The future of counterbalance forklift truck design

What design changes are on the horizon

Gradual improvement in counterbalance lift trucks is always to be expected, but what larger and more radical changes in design and technology are on the horizon?

Mark Nicholson talks to the Cat® Lift Trucks team at Järvenpää to find out how the future will look and feel.

This article focuses on the counterbalance market. But, the Cat® Lift Trucks development and production centre in Järvenpää, Finland, is also able to call upon its long experience in the fields of warehouse and AGV technology to enhance a wide range of products.

The main drivers of change, according to these specialists, are demands for improvement in the user experience, emissions, energy efficiency and economy.

The user experience

“The user experience is a very important factor for customers today, and it’s an area in which we feel our focus is different from that of other manufacturers,” says Research and Development Vice President Janne Polvilampi.

“Customers actually want to enjoy operating a lift truck, just as they enjoy driving a car. Cars have set new standards for smooth, easy, comfortable and precise operation of all controls, and drivers want to feel the same in a lift truck. Even the design and appearance of the operator compartment now needs to give the feeling of a car. The overall sensation felt during a test drive often distinguishes a higher-quality brand from the rest.”

“Customers actually want to enjoy operating a lift truck, just as they enjoy driving a car. Cars have set new standards for smooth, easy, comfortable and precise operation of all controls, and drivers want to feel the same in a lift truck.”

One key element of a truck’s user interface is the display panel, which is an aspect the company has spent considerable time testing in the market. Janne Polvilampi says, “Again customers are looking for a car-like experience. The display needs to look attractive and to use colour, contrast and design to give very clear, easy-to-interpret readings. It should tell the operator what he or she needs to know at any moment, without unnecessary information.”

In electric trucks, programmability has brought increasing flexibility in meeting the needs of different operators and tasks. The aim now, as Technology Manager Jani Mähönen explains, is to make the adjustments in parameters automatic.

“In electric trucks, programmability has brought increasing flexibility in meeting the needs of different operators and tasks.”

“The curve control on Cat® electric models, which automatically reduces travel speed when cornering or when the forks are raised, is a simple example of a truck adjusting its parameters as circumstances change. In our new 2.5 to 3.5 tonne 80V range we have taken this kind of intelligent automatic adaptation much further (see ‘Intelligence and agility’). Instead of pre-setting parameters, we want to see the truck and its controls constantly adapting as the operator works.”

He adds, “The trend is to give the driver a simple choice between, say, economy and high performance – similar to selecting economy or sports mode in a quality car. A sense of safety and confidence is important, and our developments are aimed at achieving this without spoiling the overall user experience.”

Emissions and energy efficiency

There is a major trend towards battery power, largely due to emissions regulations and the longer-term economy (in terms of total cost of ownership) that electric technology can bring to many applications. In response, designers are producing electric trucks with the power and resilience to operate in many workplaces that would previously have required IC engine trucks.

The Cat Lift Trucks team points out that the design of its latest range of 4 to 5 tonne electric lift trucks has reduced energy consumption by up to 25%, which shows that there is still scope for significant improvements. But what about using more efficient battery technologies to power the trucks? Janne Polvilampi warns that customers may have to wait a while for any big change.

“The Cat Lift Trucks team points out that the design of its latest range of 4 to 5 tonne electric lift trucks has reduced energy consumption by up to 25%.”

“Our global organisation has been closely involved in developing lithium-ion battery technology but at the moment it’s too expensive in most user circumstances to give a reasonably quick return on investment. In time, expansion of the electric and hybrid car markets will bring down the cost of Li-ion batteries and make them viable for lift trucks. We see these as a much better option for development than hydrogen cells, which require heavy investment in customer infrastructure.”

Of course, for some applications the sheer size and weight of the loads and the harshness of the environment still call for an IC engine truck. At the moment, much of the diesel engine designers’ attention is focused on meeting increasingly strict exhaust emission regulations. Reijo Gröndahl, the Product Management and Pricing Manager, says, “For our new generation of 7 tonne and 10 to 16 tonne diesels we have chosen advanced Perkins engines which benefit from over 80 years of continuous development. These modern units are surprisingly light and compact. More importantly, they deliver the same levels of power as older engines but with much lower emissions and fuel consumption.”

While engines will undoubtedly continue to become cleaner and more economical, and the trucks will share many ergonomic features with electric models, IC Product Manager Ari Pajusalo does not envisage any huge revolution in diesel and gas counterbalance design in the short term.

“There is no big trend toward diesel or gas, although different regions have their own preferences. In the Middle East there is a demand for use of compressed natural gas instead of LPG, but not sufficient to cover the cost of the necessary developments. Diesel/Li-ion hybrid lift trucks, which our global company markets in Japan, are an option for the future but Europe’s interest in hybrids is currently limited.”

He adds, “It seems that for IC engine trucks the most important changes have already been made. Evolution will be steady, focusing largely on ergonomics, addition of features for manoeuvring and handling, lowering emissions and improving designs. We will be closely following developments in other IC commercial vehicle sectors.”

Other economies

The team at Järvenpää notes that increasing land prices are encouraging businesses to build warehouses higher and with narrower aisles. This makes high lifting capability and compact design more important than ever.

Another way in which design of the warehouse and the trucks can be aligned is to integrate charging systems into the trucks, avoiding the need to set aside large areas for battery stations. This is another case where the technology is currently too expensive but may be economically viable in years to come.

While car designers constantly seek lighter materials, lift trucks need weight for counterbalancing. However, there is still an economic and environmental driver for reduction in the amount of material used – particularly when it comes to expensive metals. In the latest Cat electric lift trucks, for example, significant savings have been made on materials and energy through use of compact component layouts.

“In the latest Cat electric lift trucks, for example, significant savings have been made on materials and energy through use of compact component layouts.”

CANbus communication, which reduces wiring harness size and complexity, is now standard on most lift trucks. The trend is towards connecting more devices to the controllers via CANbus, and so minimising both material costs and the potential for electrical problems. Motors are among the components which are becoming progressively smaller, thanks largely to improved cooling efficiency. This saves on materials and at the same time allows the trucks to be more compact.

Dependability

Reliable performance and durability are also essential to minimising the lifetime costs of lift trucks. As they become more technologically sophisticated, particularly in their electronic systems, a fresh approach to quality control and testing has become necessary.

At Järvenpää, extensive use is made of automated equipment to test the endurance and performance of products. This allows trucks to be subjected to continuous, rigorous trials, day and night, which would be impossible for a human driver to withstand. At the same time, automated monitoring via online connections ensures that no failure or defect is missed – even if it is undetectable to the human senses.

A relatively new concept used by Cat Lift Trucks is hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. This computerised facility tests the extensive and complex control systems without the need for a fully assembled truck.

As Technology Manager Jani Mähönen reminds us, “The performance, efficiency and ergonomics of a modern truck may be superb, but that will count for nothing if it fails to operate.”