Jungheinrich has launched sales of its new ETV 4i reach truck, but one of the more interesting aspects of the introduction may be what happened before the truck reached the market.
The company says development of its latest reach-truck generation drew not only on seven decades of experience with the equipment category, but also on operating data from approximately 30,000 reach trucks in customer applications. That growing ability to turn installed-fleet data into product-development insight could increasingly influence how forklift manufacturers improve productivity, ergonomics and energy management.
“With the ETV 4i, we are targeting customers for whom every second counts in the warehouse,” said Oliver Hißnauer, Product Manager for Reach Trucks at Jungheinrich. “The vehicle is designed to combine maximum handling performance with high efficiency and a clear focus on the driver – both in terms of ergonomics and its safe and precise operability.”
Orders for the ETV 4i opened September 1. The new electric reach truck is designed for high-throughput warehouse applications, including distribution centres, production supply and multi-shift operations. Models cover capacities from 1.4 to 2.5 tonnes and lift heights of up to 14 metres.
“Especially at high storage levels, the lifting and lowering speed determines productivity per shift,” explained Hißnauer. “With the market-leading lifting and lowering speed of the ETV 4i, our customers can significantly reduce their handling costs per pallet, which means that the vehicle costs are quickly amortised, especially in multi-shift operations.”
Jungheinrich is emphasizing mast performance as one of the truck’s main productivity improvements. Its standard liftingPRO function provides unloaded lifting speeds of up to 1.6 metres per second, while loweringPRO provides lowering speeds of up to 1.2 metres per second. The company says the combination can increase productivity by as much as 20%, particularly where operators are repeatedly storing and retrieving pallets at greater heights.
That emphasis makes sense. In a high-bay application, travel speed gets much of the attention, but the seconds spent waiting for forks and loads to move vertically can accumulate quickly over a shift.
The ETV 4i also uses an integrated lithium-ion battery rather than a conventional removable battery tray. Jungheinrich says the configuration supports opportunity charging while helping create a more compact truck and improved visibility toward the wheel arms and load. Optional features include load-capacity monitoring, a positioning laser, integrated warning lights and a camera system for load positioning.
The new truck arrives 70 years after company founder Friedrich Jungheinrich introduced the Ameise Retrak reach-truck concept in Europe in 1956. The bigger change over those seven decades may now be occurring less visibly. Forklift design is increasingly being informed not only by engineering tests and customer feedback, but by large amounts of operating data flowing back from trucks already working in warehouses.
Related Articles
Jungheinrich Begins Customer Trials of Sodium-Ion Batteries for Material Handling Equipment
Jungheinrich installs semi-automated forklift and AGV system at Ritter chocolate warehouse
