Ismaning near Munich, 14.1.2019. The finalists for this year’s IFOY AWARD (International Intralogistics and Forklift Truck of the Year) are nominated. From the pool of applicants for the seventh round of the world-renowned award the jury will send 15 products and solutions from a dozen manufacturers into the race for the best products and solutions of the year.

The competition will soon enter its second round: The finalists have to undergo the IFOY audit at the international IFOY TEST DAYS at the beginning of March at the IFOY partner CeMAT’s exhibition grounds in Hannover (Germany). In the IFOY Test experts measure the key figures of the finalists in a standardized procedure. In the IFOY Innovation Check renowned scientist assess the innovation value of the nominated products and solutions. This is carried out by specialists from the Dortmund Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), the Chair for Technical Logistics at the University of Dresden, the Chair for Materials Handling, Material Flow and Logistics (fml) at the Technical University of Munich and the Chair for Machine Elements and Technical Logistics at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg.

As a highlight of the IFOY TEST DAYS jurors from all over Europe, Australia, Brazil, Russia and the US will travel to Hannover to inspect and test the nominated equipment. Among other things the innovation value, technology, design, ergonomics and handling, safety, marketability and customer benefit as well as economy and sustainability will be evaluated. The jury consists of 29 renowned journalists from leading logistics media in 19 countries.

“A golden rule of the IFOY test series is: The finalists are not compared with each other in their respective categories but with their rival trucks or machines on the market. Only those nominees who outperform their direct competitors in terms of innovation have a chance of winning the trophy,” explains Anita Würmser, chairwoman of the IFOY jury.

The trophies will be awarded on April 26 2019. As the IFOY organisation already announced in 2018 the IFOY AWARD Night will take place for the first time in the Hofburg in the Austrian Capital Vienna. In cooperation with LOGISTIK.Kurier and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce the award ceremony will take place during the gala of the Austrian HERMES Transport.Logistics.Award. More than 600 international guests are expected in the traditional Great Festival Hall in the Hofburg among them leading persons in transport, logistics and intralogistics. Until then the result will remain a secret – for both the finalists and the public.

n the counterbalanced truck segment the Clark S25 gas driven forklift with a lifting capacity of 2.5 tons has been nominated for the finals. Tthe S-Series offers low total cost of ownership and significantly higher comfort. The three s (smart, strong and safe) are the core characteristics of the completely newly developed model. Learn more about CLARK’s S-Series.