LSV transports bright steel with electrically powered platform truck

Special vehicle from DIMOS

Lech-Stahl Veredelung (LSV) is one of the specialists for the production and finishing of bright steel. Efficient transportation of workpieces in different processing stages is particularly important here. At its Meitingen site, LSV uses platform trucks from machine manufacturer DIMOS for this purpose. With the individually developed and purely electrically powered vehicle, the user was able to increase the payload per transport unit from 30 to 40 tons - one of many examples of how the platform truck contributes to a more efficient material flow at LSV.

Lech-Stahl Veredelung GmbH was founded in 2012 as a merger of the long-established bright steel companies Lech-Stahl Veredelung in Oberndorf and Stahlveredelung Landsberg. Both companies had decades of experience in the production and refinement of bright steel. In addition to the production sites in Landsberg and Oberndorf, LSV opened a third production site in Meitingen in 2019. Here, steel is manufactured in various finishing and processing stages on a production area of around 10,000 square meters.

Small vehicle, big tasks

Internal load transportation is particularly important for LSV: the provision of blanks and parts to be machined in production as well as the storage of finished parts. Undercarriages, which are transported by platform trucks, serve as the interface between logistics and production and vice versa in Meitingen. Originally, the payload of these racks was 30 tons. To make the material flow even more efficient, LSV wanted to increase the load to 40 tons while keeping the compact dimensions of the racks the same. This increased the demands on the platform trucks. A vehicle was needed that could lift the racks and their payload by 100 millimetres with a low underride height of just 560 millimetres in order to be able to move them.

Developed in collaboration with the user

In DIMOS, LSV found the right technology partner for the development of a platform truck that allows loads to be increased while the dimensions of the undercarriage remain the same. The Hessian mechanical engineering company has been designing industrial trucks according to individual customer requirements for 30 years and manufactures exclusively in small series. The aim is to develop vehicles that prove their worth in every area of use at the customer's premises, offer advantages to everyone involved and are easy to handle. To this end, all relevant people on the customer side are involved in the design and construction of a vehicle, from logistics management and procurement to the subsequent operators. This was also the case with the platform truck for LSV, as plant manager Robert Sandner emphasizes: "DIMOS worked very closely with us throughout the entire project and examined every detail in detail."

Robust and easy to service

In addition to close coordination with the future user and detailed requirements analysis, DIMOS' technical expertise, which has grown over decades, contributes in particular to optimum vehicle development. The machine manufacturer cushions the high loads caused by handling heavy goods with sophisticated components and a well-coordinated design: The platform truck is robust, less susceptible to wear and tear, scores with low service requirements and low maintenance costs. If a service or battery change is nevertheless required, this can be carried out quickly and easily thanks to the modular design of the vehicle. "As with all our vehicles, the design of the platform truck is based on a modular system. This allows us to offer LSV the greatest possible flexibility and ease of servicing," explains Pascal Schütz, Managing Director of DIMOS.

Energy-efficient thanks to an all-electric drive

In addition to robustness and good maintenance accessibility, a modern solution is characterized in particular by optimal energy management. LSV was therefore looking for an energy-efficient solution. DIMOS was able to fulfill this wish with its powerful, purely electric drive concept: Thanks to its low battery and energy consumption, the maintenance requirements for the platform truck are very low, whereas the operating times are particularly long. By contrast, hydrostatic drives, which are still the norm in standard systems on the market, have a significantly lower energy yield due to their low efficiency. Another advantage of the all-electric solution is that it is emission-free. Compared to diesel-powered vehicles, the platform truck is therefore more environmentally friendly, more cost-effective in the long term and contributes to a more pleasant working environment.

Lifting system above the market standard

Further advantages result from the innovative design of the chassis and the lifting system. Unlike conventional solutions, the lifting system is located in the frame and not on the chassis. The reason: if the lift is implemented via the running gear, both the lifting gear and the running gear are subjected to very high loads, which leads to leaks and failures in the medium term. The fact that DIMOS has implemented both systems separately means that there is significantly less wear on the running gear. "One of the strengths of our platform trailer is its robustness. This can be attributed not least to our innovative lifting system. We thus offer LSV a vehicle that reliably contributes to optimizing the material flow in the long term," says Schütz.

Conclusion: working together to find the optimum solution

Transporting significantly higher loads, saving energy and minimizing downtimes - LSV achieves each of these goals with its new platform trucks. This success is due in particular to DIMOS' extensive experience in designing customized industrial trucks. Equally important, however, was the close, requirements-oriented cooperation between the machine manufacturer and the user, as Sandner explains: "Together, we developed the best possible solution for our specific requirements. The result is more efficient logistics processes."