A history of innovation

It is renowned for manufacturing reliable, durable, eco-friendly and high performance products from its counterbalance range to its reach trucks to warehouse solutions.

The latest innovation is the R14 to R20 reach truck range. Introduced in February this year, the reach trucks have load capacities from 1.4 to 2 tonnes and have been dubbed products of ‘radical innovation’ - which will revolutionise operator comfort, productivity and safety.

This innovation, does not come as a surprise however, as the company has been continuously improving its range of reach trucks. In 1992, Linde introduced the first in a long line of new generation reach trucks- setting new industry standards in operator comfort. This was followed in 2000, by the Linde Active Range raising the bar of performance with smoother operation via the Linde Load Control levers.

2005 saw the launch of the X range reach truck design which relocated the battery from its traditional position between the operator and the mast, to the base of the truck underneath the operator’s compartment. This resulted in doubling the space available for the operator and also sped up cycle times, enhancing productivity and reducing energy consumption - thus prolonging shift life.

Jana Vitkova, Linde’s Warehouse Product Manager talks to HSS about the design of its most recent R-14 to R-20 reach truck range:

"Product innovation has always been and always will be at the forefront of what we do at Linde. Looking at ways to improve the quality, value and service of our products is of utmost importance. So being able to launch products as innovative as our newest R14 to R20 reach truck range offering customers better productivity and more safety features is fantastic.

"Operator comfort is one of the most important elements that we consider when designing new trucks or when developing existing trucks. Vibration is known as a key source of fatigue in humans which leads to loss of concentration. By reducing the vibrations we reduce the risk of accidents. 

"Therefore the operator’s compartment of the R14 to R20 range has been fixed to the lower chassis via 4 rubber blocks shielding the operator from harmful vibration.”

The operator is further protected by an air-suspended seat which automatically adjusts to his or her body weight when the truck is energised, thus ensuring that the human element of the productivity equation remains alert and motivated throughout a long shift.

Linde Load Control
This new design also includes the Linde Load Control hydraulic levers and armrest which can be adjusted forwards and backwards vertically for ultimate comfort- allowing operators to fully adjust their preferences for driving position. Linde has also ensured that these new designs have storage compartments which can be easily accessed from the operator’s seat.

The two newly designed mast ranges also use stronger steel profiles that limit mast deflection by up to 20% and provide higher residual capacity before deration. As with earlier mast designs from Linde, visibility is an important factor and these new designs offer improved vision.

In addition to operator comfort, it is of course essential that truck performance is improved with each new product development - and so increasing productivity is another important element for Linde. Increased productivity results in cost savings for all parties involved and so this element should never be overlooked.

Jana continues: "Unladen lift and lower speeds are also faster in comparison to the previous series. In order to match energy consumption and productivity as precisely as possible to the needs of the application, there are three different driving dynamics settings to choose from within this range of trucks: Performance for the highest power output, Efficiency for the best combination of handling performance and energy efficiency, and Economy for less demanding applications or those where extended shift life is required.

"The range also boasts high-visibility armoured glass roof and a range of new camera systems to give additional vision resulting in faster and safer load handling.

"We also look at continuously improving truck safety elements whenever we develop new trucks. This new range offers a side hoop guard at shoulder height to provide better protection for the operator and the Linde BlueSpot safety light which is becoming a common feature of the counterbalance truck. This simple but extremely effective option uses a high intensity blue LED light focussed in front of the truck to warn pedestrians or other operators of a truck approaching an intersection.”