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Tag: STILL

Everyone Can Automate Warehouse Trucks

Posted on by David Priestman

Oranges are not the only fruit, and in the world of warehouse vehicles brand differentiation is significant. Still Materials Handling, the ‘orange truck’, is automating its product line, as David Priestman reports from a press event in Antwerp.

In the charge towards warehouse automation materials handling OEMs want to avoid being typecast as just a forklift supplier or racking provider. Still’s new pitch is to be a systems integrator, while continuing to offer manually-driven warehouse vehicles. “We’re a one-stop-shop,” declares Managing Director Dr Florian Heydenreich (pictured). “70% of customers want to automate. We want them to think smart from the start and we’re providing customer-optimised products, robotics, hardware and software.”

The former factory of Egemin, the Belgian automated guided vehicle (AGV) pioneer, on the outskirts of Antwerp, is now Still’s automation competence centre, with 400 staff here. Since Egemin joined the KION group in 2015 (for a reputed €72m), expertise in AGVs has permeated to the rest of the group’s companies. The AGV market is forecast to grow by 18% per annum, driven by a need for process efficiency, cost control and the shortage of labour. Still, understandably, wants to rapidly gain market share. “Our aim is to advise and offer the best fit solutions, regardless of customer size and experience in automation,” Heydenreich adds, describing a holistic strategy.

“Automation is a hype, with five myths,” he explains:
1. Automation only works in new build facilities with high investment. This is not true as automation does not always replace manual operations, can be scaled-up and is therefore suitable for existing, ‘brownfield’ DCs
2. Automation solutions lack reliability. Automating cannot turn a bad operation into a good one without collaboration. 98% reliability is achievable
3. Immature technology. The biggest risk is the human factor. Companies must define standards, expectations and processes, for example regarding peak performance
4. Traditional materials handling providers are not innovative enough. We need to set standards for automation. Still has 600 employees working on simulation and project design
5. Automation is a purely contractual arrangement – the customer orders it and the integrator just implements. No – it is a joint approach, including change on the customer’s side, that needs time and consideration. Success requires close co-operation.

No forklift accidents without humans

Automation-as-a-service is what Still propose. An AGV is essentially a set of computers and sensors with forks and wheels. ‘Service readiness’ is key. Data is provided by every vehicle to the customer and to Still technicians for predictive maintenance. There no longer needs to be two different types of engineer – one for hardware and one for software as every technician can do all the work an AGV needs, using diagnostics and system updates. The machines have been ‘industrialised’, being built on the same production lines as manual trucks, making them cheaper and more highly available. For a three-shift, 24/7 operation, automation is the answer.

With two fleet management systems, ‘iGo Easy’ and ‘iGo Systems’, users can choose between standard or high-performance AGV fleets, with models such as the EXV 16 and AXV 12. iGo Easy does not require ERP or WMS and the user interface is any mobile device, with a lean project team. iGo Systems integrates AGVs into the customer’s WMS, with intelligent order allocation and storage location selection, to maximise throughput based on priority, weight of load etc. Data is stored on which AGV stores which load, where and when.

Reaching up, not out

The entire warehouse is mapped, creating a digital twin, for navigation, with precision to the nearest centimetre. The EXV has a lead time of just 8 weeks, from order to delivery. AGVs can be customised too. The company has many years of reach truck expertise and is putting that to good use with automated reach trucks, offering high-bay operations up to 7m and beyond. These AGVs can work in VNA warehouses with aisle widths as narrow as 2950mm.

Other automation solutions include AMRs, which learn from changes in the warehouse without re-programming, and the ‘iGo Cube’ for high-density storage, using AMRs. This is a pallet shuttle with WCS – a fully-automated ‘black box’. It takes six months to order and install a standard iGo Cube system, which can used in cold stores. All automation installations envisage a 12-year lifespan, with return-on-investment typically 3 years. Installation challenges often include the floor quality for AGVs to be able to drive at full speed and up to the maximum height, as well as when there are both pallets and totes being utilised.

Driverless installation

Third party logistics (3PL) provider Yusen Benelux’s Project Manager for Contract Logistics, Gitte Daelemans, talked me through the recent automation solution by Still for a 40,000 m2 greenfield hub, fully-automated warehouse. The DC is run exclusively for one large pharmaceutical company and features temperature-controlled zones (including vaccine storage for 11000 pallets), as well as quality control, packing and despatch and a secure area of 1440 pallets for hazardous products. Commenced in 2022, it went live last summer, undertaking 160 pallet transport per hour.

“This was a chance to automate,” says Daelemans. “The longer the 3PL contract the bigger the investment in automation. We defined the process implementation and what needed improving.” The DC is managed in a single integrated system, using Manhattan Associates’ WMS and provides smart integration of inbound and putaway processes. “It’s hard to find drivers with reach truck skills. But we still need staff for picking,” she points out.

The AGV vehicles operate in ambient conditions (35000 pallets) as well as in cool storage environments. The narrow aisle racking system has 10 automated VNA trucks – MX-X iGo, and 18 automated high lift pallet trucks – EXV iGo with sensor-based positioning. The EXV iGos deliver pallets to designated aisle drop-off points, where the automated VNA trucks pick them up and store them in the narrow aisle racks. This ensures high pallet throughput with minimal human intervention.

A full ‘day-in-the-life’ test prior to implementation helps to resolve any outstanding issues. “Volume testing is really important,” adds Daelemans. “Not just 1 or 2 machines but with inbound and outbound running to detect bottlenecks. This is difficult without the customer’s pallets being there before go-live.” She advises appointing a dedicated person to oversee the automated solution, along with implementing a contour scanner check for weight and measurement with an adjustable tolerance range that maximises acceptance, reducing rejection rates and the need for manual intervention. “We learned some lessons after go-live to be able to optimise things in the subsequent months and hit our KPIs,” Daelemans concludes, citing reject lanes and barcode readability.

Pragmatic approach

Still’s corporate culture is to be pragmatic. The company is not pursuing the highest-tech products for the sake of it, but rather the right technology and solution, sensibly. There has been a change in philosophy to ‘think automation’, instead of ‘building forklifts’. The company has the distinct advantage of having many customers already familiar with the brand, rather than being a new entrant to this space and Still is re-asserting its brand distinctiveness within KION.

I concluded my insightful visit by spending time with Frank Heptner, VP of Automation. An enthusiast, the former BMW executive embodies the upbeat Still attitude. “What is Still’s USP now?” I asked him. “Our local footprint, for installation and service is key, but we’re also a global partner; we’re everywhere, in every vertical market. We have a long history and our own DNA: Experience, stability and innovation,” he emphasises. And the competitors? “We have good coverage. There are lots of AMR suppliers, but few companies are automating larger AGVs,” he states.

What is the impact of automation on existing manual trucks? “There are 2 types of customer,” Heptner tells me. “Those that needed to automate years ago and those new to it. They’re all looking for automation. The speed of replacement of manual, driven trucks with ‘plug & play’ AGVs will accelerate. Perhaps a third of trucks will be automated in the foreseeable future.” Instead of training forklift drivers, managers will run a fleet of bots. For petrolheads like Heptner and myself that inevitability is sad, but true.

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Kion and Eurofork Sign Strategic Partnership

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The KION Group has entered into a strategic partnership with Eurofork S.p.A., a leading manufacturer of pallet shuttle systems. The two companies have signed a cooperation agreement at KION GROUP AG headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Under the agreement, Eurofork’s E4CUBE® solution will be distributed through the sales and service networks of the KION brands in the Industrial Trucks & Services segment in the EMEA region with immediate effect.

Andreas Schneider, Senior Vice President Product Management at KION, said: “We are very pleased to enter this strategic partnership with Eurofork, one of the leading players in the market for pallet shuttles. This will enable us to offer our customers an even more comprehensive product portfolio of automated solutions and further strengthen our position.”

Pallet shuttle systems are an efficient form of storage with high flexibility, continuous material flow and high throughput rates. Automated shuttles travel independently on rail systems through the racks and transport palletized goods to the picking station. E4CUBE® can be easily configured with standard modules for individual customer solutions and is operational within a few months. In addition, the system ensures the traceability of goods and offers a high level of operational safety.

Maurizio Traversa, CEO of Eurofork, said: “We are proud to enter this strategic partnership agreement, which marks a new high of our long-standing cooperation with the KION Group. Our pallet shuttle automation adds substantial value for customers and having KION teaming up with us for the distribution of the E4CUBE® will enable access to easy automation for a wide array of companies. This solution delivers value without unnecessary complexity, including from a financial perspective, thanks to our partner’s leasing solutions.”

Eurofork was founded in 2000 in Roletto near Turin, Northwest Italy. The company specializes in the production of material handling devices such as pallet shuttle systems and telescopic forks made in Italy. Thanks to their quality and efficiency, Eurofork products and solutions are used worldwide in the field of industrial automation and intralogistics.

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KION opens Centre of Excellence for Automated Solutions

Posted on by David Priestman

The KION Group has opened the KION Automation Centre Antwerp in Belgium, a Centre of Excellence facility for automated solutions in EMEA. It is the first of its kind and now the primary hub for research and development, testing and customized production of automated solutions in EMEA. Employees from the KION brands will now work and collaborate on automation projects and individual customer requirements.

“Automation is the future for our industry, so I’m very excited about the new facility,” says Ching Pong Quek, member of the Executive Board and Chief Technology Officer of KION GROUP AG. “By bringing various capacities under one roof, we can now respond to market needs and deliver automation projects faster, more innovatively and cost-effectively. The teams design the right automation solutions for our customers and support our regional sales teams.” The new building allows new solutions to be tested and optimized on site and requirements to be addressed individually and quickly. “The Centre of Excellence will enable intensive collaboration across businesses with the aim of serving our customers even better”, says Quek.

Approximately 400 employees with diverse professional backgrounds and 40 nationalities are working at the KION Automation Centre Antwerp. The 11,800-square meter building is well equipped for collaborative work, with a flexible office concept encouraging creative thinking, learning, testing, and training. The building is located near the port of Antwerp in an industrial area that is set to grow and develop further in the coming years.

Cross-departmental collaboration an important success factor at new site

The employees who used to work in the two rented locations in Antwerp and Zwijndrecht have now moved into the new automation centre. It shortens distances and promotes cross-departmental team collaboration. One of the teams is KION subsidiary, automation and software specialist Dematic, which has vacated its previous offices and moved less than 100 meters away to the new building. The team provides centralized services on automated solutions for customers across Europe.

In addition to Dematic, other operating units of the KION Group are also based in the new building. One of them is KION Industrial Trucks and Services (ITS) EMEA, where a team handles customer projects from planning to delivery, including training sessions conducted in the office and test floors. They also focus on the testing and development of custom hardware and software solutions, as well as the production of customized solutions, particularly for industrial vehicles.

Robotic system development will play a major role in the new Centre of Excellence for Automation. The mission of the team is to deliver intelligent, driverless and interoperable robotic products, solutions and services that are easy to deploy, operate, maintain and support throughout their lifecycle in brownfield applications.

Building design focuses on solutions that support sustainability

The KION Automation Centre Antwerp features modern standards of sustainable design, such as advanced insulation, solar panels and a green roof. The goal is to achieve BREEAM sustainable building certification, which is based on a holistic approach to achieving environmental, social and governance (ESG), health and net-zero goals. From energy to ecology, a BREEAM assessment uses recognized performance measures against established benchmarks to evaluate a building’s specification, design, construction and use.

In addition, the KION Group is working closely with the European agency Encon to obtain a WELL Gold certificate from the US-based international WELL Building Institute. The WELL Building Standard is an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring building characteristics that affect the health and well-being of occupants.

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8000 Forklifts get new Lease of Life

Posted on by David Priestman

Extended value creation cycles, used equipment in premium quality, sustainability and circular concepts – these topics have recently attracted a great deal of attention across all industries, but for the Hamburg-based intralogistics expert STILL, customer-focused solutions and a high level of responsibility for resources have been a matter of course for 35 years. Today, with four refurbishment centres in Europe, STILL gives around 8,000 industrial trucks a new lease of life every year. And the trend is rising.

When a professionally overhauled forklift truck rolls off the yard at the STILL refurbishment centre, it can hardly be distinguished from a new truck with the naked eye. Even in the stress test you can hardly tell the difference. So it is no wonder that the market for second-hand equipment is growing strongly and that the purchase of used industrial trucks is becoming an attractive alternative for more and more companies. In addition to economic considerations, aspects of availability, but above all sustainability, responsibility for resources and reduction of one’s own CO2 footprint are increasingly playing a role. For in addition to the major topics of the day, such as alternative energy systems, recycling and circular development concepts, the remanufacturing of vehicles and thus the reuse of components and raw materials is also an important pillar of sustainable and future-proof concepts in logistics.

35 years of experience and a growing network of refurbishment centres

As early as the end of the 1980s, STILL began to overhaul used trucks based on uniform quality standards and offer them to customers as secondary market equipment. To this end, the company has built up and successively expanded its own network in Europe. In 2008, the Stuhr site near Bremen was STILL’s first refurbishment centre, followed in 2014 by another in Rokietnica, Poland, and in 2017 in Lainate near Milan. And just a few days ago, a fourth refurbishment centre opened its doors in Çerkezköy, Turkey. A total of up to 8,000 trucks are given a technical and visual overhaul each year and returned to the STILL sales organisation. Across Europe, customers can even choose from around 25,000 refurbished trucks that are of the hightest quality and available quickly – even online – at any time.

A smart alternative: custom-fit solutions thanks to used premium vehicles

The secondary market for forklift trucks and warehouse equipment has been growing continuously for years. This is partly due to the increasing supply – especially as a result of the steadily growing leasing market segment. But demand is also rising noticeably. From the customer’s perspective, this is not surprising, says Frank Müller, Senior Vice President STILL Brand Management: “From both an economic and an ecological point of view, the purchase of used and refurbished equipment makes sense for more and more of our customers. It does not always have to be a ‘new one’,” he explains. “STILL is known for offering customers individual and custom-fit solutions. And high-quality refurbished trucks are definitely part of that.” With many years of experience, sophisticated processes and carefully planned refurbishment capacities throughout Europe, STILL is also setting the pace in intralogistics in this area and is a reliable, innovative partner for its customers.

The reasons why STILL customers choose a used truck can be very different. One large target group is small and medium-sized enterprises and companies with moderate transport tasks and manageable operating times for the forklift trucks – but at the same time with high demands on quality and service. When you buy a refurbished STILL truck, you benefit not only from guaranteed manufacturer quality but also from STILL’s comprehensive and qualified service – at an attractive price and with immediate availability.

However, STILL customers with large fleets and intensive operations are also increasingly turning to used trucks as part of mixed fleets. Particularly for transport tasks that do not involve 24/7 operation, such as the loading and unloading of lorries, used trucks can be used very well. In addition to financial aspects, ecological motives play a major role here: the promotion of long value creation cycles, the conservation of precious resources and the proven reduction of one’s own CO2 footprint are high on the agenda of many companies today, if not even part of their own company “specifications”. “Mixed fleets of new and refurbished premium vehicles are a very attractive way for many of our customers to smartly combine efficiency and responsibility – entirely without compromise on one side or the other,” explains Frank Müller.

Quality and service: indispensable unique selling points even in the second-hand market

The indispensable prerequisites for successful business with used equipment are the high quality of the refurbished trucks and comprehensive service on a par with new equipment. To ensure premium quality and a high level of comparability and transparency, STILL introduced a uniform Europe-wide classification system for its used equipment back in 2003. It ranks the trucks according to the criteria of technology, warranty, appearance, age and battery condition in the categories bronze, silver and gold and defines the appropriate refurbishment in accordance with standardised processes. “For many of our secondary market prospects, the silver category is the ideal balance of high quality standard and noticeable financial savings,” Frank Müller comments on the categorisation. A truck in this classification has been fully technically tested and overhauled with original STILL parts, cleaned, visually repaired and freshly painted. Thanks to professional battery reconditioning, STILL guarantees a battery capacity of at least 70 per cent for electric vehicles in the silver category, and even 100 per cent in the gold category.

And when it comes to service, customers in the used truck segment can also rely on the usual STILL quality. The full range of the STILL service commitment also applies to used trucks – from the availability of spare parts to preventive maintenance cycles for maximum flexibility and availability.

Transparent Dialogue for Customer Satisfaction

Posted on by David Priestman

Reliable, fast and competent customer service along with a strong customer satisfaction focus have always been hallmarks claimed by Still.

With innovative, digital solutions, forward-looking and individual service and a high level of solution expertise, the Hamburg-based intralogistics specialist ensures customer satisfaction and the maximum availability and efficiency of their material handling fleets. Close dialogue with customers and transparent satisfaction indicators such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) enable STILL to continuously evaluate and optimise their services.

Availability is a central issue of fleet management in intralogistics – and a prerequisite for high customer satisfaction. After all, the smooth, reliable and increasingly optimised operation of industrial trucks is a crucial factor when considering the total cost of ownership.

As a result, aspects such as customer orientation and service are becoming important differentiators in global competition. STILL, the Hamburg-based expert for customised intralogistics solutions, has been committed to the maxim of customer focus ever since the company was founded more than 100 years ago. And to this day, the claim to be the most customer-focused supplier in the industry is firmly anchored in the company’s objectives. For good reason: Investing in an industrial truck is, after all, a long-term purchase and the equipment is usually in use for many years. Reliable and competent service during the time of use is an important guarantee for consistent availability and a partnership on an equal footing. “Customers often tell us that our excellent service is a key factor in their decision to choose STILL as their partner for intralogistics challenges,” explains Frank Müller, Senior Vice President STILL Brand Management.

Indispensable even in the digital age: personal contact STILL offers a comprehensive service network, more than 3,500 service technicians throughout EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and a wide range of smart service tools, also for predictive maintenance and vehicle-independent fleet management – but personal contact with the customer remains essential for long-term customer satisfaction. “From years of experience, we know how important it is for our customers to have a contact person who can be reached personally for all questions regarding vehicles, maintenance, repairs and further developments of their fleet,” explains Frank Müller. “Continuous dialogue is also essential for us to provide our customers with competent advice and to develop solutions tailored precisely to their needs for their individual intralogistical challenges.”

To objectively assess how satisfied customers really are with STILL’s products, solutions and services and to identify any areas that may need improvement, STILL has been conducting customer satisfaction surveys in all business segments continuously for more than twelve years. Following contact with STILL employees, services or products, such as a repair, customers are asked about their experiences and satisfaction in a structured telephone interview. In addition to service, the survey also covers product-specific areas such as new equipment, used equipment and rental. “The customer satisfaction survey is an important evaluation tool for us, as it assesses the work of our sales and service organisation directly and at first hand. I am all the more pleased that in the area of service, especially the aspects of service quality, response time and competence of the technicians are always rated very positively,” says Müller.

Transparent key figures ensure highest customer satisfaction The most important component of the customer satisfaction survey is the evaluation of the likelihood of customers recommending the company to others. For this purpose, STILL is using the NPS system. It was developed around 20 years ago and has since been used by leading companies around the world. The NPS is collected separately as part of the telephone customer surveys in all STILL business segments and provides information on a scale of zero to ten about how likely customers are to recommend STILL to others. The result of the evaluations is a score between -100 and +100, with an NPS greater than zero already representing a positive assessment.

In the past twelve months alone, STILL has conducted more than 23,000 such interviews across all business segments in 20 countries throughout EMEA – with results that impressively demonstrate that STILL more than lives up to its own claim: In the service segment, the NPS in the EMEA region currently totals a very good 59.7 (with around 18,000 interviews conducted in this segment). This clearly shows that the vast majority of customers would recommend STILL’s service to others.

Naturally, it is always best to receive praise. Nonetheless, STILL also sees critical customer reactions as a valuable opportunity. If criticism or dissatisfaction is expressed during an interview, the respective business unit is contacted personally by its regional contact person. The point of criticism is discussed in detail and a solution is found together. “Dealing with criticism in a solution-oriented way is essential for this,” explains Müller. “And in the process, we repeatedly find that it is often only minor adjustments that need to be made to resolve dissatisfaction and turn a critical customer into a satisfied multiplier.”

Making Intralogistics Smart, Together

Posted on by David Priestman

Using this slogan, the Hamburg-based intralogistics and automation specialist STILL will be exhibiting innovative industrial trucks live in action in practical automation processes at this year’s LogiMAT trade fair from April 25 to 27th in Stuttgart, in Hall 10 at Stands 10B40, 10B41 and 10B51. A unique feature to date is the presentation of an integrated automation solution together with the KION Group’s sister company DEMATIC. A collaboration with high innovation potential.

The lack of skilled workers, growing cost pressure and the increasing “race against time” are forcing companies to automate their production or logistics processes. “At STILL, we are registering a growing demand for automation solutions that can be implemented quickly and are scalable,” confirms Frank Müller, Senior Vice President STILL Brand Management. “Surveys we conducted have shown that in the next three years more than half of our customers would like to automate processes that are still managed manually today. Against this background, automation has long been a strategic cornerstone for the future of STILL.”

Realistic material flow

Just how automated flows of goods run optimally in practice will be demonstrated by the Hamburg automation professionals during this year’s LogiMAT. A typical material flow found in many industries will be simulated there: Pallets arrive at the warehouse by truck, an automated EXV iGo systems high lift pallet truck picks up the delivery from the truck unloading station and takes it to the contour control – a control device that is as smart as it is slim, works independently of conveyor technology and can therefore be freely positioned in the warehouse. Flawless pallets are also stored from there via an EXV iGo systems. If a customer order is placed, the high lift pallet truck removes the goods from storage and makes them available at a transfer station. Here, an ACH autonomous mobile robot (AMR) takes over the horizontal transport in the direction of the conveyor system in order to pass on the goods for repalletising and packing according to the customer’s order. What this automated material flow looks like can be seen at the neighbouring stand (Hall 10, Stand 10C41) of the group’s sister company Dematic (KION Group). “By working closely with Dematic, we leverage valuable synergies that benefit our customers. The jointly developed integrated automation solutions are unparalleled on the market,” states Frank Müller confidently.

STILL can rely on an enormous wealth of experience in process automation and also on the proven capabilities of the trucks. These are used in the automated flows of goods for precisely the tasks for which they were optimised. The high lift pallet trucks are responsible for the vertical storage and retrieval processes, while the autonomously operating mobile robots take over the horizontal transport of goods, for which they have proven to be swift load carriers. They are increasingly being used not only in production, but also in warehouse logistics, and are especially effective in confined spaces. With their compact design, they need barely half the space of a forklift truck when picking up and delivering the load. STILL offers this AMR in two versions: The entry-level ACH version uses QR code navigation to orientate itself along the floor and can be integrated cost-effectively into existing systems. It is the right choice wherever goods have to be transported along fixed and always consistent routes. For more complex applications, the new AXH is the right choice. It has a higher degree of autonomy and thus also copes well in mixed operation – both in collaborative interaction with other AGVs such as vertical order pickers or reach trucks, but also with manually controlled industrial trucks.

Two product lines as precision-fit answers to customer requirements

In addition to the automation scenario, STILL will present LogiMAT stand visitors for the first time with the two product lines that are precisely tailored to individual customer requirements: the “Xcellence-Line” and the “Classic-Line”. The new Classic-Line offers entry-level solutions with a focus on core functions: standardised, quickly available and at attractive prices. In this way, the intralogistics provider is reacting to the trend towards “concentrating on the essentials” and aims to be even more customer-oriented. These entry-level units are already configured and thus also quickly available. The Xcellence-Line offers the most advanced technology for demanding applications, highly variable and customisable. The centrepiece of this line will be the future RXE series: the next generation of electric forklift trucks. In addition, a number of innovations will also be on show in the field of warehouse technology, such as the IFOY-nominated EXH low lift pallet truck, with its completely newly developed tiller concept, or the EXH-SF 14-16C low lift pallet truck with foldable stand-on platform.

As a further innovation, STILL will present smart solutions in the field of energy management to the international trade audience in Stuttgart. From the latest Li-ion models to fuel cell vehicles with integrated fuel cell systems to intelligent charging management.

STILL Converts Service Vehicles to Electric

Posted on by David Priestman

When it comes to sustainability, the Hamburg-based intralogistics provider STILL is once again setting an example: In a pilot project, two service fleet vehicles will initially be converted to electric drive. More are expected to follow once the test phase is completed successfully.

Not only since the “Fridays for Future” demonstrations and the current energy crisis has social awareness for climate protection and sustainability been increasing rapidly. “As a matter of fact, we are being asked more and more frequently by our customers about our sustainability efforts. I am all the more pleased to know that we can answer questions on this topic with a clear conscience,” says Frank Müller, Senior Vice President STILL Brand Management. But this awareness at STILL did not merely come about when the topic was the subject of lively debate on all sides. “Rather, it is an integral part of our corporate DNA,” Frank Müller continues, “that is why we will not be satisfied with what we have achieved so far. Our goal is zero emissions throughout the entire supply chain.”

“Be electrified!” for real
Back in the middle of last year, the intralogistics provider already set up charging stations for electric vehicles on the premises of its Hamburg headquarters. In keeping with the STILL slogan “Be electrified!”, apart from the electrically powered company vehicles, employees and visitors can also charge their electric cars there. The electricity required for the charging stations – like the rest of the electricity, by the way – is supplied by STILL from ‘green’ sources. ” We are thus making an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions with our charging stations,” explains Stefan Sanny, Senior Director Facility Management & Technical Services.

Pilot project pushes sustainability strategy
With the introduction of the first electrically powered service vehicles, STILL is taking the next step in its sustainability strategy. For an initial period of one year, data is to be collected within a pilot project on how these alternative drives are compatible with STILL’s service philosophy, which is as ambitious as it is demanding. Stefan Sanny: “During this time, we will gain experience and information that we will then evaluate in great detail. This will give us answers to many of our questions, such as: How well does our service perform in rural areas with a less than ideal charging infrastructure? What ranges can be achieved with the charged vehicles? How do different weather conditions affect the range of the e-vehicles?”

Committed to customers and the environment
Based on this experience, STILL will then decide how to further expand the electrified service fleet in the future. Frank Müller: “However, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we succeed in balancing our sustainability goals with our high service standards. After all, we feel committed to our customers as well as to protecting the environment.”

STILL offers customised intralogistics solutions and implements the intelligent teamwork of forklift trucks and warehouse technology, software and services. The achievement created by the company’s founder Hans Still in 1920 through a large amount of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and quality quickly developed into a strong brand well-known throughout the world. Today around 9,000 qualified staff in research and development, production, marketing and service are involved for the sole purpose of fulfilling customers’ needs throughout the whole world. The keys to the company’s success are highly efficient products ranging from sector-specific complete offers for large and small enterprises to computer-assisted logistics programs for efficient warehouse and materials flow management.

Intralogistics Provider STILL announced Reforestation Project

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Hamburg-based intralogistics provider STILL has announced it supports the reforestation project PLANT-MY-TREE. This month, the first of a total of 1,000 trees were planted in the reforestation area in Hohenaspe near Itzehoe in Germany. There, on the “STILL woodland”, they will grow in peace for at least 100 years and compensate for harmful emissions.

Environmental protection is currently one of the most important issues in the logistics industry and the subject of lively discussion in the industry. The Hamburg-based STILL GmbH turns words into deeds and actively participates in the PLANT-MY-TREE project, which contributes to CO2 compensation with nationwide reforestation campaigns.

“We wanted to do our part regarding the extremely important topic of sustainability and were looking for appropriate opportunities,” reports Michael Quest, Head of the STILL Branch Hanover/Bielefeld, on how the participation in the project came about. Sven Budelmann, his Sales Manager, brought up the reforestation activities of the PLANT-MY-TREE initiative. “We were immediately inspired by this idea, and the decision to sponsor 1,000 trees quickly matured,” says Michael Quest, adding: “In my opinion, the preservation of an intact environment is the basis of the existence of all of us. Accordingly, we feel an obligation to use natural resources responsibly. This is a principle that STILL already observes when developing new products by considering their impact on the environment at an early stage”.

Spread the word

However, there is more to it: the customers of the main branch in Hanover/Bielefeld are to have a share in the environmental protection campaign. “Customers who ordered new electric forklift trucks from us and shut down their IC engine-powered forklifts in return received personalised tree certificates as a small thank-you. These certificates can be displayed prominently at their company premises and thus underline their environmentally conscious attitude and actions,” explains Sven Budelmann. The STILL Branch Manager and his Sales Manager plan to give away further tree certificates during the upcoming Christmas season to those customers who remained loyal to them in recent months during the Covid-19 crisis.

His attitude towards ecology also prevented Michael Quest from personally participating in today’s tree planting campaign in Hohenaspe. Quest: “Of course, we would all have loved to have been there and taken a look at the site where our 1,000 trees will now stand watch for at least 100 years. But for this we would have had to travel several hours to get there. This, however, is anything but ecological and contradicts our attitude towards climate protection”. For this reason, Mikinari Oki, Head of the Hamburg/Bremen Branch, and Andre Jacques, Regional Service Manager, were on site as official representatives of STILL GmbH during the tree planting campaign in Schleswig-Holstein.

STILL celebrated it’s 100th birthday this year.

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