TDI engines ensure maximum throughput at beverage wholesaler Gross + Klein

Speed is of the essence

Beverage wholesaler Gross + Klein attributes great importance to speed, performance and high throughout. After all, the drinks have to be shipped and empties handled as quickly as possible. The company has a daily turnover of around 6000 Euro pallets, with outgoing and incoming deliveries accounting for 1500 pallets each, while the remaining 3000 are made up of inbound and outbound empties. The forklift trucks are required to transport and lift loads weighing up to two tons. This makes comprehensive safety for the company's drivers all the more important. Other requirements include travel comfort and ergonomics, while the trucks used indoors must not produce any emissions.

Staying ahead of the game with hydrostatic drives

At Gross + Klein, empties are returned and sorted in outdoor areas. Lorries are loaded and unloaded in a half-open building, while a closed warehouse is also on-site. The company uses our hydrostatic trucks for its transport needs. Four of these are LPG forklift trucks of the type TFG 430s. They travel back and forth between the open loading and unloading hall and the closed warehouse. Five EFG 216 electric three-wheel trucks operate inside the building, while work in the outside areas is performed by DFG 430s diesel trucks. The company values the effective mix of LPG, diesel and electric forklift trucks. It provides redundancy since an LPG truck could perform the work of an electric three-wheel truck if necessary.

The main strength of forklift trucks with hydrostatic drive technology is their ability to deliver consistently high throughput performance over short distances with frequent changes in direction. This is ensured by modern TDI engines. Thanks to their hydrostatic drives, LPG and diesel trucks are particularly well suited to frequent reversing, thus making them ideal for loading and unloading. Another advantage is that the travel speed can be controlled with the utmost precision. Hydrostatic trucks also incur minimal maintenance costs since they do not have any parts that wear, such as a clutch, differential or gearbox. The electronic control system of the engines deliver low consumption and minimal exhaust emissions.

Safety is ensured by the standard safety equipment, which includes such features as deactivated hydraulic functions when the seat is unoccupied as well as the automatic parking brake. This is supplemented by high driving stability along with an access control system. curveCONTROL reduces the speed automatically in corners, while driveCONTROL lowers the travel speed with a lift height of around 1500 millimetres. At approximately the same height, liftCONTROL reduces the tilt speed of the mast. The truck's mast, with its slim profile and rear-mounted lift cylinder, also contributes to overall safety, as does the special design of the panel wall. The latter provides an excellent view of the load and the fork tips.

The drivers at Gross + Klein not only benefit from the safety of the hydrostatic trucks, but also from their comfort and ergonomic performance. Among other things, this is ensured by the Floating Cab, which greatly reduces vibrations by means of the four-point mounting of the drive unit and the operator position module.

Dynamic performance with maximum comfort

In addition to the LPG, diesel and electric forklift trucks, Gross + Klein also uses seven electric pedestrian pallet trucks and eight electric double-deck stackers. The latter are carried in the lorries of the beverage wholesaler and used to unload the goods at the customer site. Jungheinrich's scope of delivery also includes a full-service rental agreement.

Andreas Bosch, managing director of Gross + Klein Getränke GmbH & Co. KG, is very impressed by the hydrostatic trucks: "In terms of their sprinting ability and dynamic acceleration from a standstill, forklift trucks with hydrostatic drive have a clear advantage. The hydrostatic trucks manufactured by Jungheinrich also enable further time savings by raising their masts when approaching a rack. Moreover, all trucks operate with virtually 100 percent availability, as evidenced by months of use on our site." The company is also delighted with the spacious, ergonomic workplace: "The hydrostatic trucks make for relaxed driving, allowing for maximum concentration. This in turn allows us to further improve our throughput performance."