Forklift truck alternative: what options are available and when it's worth making the switch

Forklift trucks are the workhorse of intralogistics in many companies. They move pallets, steel frames or pallet cages quickly from A to B, load trucks and supply production lines. At the same time, they are expensive to operate, require trained personnel, cause many trips through the warehouse and are repeatedly the focus of accident statistics.

This is precisely why many companies are looking for a forklift alternative: solutions that are cheaper, safer, space-saving or can be automated. Many guides focus on electric pallet trucks and highlifters. They are indeed an important alternative, but only part of the picture.

In this article, you will get a comprehensive overview: from manual and electric lifting devices to tugger trains, driverless transport systems and autonomous mobile robots that can replace traditional forklift truck movements indoors and outdoors. You will find out which forklift alternative suits which application profile and why automated transport robots in particular are playing an increasingly important role.

Table of contents

• What makes the forklift truck so popular - and what are its limits?
• Classic forklift alternatives at a glance
• Electric pallet trucks and high lift trucks as a forklift replacement
• Tugger train concepts: Forklift alternative for synchronized supply
• Automated forklift alternatives: AGVs, AGVs and transport robots
• Forklift alternative for indoor and outdoor use: autonomous mobile robots
• Profitability analysis: when is the switch worthwhile?
• How companies can find the right forklift alternative
• Conclusion: From individual forklift trucks to intelligent transport chains

What makes the forklift truck so popular - and what are its limits?

The forklift truck is widely used for good reason:

• It can be used very flexibly
• It achieves high lifting heights and load capacities
• It can be relocated and redeployed relatively quickly

At the same time, the classic forklift truck has a number of disadvantages:

1. Safety risks and accidents

Forklift trucks are among the most accident-prone industrial trucks. Studies and accident statistics show that many thousands of reportable accidents involving forklift trucks occur every year, sometimes with serious or fatal consequences. The most common causes are collisions with people, the vehicle tipping over or insufficient visibility.

2. Personnel costs and qualifications

Driving a forklift requires a forklift license and written authorization, including regular training. In addition, drivers must be permanently available - a real challenge in times of a shortage of skilled workers and shift work.

3. Space requirements and traffic load

Forklifts need clear routes, turning areas and safety distances. In established layouts, this quickly leads to conflicts with footpaths, rack aisles and machine zones.

4. Efficiency in small parts

Forklifts are often oversized for short distances, low lifting heights and many small transport jobs. Lighter systems such as pallet trucks or automated transport robots can be more efficient here.

If you are looking for a forklift alternative, it makes sense to start with the question: What specific tasks does the forklift truck perform today? This determines which alternative really fits the bill.

Classic forklift truck alternatives at a glance

Typical alternatives to the classic counterbalance truck include

• Low lift pallet trucks and electric pallet trucks
• Pedestrian stackers and high lift trucks
• Reach trucks and narrow-aisle trucks
• Tugger trains with towing vehicle and trailers
• Stationary conveyor technology (conveyor belts, roller conveyors)
• Automated vehicles such as AGVs, AGVs and autonomous transport robots

While many guides focus primarily on inexpensive alternatives such as electric pallet trucks, in the following we deliberately look at the entire spectrum - right up to solutions that can not only replace forklift truck journeys, but also fully automate them.

Electric pallet trucks and pallet stackers as a forklift replacement

When it comes to classic forklift alternatives, electric pallet trucks and high lift trucks are mentioned most frequently. They are seen as a cost-effective and compact alternative, especially for:

• short transportation distances
• narrow rack aisles
• limited lifting heights
• small and medium loads

Advantages of electric pallet trucks and high lift trucks

• Lower acquisition costs compared to classic stackers
• Compact design, ideal for narrow areas and short distances
• Lower operator qualification requirements in some cases
• Lower emissions, especially with electric versions

Limitations of this forklift alternative

• Lifting heights and load capacities are often significantly lower than those of a full-size forklift truck
• Some variants are only partially electric (electric lift, manual drive)
• Still person-dependent, no automated operation
• More suitable for storage and staging areas, less suitable for complex material flows

Conclusion: Electric pallet trucks and high lift trucks are a sensible forklift alternative where the focus is on simple pallet transportation over short distances. As soon as processes become more complex, longer or more frequent, other alternatives become more interesting.

Tugger train concepts: Forklift alternative for synchronized supply

In many production plants, forklift trucks supply individual workstations or lines directly - often with many individual trips. Tugger trains take a different approach: they bundle material requirements and supply several stations on fixed routes and cycle times.

Advantages of tugger trains as a forklift alternative

• Bundling of transports on defined, recurring routes
• Fewer vehicles and less traffic in the warehouse
• Better planning and timing of material supply
• Good combination with lean methods (milk run, Kanban)
• An autonomous mobile robot AMR can also be the basis for a tugger train

Challenges

• Design and implementation of the Milkrun system are more complex
• Route plans need to be maintained, and changes to the layout increase the adaptation effort
• Route trains are ideal for some scenarios, but too inflexible for others

Especially if you currently have several forklifts in circulation that regularly travel the same routes, a tugger train concept can be a very effective forklift alternative - also as preparation for later automation.

Automated forklift alternative: AGVs and transport robots

A key trend in intralogistics is the automation of in-house transportation. Instead of constantly manned forklifts, driverless transport systems (AGVs) or autonomous transport robots are taking over recurring material movements.

Typical areas of application

• Pallet transportation between incoming goods, warehouse and production
• Supply of assembly islands with components
• Removal of finished goods to shipping areas
• Cross connections between halls or logistics zones

Advantages compared to classic forklift operation

• Reduced personnel workload for recurring transports
• High process stability and predictable throughput times
• Reduction of forklift traffic and accident risks
• Integration into control and ERP systems, transparent database
• Can also be operated very easily by untrained personnel in systems with modern software such as the INDUROS autonomous transport robot

AGV/AGV vs. autonomous transport robots

• Classic AGVs are often track-bound or require modifications to infrastructure such as buildings
• Autonomous transport robots (AMR) navigate freely, can adapt their routes to the task and can also adapt to changing situations in a dynamic environment

Depending on the application profile, even a simple AGV can provide a significant improvement over forklift operation. In environments with frequent layout changes or mixed operations involving people and machines, autonomous transport robots are usually the more flexible forklift alternative.

Forklift alternative for indoor and outdoor use: autonomous mobile robots

Many companies use their forklift trucks not only in the warehouse, but also outside buildings - for example between halls, to outdoor storage areas or in plant logistics with long distances. This is precisely where traditional indoor solutions reach their limits.

Outdoor-capable autonomous mobile robots (AMR) such as the INDUROS are designed to cover material flows across the entire factory premises:

• They move pallets, pallet cages or special load carriers on trailers
• They drive on asphalt, concrete, paving and in many cases also on less ideal surfaces
• They combine indoor and outdoor material flows and thus replace typical "forklift shuttle trips"

A typical application for this type of forklift alternative:

• Pallets are placed in an outdoor storage area in the incoming goods area
• An "outdoor AMR" picks up the trailer with pallets
• The robot autonomously brings the load to transfer points in the halls, where stationary conveyor technology or industrial robots take over and fully automate processes.
  Or the robot autonomously brings the load to transfer points in the halls, where production or warehouse employees are entrusted with further processing or storage.

Advantages of autonomous outdoor transport robots as a forklift alternative

• Significant reduction in forklift truck journeys in outdoor areas
• Elimination of many weather-dependent journeys with manned vehicles
• High level of safety thanks to sensors, defined routes and limited speeds
• Good scalability thanks to additional robots and standardized interfaces

In contrast to simple forklift alternatives such as electric pallet trucks, autonomous transport robots not only handle the load movement, but also the entire process chain consisting of order, transport, handover and feedback to control systems.

Profitability analysis: When is the switch worthwhile?

Whether a forklift alternative makes sense depends less on the technology than on the general conditions. The main influencing factors are

• Transport volume and capacity utilization
• Number of forklifts and operators used
• Layout (distances, bottlenecks, indoor/outdoor areas)
• Safety requirements and accident history
• Degree of planning of the processes (ad hoc vs. clocked)

Typical effects of switching to forklift alternatives

• Reduction of personnel costs in recurring transports
• Reduction in forklift traffic and accident black spots
• Better use of space due to leaner transport routes
• Greater transparency of material flows and inventories

Particularly in the case of autonomous transport robots, the economic efficiency analysis should go beyond pure acquisition costs:

• How do throughput times and inventories change?
• Which additional shifts or overtime are avoided?
• What costs are reduced due to less damage to shelves, gates and floor coverings?
• What savings can be made in the outdoor area by eliminating forklift trips?

In many cases, forklift alternatives - especially automated solutions - pay for themselves within a few years if they are consistently embedded in the overall material flow. A material flow analysis or a discussion with the experts at Innok Robotics can help with this consideration.

How companies can find the right forklift alternative

In order to find the right solution from the multitude of possible alternatives, a few steps have proven their worth:

1. Record the task profile of the forklift truck

• Exactly which trips are carried out today?
• What lifting heights, loads and distances are typical?
• How many trips are repetitive, how many are special cases?

2. Carry out a material flow analysis

A systematic material flow analysis reveals where many forklift truck journeys take place today, which routes are particularly busy and where automation would have the greatest effect.

3. Derive requirement profiles for forklift alternatives

• Areas with low lifting heights and short distances: electric pallet trucks or high lift trucks
• Cycled, recurring routes: tugger trains or AGVs
• Flexible, dynamic environments: autonomous transport robots
• Indoor/outdoor connections: Outdoor-capable AMR with trailer systems

4. Proceed step by step

Instead of abolishing all forklifts overnight, an iterative approach is a good idea:

• Pilot area with a clearly defined scope
• Testing a forklift alternative in real operations
• Evaluation of the effects on safety, throughput and costs
• Scaling to other areas, lines or halls

5. System integration right from the start

With automated alternatives in particular, it is crucial how well solutions can be integrated into existing systems such as ERP, WMS or MES. Standardized interfaces and fleet managers help to orchestrate operations efficiently later on.

Conclusion: From individual forklift trucks to intelligent transport chains

A forklift alternative is not a single machine, but a strategic decision for a different approach in intralogistics. The spectrum ranges from simple electric pallet trucks to tugger trains and fully automated transport robots that take over classic forklift truck movements indoors and outdoors.

In a nutshell:

• Electric pallet trucks and high lift trucks can be a forklift alternative for short distances and moderate lifting heights.
• Tugger train concepts reduce forklift traffic and create synchronized, plannable material flows.
• AGVs, AGVs and autonomous transport robots automate recurring forklift trips and increase safety and transparency.
• Outdoor-capable AMRs such as the INDUROS close the gap between halls and outdoor areas and replace traditional forklift shuttles on the factory premises.

For companies that are currently heavily dependent on forklift trucks, it is therefore worth looking at forklift truck alternatives twice over: they not only open up scope in terms of costs, safety and ergonomics, but are also the first step towards intelligently networked, largely autonomous intralogistics, in which the forklift truck only travels where it is really indispensable. The experts at Innok Robotics will be happy to help you analyze whether you can usefully replace forklift transports with an autonomous solution.