Linde scooped the environmental award at the 2007 Fork Lift Truck Association annual awards for extended component life on its electric counterbalance range. It is using a new drive axle, which incorporates twin AC drive motors. It is virtually maintenance-free, and with sensor-controlled cooling delivers good productivity. A resilient drive axle suspension system extends component life and absorbs road shocks while a patented energy management system increases the uptime available from each charging cycle and reduces overall energy consumption.
It fought off the challenge from Toyota which is actively promoting recycling at every stage of a fork lift’s life cycle, from development and production to use and disposal. In 2006 the recycling rate for scrapped Toyota Generation 7 fork lift trucks was 99 per cent. Generation 7 fork lifts and all future trucks will be systematically labelled to enable material and thermal recycling and prevent unnecessary waste.
Watts Industrial Tyres was also shortlisted for its Quantum remould tyre uses a special technique to reclaim high-grade tyre material.
The fourth finalist was the battery powered Conhersa rough terrain pallet truck.
