• First reach truck worldwide with permanently installed lithium-ion battery
• A total of 118 lithium-ion trucks for Middle America
• To be used in a new automobile plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico

The Mexican logistics service provider Seglo Logistics, a subsidiary of the Schnellecke Group, with headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, has ordered 19 new Jungheinrich ETV 216i reach trucks. The new truck model is the first reach truck in the world with a permanently installed lithium-ion battery as a standard feature.

The order is part of a major contract covering a total of 118 lithium-ion trucks from Jungheinrich for Seglo Logistics. In addition to the reach trucks, the order includes 42 counterbalanced forklift trucks types EFG 430 and EFG 220; 50 tow tractors type EZS 350; and six horizontal order pickers type ECE 225. The Jungheinrich trucks will be used in a new automobile plant close to the central Mexican city of San Luis Potosi, with a population of about 700,000, roughly 420 kilometres north of Mexico City.

The Schnellecke Group is an internationally operating logistics service provider, specialising in added value logistics in the automotive industry. Their portfolio ranges from transport and warehousing to preassembly and Value Added Services and on to sequential production of individual parts and modules, plus packaging suitable for containers. Plans call for the automobile plant in San Luis Potosi to be equipped as a beacon of innovation where the latest available technologies will be used.

In the development of the ETV 216i, Jungheinrich consistently used the space-saving and efficiency advantages of lithium-ion technology. Because of this, the latest generation of reach trucks features significantly improved ergonomics, offering the operator greater freedom of movement and perfect all-round visibility. The result is extraordinary ease of use and maximum safety in the warehouse. Thanks to its especially compact design, the truck features maximum agility in the warehouse; compared to conventional reach trucks, the ETV 216i achieves significantly increased productivity.

Steve Richmond, Director – Logistics Systems, Jungheinrich UK, comments: “Innovation is now at the heart of successful intralogistics operations. With the demand for more flexible working and 24/7 shift operation, organisations are looking for minimum downtime, which requires shorter interim charging times and zero maintenance. One of the most important developments in the last ten years within the materials handling industry has therefore been lithium-ion and, as the launch of the Jungheinrich ETV 216i reach truck demonstrates, Jungheinrich is constantly adapting its equipment to combine the benefits of its market leading lithium-ion technology with original ergonomic design to meet customers’ evolving requirements.”