Precision, safety, compactness, ergonomics and environmental responsibility with optimum goods turnover performance will be among the decisive success factors in the networked logistics centers and warehouses of the future. So it’s only logical that the Hamburg based STILL GmbH, a leading supplier of customized intralogistics solutions worldwide, aligned itself to these framework conditions when developing a forward-looking generation of order pickers. Therefore the profile of the powerful new EK-X machines extends far beyond classical vertical order picking. So, thanks to state-of-the-art proportional valve technology, these precisely operating order pickers successfully achieve particularly sensitive movements and continuously variable lifting speeds - ideal for delicate goods and complex warehouses.

The very topmost aim in the development was to reconcile hard factors, such as optimum goods turnover performance and economy, with soft factors such as resource conservation and occupational safety. So the EK-X machines benefit not only from the Blue-Q energy-saving program, which combines forthcoming transport tasks with intelligent characteristic optimization at the push of a button, thus already making a 10 percent energy saving, but also from energy recovery during braking and lowering. Overall this allows multi-shift deployments to be achieved by longer use of the battery. The use of lightweight, impact-resistant ABS plastic, e.g. for the battery cover, also saves weight and thus energy.

The OPTISPEED intelligent system ensures a balance between speed, goods turnover performance and occupational safety through the situation-related control of driving speeds depending on lift height and load. This allows the driver a high speed with optimum occupational safety. Thus, above all in the narrow aisle area, the EK-X can utilize its advantages to be on the move at a maximum possible working speed of up to 13 km/hr and to deliver optimum goods turnover performance. Additional benefits include very good visibility through the mast and the low noise level of the lifting and drive motor.

The developers also had in mind the future world of work in relation to the operator’s cab: workplace ergonomics must be emphasized to take into account the demographic change in industrialized nations – especially in the case of industrial trucks. That’s why the pathbreaking concept of the cabin of the EK-X is roomy and reduces the transmission of vibrations to the spinal column, and the unique control concept with state-of-the-art sensor technology ensures fatigue-free operation. Besides there are various equipment options such as terminal holders, different shelves, the STILL Safety Light that uses a cone of blue light projected onto the operating aisle to give visual forewarning of the approaching industrial truck, so possible collisions with pedestrians or other vehicles are effectively avoided, LED working headlights or a ventilation system. The fittings in the driver’s cab can be installed in specific positions and offer a customized design of the workplace at the same time as great freedom of movement due to the roomy design of the cab.

The vehicle’s external dimensions are extremely small, despite the large cab. The EK-X is usable even in narrow warehouse situations, where it shines due to its compact construction, which allows a minimum turning radius of 1732 mm. Simplified service with on-board diagnosis ensures low operating costs, because all the components are easily accessible and clearly arranged.