Linde Material Handling (UK) is planning three new product launches including a “revolutionary” design which will be previewed next Spring. The company’s sales and marketing director, Stephen Moule, is saying little about the revolutionary product other than it will be built at Linde’s Basingstoke facility, and will be previewed in March 2005.
Moule, speaking at the launch of Linde’s new K range, also expects the UK materials handling market to exceed the 30,000 unit mark this year – the first time that the UK market has surpassed that number. He predicts that the market will reach 30,400 units, 840 more than the total for 2003. The Basingstoke plant is likely to exceed 9,000 units this year, a 6.5% increase over 2003.
Linde’s new K range is a very narrow aisle (VNA) modular combination concept which enables the specifying of models to match individual applications. Instead of specific capacities for the range of models, Linde has devised a selection of key unitised modules such as the mast, cab, chassis, drive unit and turret head which can all be exactly matched to offer any capacity up to 1,500kg.
Customers’ operational and structural requirements are analysed by special software to ensure that the optimum modular specification is identified to meet the demands of VNA storage applications.
The K range has picking and lift heights up to 14,880mm and lift heights to 14,525mm. The range features the Linde System Control (LSC) which provides smooth, fluent acceleration, travel and lifting movements for optimum material flow. Other LSC features include up to 15% energy regeneration on mast lowering; synchronised reach and rotate movements; CAN bus technology for monitoring truck systems; and on-board or optional remote truck diagnosis via modem with memory.
There is a choice of 20kW and 24kW lift motor modules, and travel speeds of up to 9km/h and 12km/h, to ensure precise matching to operational requirements.
