Research
InnoRad
Worn out wheels and rollers on industrial trucks cost European trade and industry more than 554 million euros per year. Almost 17,000 tons of tire waste has to be disposed of every year. Rubbing wear, rubbing heat and abrupt impacts, such as when driving over sleepers, have an effect on wheels and rollers.
The aim of the InnoRad research project is to look into new materials, manufacturing procedures and wheel constructions for wheel technology and to make wheels and rollers safer and more durable. In addition to renowned industrial truck manufacturers, such as the KION Group, wheel and plastic producers and several university research institutes are also involved in InnoRad.
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Wheels and rollers are exposed to heavy loads. New materials, manufacturing procedures and wheel constructions are intended to make the wheel safer and more durable.
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The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the motto “Research for the manufacturing of tomorrow”.
IdentProLog
Through its subsidiary company STILL KION is also involved in IdentProLog, a research project in conjunction with leading companies and research institutes.
This project is investigating how the RFID technology in forklifts and storage technology devices can be used to track goods flows, e.g. the whereabouts of a particular pallet. Via radio frequency identification (RFID), data can be read and saved without contact and without being seen (transponder technology).
The aim of this project is to establish intersectoral industry standards for the use of RFID.
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The RFID antenna between the prongs identifies the loads and communicates the results to the warehouse management system. The optical sensor (in blue) recognizes the loading.
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The use will be safeguarded across company boundaries as a result of the planned standardization of the significant elements. To ensure that it works, the standard loading equipment (e.g. Europool pallets) must be developed further using RFID to become intelligent loading equipment that is capable of communication. The forklifts are equipped with the appropriate identification technology for communication with the load and therefore develop from a transport vehicle into an information carrier.
IdentProLog is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the motto “Research for the manufacturing of tomorrow”.