A look back at LogiMAT 2018

ELOKON: improving safety with assistance systems

LogiMAT 2018 was a great success – our stand was very busy throughout the show and we made a lot of great new contacts and enjoyed some very interesting seminars.

The numbers say it all:

According to the closing report of the organisers EUROEXPO, LogiMAT 2018 was once again a roaring success: "With 55.300 visitors (+10,2 %) across the three days, 1.564 international exhibitors (+13 %) and double digit growth of the gross (+14,6 %) and net exhibition space (+16,7 %), the 16th LogiMAT achieved new records."

Many thanks to all who visited us in Stuttgart!

Below is a summary of our show highlights:

Assistance systems prove on a daily basis that they can reliably prevent accidents

They have long been indispensable in the automotive sector, where products such as vehicle dynamic or distance controls are now regarded as standard components. But these types of assistance systems are now becoming more common in the intralogistics sector. In situations where forklifts and personnel work in close proximity to each other and in areas of limited visibility, the safety of the workforce is of particular concern. To address these issues, ELOKON exhibited new features of its radio based driver assistance system ELOshield at LogiMAT.

The verification and stationary module of the ELOshield assistance system in particular has been enhanced by a range of new features.

360 Degree Protection

It functions essentially as a protective shield which automatically detects the presence of personnel when they encroach the danger zone around a forklift.

It can also be used for collision prevention between forklifts or - in a stationary version – for monitoring danger zones such as intersections with a high level of internal traffic.

The verification module at the entrance of a warehouse is now responsible for checking the functionality and battery power of the personal transponder. It is now also possible to connect the module directly to a client‘s own time recording systems and access authorisations. And the stationary module, which can be installed at doorways for example, is a particularly multi-talented device: it ensures that forklift travel is regulated to the required speed when drivers enter the warehouse from outside, even if a driver neglects to do this. The new categorisation also stipulates which trucks are allowed to operate in which parts of the warehouse. Trucks that do not have the necessary authorisation therefore receive a warning and are brought to a halt if this is ignored. A speed adjustment can automatically be assigned to each truck when it transitions from one area to another.

ELOshield - the all-in-one solution

The individual new modules augment the previous solution, making it a comprehensive warning system such as those achieved by in-car sensor-data-fusion, to enable 360 degree environmental recognition. ELOKON’s MD Alexander Glasmacher foresees great potential for sensor-data-fusion, as he explains:

In future, the positional data of forklifts will be exchanged via point to point connectivity, RFID will be used for vehicle positioning and real time evaluation will be available when collisions occur.

In his seminar at LogiMAT Alexander Glasmacher predicted that new standards in wireless based communication technology will drive further developments and consequently the expansion of digitisation. There are also many other parallels with the automotive industry such as the person/machine interface. To minimise any distractions posed by assistance systems, ELOKON is focusing its development on touch sensitive screens, intuitive responses and the integration of mobile devices. Assistance systems will thus not only ensure a higher level of safety for the workforce and the workplace, but will also lead to optimum routing, better allocation of resources and the emergence of new applications.