CPT International 4/2019

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