Jungheinrich’s EFG 4 receives top honour at the Red Dot Design Award

Jungheinrich’s EFG 4 electric counterbalanced truck series has been recognised as ‘Best of the Best’ in the Red Dot Design Award. This is the highest honour bestowed by the international jury of the renowned award for product and industrial design. The efficient EFG Series 4 electric four-wheel forklift trucks have a load capacity of up to 3,500 kg and are designed for fast handling of heavy loads in internal goods transport and for use with attachments.

The jury was particularly impressed by the new cab design of the four-wheel forklift truck: The narrow B-pillar and the compact lift mast profiles, in combination with a panoramic roof, provide significantly improved all-round visibility compared to other forklift trucks. The experts also recognised the particularly ergonomic design of the driver’s compartment with its low entry, generous footwell and narrow steering column for plenty of knee and legroom. ‘The ergonomic quality of the truck is excellent,’ praised the jury in its verdict.

From the operating concept and the design of the driver’s seat to the visibility in the cab and the well-thought-out lighting solutions, you can tell that every detail has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the user. According to the jury, this leads to ‘outstanding quality of use’. ‘The EFG Series 4 forklift trucks prove that even a hundred years after the invention of the forklift truck, it is still possible to significantly improve driving comfort and handling performance,’ summarised the Red Dot Award jury. ‘For us, people are at the centre of the design,’ says Till Muhl, Head of Industrial Design at Jungheinrich. ‘We have to deal with a variety of different user perspectives, all of which we treat with the necessary respect. We have designed the EFG Series 4 around the drivers and were thus able to maximise the safety and performance of the truck.’

The autonomous mobile robot (AMR) arculee M is the second Jungheinrich solution to be honoured with a Red Dot Award. As an underride transport solution, the AMR can autonomously transport loads of up to 1,300 kg on all common load carriers at a speed of 1.6 m/s in the warehouse. Thanks to its 360° safety sensor system, the arculee M is able to navigate freely within defined areas, and humans and AMR can co-operate safely in the tightest of spaces. The arculee M recognises obstacles independently, drives around them or comes to a standstill automatically if necessary, ensuring flexibility and safety in every application scenario. ‘The arculee M impresses with its unique aesthetics and, thanks to its sophisticated technology, ensures optimum interaction between man and machine,’ said the jury, explaining why the arculee M was chosen for the Red Dot Award.

The Red Dot Award has been honouring the world’s best and most innovative products in over 50 categories since 1955. Every year, an international jury of independent experts from the fields of design, science and journalism selects those products from several thousand submissions that stand out for their design quality. ‘Best of the Best’ is the highest award of the competition and goes to pioneering designs.

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