trucks with a load<br />
capacity of from 2.5 to 5.0 tonnes have<br />
been in use for approximately 15,000<br />
hours each without any significant failures.<br />
With its heavy castings, the<br />
foundry is a classic deployment location<br />
for forklift transport vehicles. With 50<br />
different load carriers available, the RX<br />
60 ‘endurance runners’ are responsible<br />
for most of the material flow within the<br />
works. “Safety has top priority at Fondium.<br />
The last time we changed the<br />
vehicles we increased the protection for<br />
the roof bars, added a protective grid<br />
to the cabin roofs, and mounted skirting<br />
boards on the driver’s cabin in response<br />
to the collisions. In addition, all<br />
the front-loaders were equipped with<br />
Safety Light 4Plus because pedestrians<br />
notice the forklifts quicker and have<br />
more time to react thanks to the direction-indicating<br />
function of the sequential<br />
illumination, made up of four light<br />
points,” notes Sascha Heim, the Still<br />
salesman responsible for Fondium.<br />
Intensive planning and vehicle configuration<br />
is necessary in advance of such<br />
optimizations. Together with the managers<br />
of the various departments, the<br />
foundry’s logistics team evaluated the<br />
results of such analyses in detail.<br />
Manuel Veser: “In many intensive discussions<br />
we found again and again that<br />
an optimum composition of our fleet<br />
would only be possible if the relevant<br />
areas in the works departments collaborated.<br />
Together with Still, and exploiting<br />
Mathis Märgner’s many years of<br />
experience in customized forklift fleets,<br />
we were able to implement the configurations<br />
of the versatile vehicles in<br />
many work steps so that we could ultimately<br />
order a forklift fleet from Still<br />
that was customized for our needs.”<br />
When the going gets tough<br />
Five robust RX 70-50600 vehicles are<br />
used for the heavy transports in the<br />
melting shop. The diesel forklifts from<br />
Still combine dynamic maneuverability<br />
with modern hybrid drive control for<br />
particularly low consumption. Over the<br />
years a total of 18 special modifications<br />
have been made to the compact diesel<br />
forklifts to meet the tough demands of<br />
the foundry. So, for example, the windscreen<br />
is a non-convex heat protection<br />
screen mounted in a steel frame. The<br />
wings are made of metal, and the headlights<br />
and tilt cylinder are equipped<br />
with a metal cage to protect the front<br />
wheels against flying sparks. An additional<br />
heat protection pane has been<br />
added above the cabin pane on the<br />
right of the driver’s cabin.<br />
The hydraulic system of the RX 70<br />
tilting device attachment is also protected<br />
against flying sparks and falling casting<br />
residues. The tilt mechanism can be<br />
safely operated from the driver’s cabin<br />
without the need to leave it.<br />
Another example is the customized<br />
RX 60-25 swivel-seat forklift. Three of<br />
these forklift variants are used for the<br />
long transport routes. When reversing,<br />
an ergonomic sitting position is provided<br />
by 45-degree rotation of the driver’s<br />
seat and duplicate acceleration<br />
and brake pedals. So internal works<br />
transports can easily be carried out driving<br />
backwards. Reversing is also safer<br />
during transport thanks to the enlarged<br />
field of view.<br />
Well-organized service<br />
and maintenance<br />
Two Still mechanics are constantly available<br />
at the customer workshop in two<br />
shifts from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the<br />
remaining time and at weekends, a service<br />
technician from Still can be at the<br />
works within two hours thanks to the<br />
agreed on-call service. Additional<br />
standby vehicles are also available for<br />
particularly important forklifts.<br />
“Together with the works logistics<br />
team, we have set up an efficient<br />
on-site service as part of our shop floor<br />
management. Whereby all work-specific<br />
information is comprehensibly shown<br />
on a board so we can quickly gain an<br />
overview of the order processes and<br />
tasks in the workshop. Weekly feedback<br />
meetings complement this efficient<br />
organization,” explains Alexander<br />
Heimburger. The immediate result is the<br />
extremely high level of industrial truck<br />
availability of about 90 percent.<br />
Summary<br />
Robust, ergonomic, maneuverable and<br />
comfortably equipped forklifts are<br />
required to handle the extreme stresses<br />
with the uneven surfaces in the dusty<br />
environment of the foundry. Manuel<br />
Veser sums up: “The basis for the good<br />
collaboration with Still is the RX 60<br />
‘endurance runner’. We have had very<br />
positive results with these reliable topclass<br />
forklifts over many years. In addition,<br />
extensive optimization potentials<br />
have been opened up with the Still<br />
FleetManager and the maintenance-free<br />
li-ion warehouse trucks.”<br />
www.fondium.eu<br />
Redaktionsbüro Gerd Knehr,<br />
Gerd Knehr, Reutlingen<br />
38