Westerwald brewery: Hachenburger stacks only electrically

From now on, Westerwald-Brauerei in Hachenburg will only be using electric forklift trucks. Along with environmental responsibility, speed, safety, ergonomics and efficiency were the main factors in opting for STILL’s new electric forklift trucks, which are replacing the old LPG trucks.

We only hop the best

Westerwald-Brauerei in Hachenburg, in the heart of the Westerwald, is one of the oldest Pils breweries in Germany. Founded in 1861 by Heinrich Schneider, the brewery is still privately owned today, with the fifth generation of the family now in charge. “It’s not enough just to talk about quality. That’s why we think about what we’re doing every day and ask if there’s anything we can improve. This not only applies to how we produce our beers, but also to our service and all other activities, such as in our brewery logistics,” says Jens Geimer, Managing Partner.

Electric forklift trucks are pivotal to logistics

Environmental responsibility, ergonomics and safety were the key factors in the decision to use electric forklift trucks provided by STILL. Hachenburger’s Beer Sommelier and Sales Manager for the Festivals and Clubs division, Klaus Strüder: “STILL’s forklifts make loading our beer on to the lorries a clean, quick and safe process. These high-performance electric forklift trucks are pivotal in ensuring everything runs smoothly in logistics.” Logistics employee André Wunderlich adds: “The trucks have their own power charging devices, which are used to ‘fill up’ for the following day after work. It’s very practical and everything runs smoothly.”

The logistics employees are also pleased with the comfortable driver’s seats with air suspension. Access to the trucks is controlled using STILL FleetManager via an RFID chip system. Accelerometers record shock events and initiate appropriate measures. This makes the driver aware and provides effective protection against collision damage.

This is all complemented by the STILL Safety Light, which warns passers-by about approaching vehicles in good time. All STILL electric forklift trucks have a distinctive green Hachenburger design. “For one-sided loading of beer pallets on to lorries, we have fitted both of the RX 60-50s with a feed multi-pallet fork and the RX 60-25 with a retractable fork. The trucks are also equipped with an integrated heating system for both outdoor and indoor use,” adds Mick Krause, Sales Consultant at STILL’s Frankfurt/Main office.

Sustainability is paramount

Low-noise electric forklift trucks do not produce soot, and energy recovery when braking means they are also highly efficient. The energy-saving program Blue-Q can save up to 20 percent energy through intelligent switching of electrical consumers. “Sustainability and environmental concerns are an important topic in our company. Back in 2017, we created huge energy saving potential with the construction of our new machine hall featuring a refrigeration system. We have now done the same with the new trucks,” adds Jens Geimer. The trucks, like the entire brewery, are also operated using 100 percent green electricity.

Bottom line – we only stack the best

Westerwald-Brauerei is convinced that it made the right choice in partner STILL as all processes were implemented smoothly. Replacing the old LPG models with modern electric forklift trucks has drastically reduced CO 2 emissions, with savings of up to 20 percent generated by the intelligent energy-saving program Blue-Q alone.