The latest generation of Jungheinrich transverse seat / tri-lateral ETX stackers has enjoyed success since its market launch in 2001. Designed for deployment in narrow aisle warehouses, these man-down trucks have received a “facelift” and now come equipped with the latest technology.d
 
In March 2011 Jungheinrich is bringing a facelift version of its ETX 513/515 man-down trucks to market. These trucks are transverse seat/tri-lateral stackers which can be used in narrow aisles wherever whole pallets are deposited and removed without any order picking taking place. “The facelift puts this generation of narrow aisle trucks at the same high technological level as our ‘Kombi’ stackers,” explains Sebastian Riedmaier, Product Manager for System Trucks at Jungheinrich.

Warehouse Navigation a Key Requirement for Efficient Logistics Processes

The main objective in overhauling the man-down trucks was to ensure their compatibility with the Jungheinrich warehouse navigation system. “Given the steadily growing demands on the performance of logistics chains, the factor of throughput continues to become ever more important,” reports Riedmaier. “Nowadays you need to have efficient processes if you want to experience any major impact,” he continued, adding that the Jungheinrich warehouse navigation system in narrow aisle warehouses was an important prerequisite for that.

Market-launched by Jungheinrich at the beginning of 2009, the warehouse navigation module was designed for optimum effectiveness in narrow aisle warehouses. According to Sebastian Riedmaier, “practical measurements have revealed you can achieve up to 25 percent more throughput with our warehouse navigation system — depending naturally on the application environment.”

Warehouse Navigation Allows for Precise Guidance

RFID technology is at the heart of the warehouse navigation system. The narrow aisle truck’s navigation module transmits the truck’s position continuously via transponders which are inserted in the floor at set intervals. Orders received from the warehouse management system are accepted by the truck, and the Jungheinrich logistics interface on the truck’s terminal takes care of “translating” this data. “This means the truck knows the exact location where the pallet is to be stored,” explains Riedmaier, adding “All the truck operator needs to do now is accelerate!” The stacker then takes the shortest possible route, consuming the minimum possible amount of energy.

Jungheinrich ranks among the world’s leading companies in the material handling equipment, warehousing and material flow engineering sectors. The company is a service provider with manufacturing operations as well as an intralogistics solution provider, which offers its customers a comprehensive range of forklift trucks, shelving systems, services and consulting. Jungheinrich shares are traded on all German stock exchanges.