Jungheinrich : EKS 215a – automated to a lift height of 6.0 m

At LogiMAT 2017 Jungheinrich is showcasing its EKS 215a, a new driverless transport system based on the tried-and-tested EKS vertical order picker. Jungheinrich has succeeded in reducing the vehicle dimensions over the forerunner model and, by doing away with the driver platform, has also improved manoeuvrability. The EKS 215a features a lift height of 6.0 m, a load capacity of 1.5 t and a top speed of 2.5 m/s. Thanks to its adjustable forks, the EKS 215a comes into its own when transporting special load carriers and closed pallets as well as when operating at stations which cannot be accessed underneath.

As Irene Pichlmaier, Product Manager for Driverless Transport Systems at Jungheinrich Logistiksysteme GmbH, explains: 'Jungheinrich has combined state-of-the-art navigation technology with safety features to fully automate its popular EKS vertical order picker. The EKS 215a saves time and money and simultaneously reduces transport-induced damage, above all in standardised, routine application scenarios. The use of a driverless transport system ensures efficient and reliable transport processes as well as the optimised use of resources.'

Out of the box the EKS 215a features personnel safety scanners that detect objects in the drive and load direction -- stopping the truck if a person crosses its route or other obstacles are in its path. The standard safety system is supplemented by lateral sensors as well as emergency stop buttons. This means the EKS 215a can also be employed safely and reliably even in mixed operations where manually operated trucks and employees on the ground come into play.

A laser navigation system steers the EKS 215a, as follows: Reflectors are attached to suitable objects along the travel route, such as racking, columns, walls or natural landmarks, thus making it easy to integrate the truck into existing factory environments as well as IT and software landscapes. Thanks to the award-winning Jungheinrich logistics interface, it's a breeze to hook up to a host system, such as the Jungheinrich WMS or other existing WMS/EPR systems.

The EKS 215a is powered by 48 V three-phase AC technology. The truck features active battery and energy management which recovers energy when lowering loads or braking.

Jungheinrich driverless transport systems

Jungheinrich automates its own series-produced truck models exclusively. The inherent advantage is that the trucks are not only tried-and-tested, but also continually refined and further developed. Jungheinrich customises and fully automates these standard trucks with navigation technology and added safety features. The range of driverless transport systems from Jungheinrich includes trucks with a load capacity of up to 5.0 t and a lift height of up to 6.0 m. As a result Jungheinrich can react flexibly to an extremely diverse range of customer requirements.