The names of the winners of the International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY) Award 2015 were, as always, a well-kept secret. When the congratulatory speakers announced the names of the recipients last Tuesday at 9 pm at the IFOY Award Night at BMW World in Munich, the celebrations began. Jungheinrich, Still and UniCarriers won the prestigious IFOY Awards in four categories, and the metal and glass trophies were presented to the delighted recipients to the accompaniment of applause from the 160 invited guests.
14 machines and solutions made it through to the final round this year, more than ever before. “There was intense discussion, heated debate, and in the end it was the most difficult decision the IFOY jury has ever had to make”, said Anita Würmser, Executive Chairperson of the IFOY Jury during the award ceremony at BMW World in Munich. She added that this underlines the high technical quality of the shortlisted finalists. With this year’s decision, the jury has also laid down a market for electromobility and multifunctionality in intralogistics.
Victory in the category of Counter Balanced Trucks up to 3.5 tons went to the EFG S30s three-ton electric forklift from Jungheinrich. An electric forklift also led the field in the category of Counter Balanced Trucks from 3.5 tons. The jury selected the RX 60-80 eight-ton electric forklift from Still as the best truck of the year. In a head-to-head finish, the combined narrow aisle and reach truck Tergo URS from UniCarriers carried the day in the “Warehouse Truck” category. Still picked up a second IFOY Award for its general contractor project for the intralogistics concept for the new raw materials warehouse of Kuraray Europe GmbH.
The winners of the IFOY Award are selected once a year by an independent jury of leading international trade journalists. A neutral test and a scientific “innovation check” form the basis for assessment by the jury. Both test series compare the finalists with their respective competitors. Since 2013, the IFOY Award has become established as a benchmark for cost efficiency and innovation. Due to the specialised expertise it represents, it is seen as the most important innovation award in intralogistics.
