The Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp. has announced the introduction of a new, much more energy-efficient and versatile version of its EKX 513-515 electric man-up turret trucks to the North American market. Designed for very narrow aisle work in dense storage warehouses and distribution centers, the advent of these new 3-wheel high rack stackers is a significant development since this series also offers radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a standard feature. What users will get in this new 80V electric is impressive, says Paul Moffatt, Jungheinrich’s product manager for the vehicle. “We took the previous EKX 513-515 series and substantially improved on its method of reclaiming energy from load and cabin lowering. It’s now 30% more efficient in terms of energy recovery. And another great strength of this new model is that our engineers made the conversion of the battery’s DC power to AC considerably more efficient, giving the truck even more hours of work output per battery charge. You’ll now get up to 13 hrs. of run time vs.10 hrs. on the previous model.” Moffatt also points to the new truck’s RFID technology. “Jungheinrich has been working with RFID technology with our turret trucks for some time, but in this new model we implemented a much more advanced version of it for intelligent truck management - and it’s a standard, built-in feature. We place an RF transmitter and receiver underneath the truck and bury a small capsule-sized transponder in the warehouse floor. We can then program the capsule to be able to issue a range of commands whenever the truck passes over it -- for example, slow down, limit lift height, sound the horn, and so on. We can change virtually any driving parameter of the truck that way, with appropriate programming in the capsule. In effect, we can tailor the truck to the application. Moreover, through this technology the truck control system knows exactly where it is in the warehouse at all times. As such, we can tailor truck performance from spot to specific spot in the warehouse so that truck performance is maximized throughout the warehouse.” Other impressive features on the new truck include an electrically-adjustable operator’s console. The entire console used by the operator to lift and lower loads and drive the machine can be adjusted to a position most ergonomically suitable to the particular operator driving the truck - or to suit the operation being carried out. A press of a switch adjusts the console position, and another locks it in place. In addition, Jungheinrich can configure the truck’s mast in two or three different stages for various lift heights, as well as offer five basic chassis with a variety of axle widths. The company can also give the truck the potential to handle a variety of pallets. All of these configuration options add up to an extremely wide menu of features to choose from at the time of purchase. The advantage of this modular approach is superb adaptability to any warehousing and logistics operation. Another great feature in the EKX trucks: Jungheinrich has built motorized stabilizers into the 3-wheelers. In the past stabilizers were fixed, but on these trucks as a load is lifted higher it’s possible to power them down to the point where they’re just off the floor. This gives the trucks more rigidity in their chassis, which means they can lift a heavier load higher. The EKX trucks, like all Jungheinrich electrics, are based on the company’s proven, high torque and wear-free 3-phase AC technology. Many options are available, among them a personal protection system (PPS) to detect obstacles and pedestrians in the path of a vehicle, as well as capability for mechanical rail or inductive wire guidance, and an RFID transponder for recognition of warehouse areas.
