In Neunkirchen am Sand, 30 kilometers southwest of Nuremberg, the companies of the Vogel Group - "Vogel Formenbau", "Vogel Kunststofftechnik" and "ISO Flock" - produce interior and exterior parts such as consoles and sills for cars from plastic granulate.

In the Vogel Kunststofftechnik production hall, you can see how a huge rectangular metal box (the mold), built into a plastic injection molding machine, splits in the middle and produces the finished plastic part. Then a removal robot lowers itself in between from above and removes it. The metal block closes again, liquid plastic is injected, and a few seconds later the gripper can lift a new plastic sill out of the mold. Such a mold is a highly complex structure and is controlled electronically. They are custom-made in the Vogel Formenbau production hall.

"Our molds start at a weight of 700 kilograms. For the production of large sills for off-road vehicles, a mold can weigh up to 25 tons," explains warehouse manager Chris Roland. At Vogel Kunststofftechnik, 17 injection molding machines, spread over two halls with 1,800 square meters, produce mainly interior and exterior parts for the automotive industry in three shifts with 150 employees. Six Mitsubishi Grendia LPG forklifts with operating weights of 1.8 and three tons are available around the clock to ensure that the production flow does not stop. In addition, there are two Mitsubishi three-wheel electric forklifts, which take turns to ensure a smooth flow of materials, mainly in the rack storage area.

The three green 1.8-tonne gas-powered forklifts are put to intensive use and perform reliably and tirelessly in three-shift production operations. "That quickly adds up to 300 hours per forklift per month," says Chris Roland, emphasizing that there have never been any major problems with the machines. This is not only due to the robust machines, but also to the Mitsubishi forklift dealer - Alexius Fördertechnik - who ensures that the forklifts at Vogel never stand idle for long. Roland: "The advice and service from Alexius are more than good. If a problem arises, a technician is on hand immediately to rectify the fault."

The finished plastic products are delivered by freight forwarders. On average, 15 articulated trucks are loaded and unloaded every day. The three-ton LPG forklift trucks handle these goods. Some of the forklifts are equipped with 1.60 meter long forks so that they can pick up to six pallets at a time in block stacking. as