As the leading supplier for the intelligent control of intralogistics the Hamburg based STILL GmbH supports its customers especially in the implementation of modern solutions for production and flow of material.

This is why STILL will present a full scale tractor with a lift facility for the first time. The combination of tractor and lift truck substantially expands the range of applications for tugger trains following the motto: the KANVAN - a Van for KANBAN.

A full scale tractor with a lift facility

The KANVAN is a full scale tractor based on the CX-T truck. In addition, the new truck is featured with a lift function allowing to place pallets in the rack beside the assembly line, onto transport conveyors or to lift objects on work tables or to load or unload trailers. The hinged forks are mounted to the rear of the truck in such a way that full manoeuvrability of the truck is available to the driver towing trailers. If a load is to be lifted, the driver will detach the trailer, electrically lower the forks and is quickly ready to use his truck as a lift tractor. This way, STILL allows its customers to optimise their production related flow of material by the use of tractors without having to refrain from the possibility to lift loads if occasionally needed. The possible lift height is designed to meet requirements of work tables or transport boxes (approx. 1.2m). Loads up to 500 kg can be lifted. Additional high lift trucks at the respective stops on the route are made redundant. The driver can complete all tasks of the process with his truck.

The KANVAN plays a central role in the implementation of Lean Manufacturing concepts and the Kanban principle. Following the example of the automotive industry more and more production facilities design and implement processes based on the operation of tugger trains. With their help, goods in transport containers are moved to the place of consumption where the full containers replace empty ones. A train consists of a tractor and – depending on the transported volume – one or several trailers. Proper planning allows circling lines moving large transport volumes at high utilisation without empty journeys.

However, in everyday operation it is often found that lift-free operation of the trains is not always completely possible. Lifting of goods or loading aids to work level, loading or unloading of trailers, moving of material temporarily stocked in racks are frequent day-to-day activities still playing a role, even in modern concepts. This opens a gap between the intended and sensible operation of tractors with easy access for the driver and the requirement to lift limited loads in certain situations. Exactly this is the field of application for the KANVAN which was newly developed by STILL.

Based on so called internal supermarkets tugger trains supply the production locations (assembly lines, machining or production cells) in a fixed or demand controlled schedule. For this more and more use is being made of tractors featuring high agility and a good visibility for the driver. For such tasks STILL has just launched the new CX-T tractor with a towing capacity of four tonnes on the market.

Agile, comfortable and dynamic

Important characteristics of the CX-T are, beside its agility, the comfortably low access height, the good driving comfort (suspended stand on platform) and the high driving dynamics with a top speed of 12 km/h and, especially, its SE tyres. In combination with the good floor clearance, the CX-T is not limited to operate on the excellent floors of modern halls but can also be used outdoors and especially for traffic trespassing transitions separating indoor and outdoor operation. This allows the operator to cover a much broader application spectrum and links logistic areas that were separated by bad road conditions in the past. 

23.04.2008

The KANVAN - a Van for KANBAN in operation

The CX-T tractor in operation