Linde Xi20 PH proves itself at Ostendorf

Diesel can often be found in pipes: whether as a medium being conveyed or as an ingredient in their manufacture. At Gebr. Ostendorf GmbH in Vechta, the pipe manufacturing process runs virtually 24/7. That’s why the company has relied on robust diesel forklift trucks for its outdoor operations for years. Can the new Linde Xi20 PH electric forklift keep up with this high level of performance?

Pipes run through walls and basements, and under gardens and streets. While they are doing an absolutely essential job there, the pipes themselves usually remain invisible – unless you visit the city of Vechta in the German state of Lower Saxony. In the outdoor storage area at Gebr. Ostendorf Kunststoffe GmbH, you can see pipes in a wide range of sizes stacked many metres high, which the company supplies to the plumbing and building materials trade.

“Our business has been growing for years, and we now deliver our products to India,” explains Technical Operations Manager Uwe Fröhle. “That is why the machinery in our three factories on our site here is running around the clock and we even have two twelve-hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays,” he continues. It makes sense that the continuous transport of goods from production to temporary storage and the loading logistics involved are rather demanding.

Are demanding outdoor operations a no-go for electric forklift trucks?

Pipes everywhere: at Ostendorf, this is not only true of the storage and loading areas, but you can also spot more pipes if you look closely at the counterbalanced forklift trucks used outside. More specifically, their exhaust pipes.

Uwe Fröhle’s colleague Marco Schillmöller says: “We exclusively use Linde H20 D diesel models in the outside area. Our workers use them to collect the goods from the factory door and take them to the storage and loading areas. There is a long gradient on this route, so our forklifts need a considerable amount of power and endurance.” The Ostendorf logistics team loads up to 80 trucks every day, which means each forklift can easily rack up 3,500 operating hours a year. It is an extremely demanding setting, one that appears ideal for the new top performer in the forklift segment, albeit one that does not need an exhaust pipe.

Every inch of the Linde Xi is geared towards performance

“We are of course extremely familiar with the requirements at Ostendorf thanks to the number of years we’ve been working with them. So we introduced our customer to the new Linde Xi electric forklift truck and started an extended field test,” says Kai-Gerrit Fabel from Linde network partner Willenbrock Fördertechnik, based in the German city of Bremen. What makes this forklift unique (the 2.0 metric ton model of which has been field tested as a prototype in Vechta since the end of May 2024) is that it features, for the first time, a fully integrated Li-ION battery, which, together with the powerful 90 V technology and recently developed synchronous reluctance motors, helps to deliver outstanding performance.

1 / 8

The new electric forklift truck impresses even veteran diesel professionals

Pick up load, set down load, drive up ramp, drive down ramp, load truck, unload materials and start again from the beginning, hour after hour, in all weathers: this is exactly what Michael Heying is currently doing at Ostendorf with the Linde Xi20 PH fully electric forklift. This warehouse logistics specialist is an absolute expert: “I’ve been driving internal combustion trucks for over 22 years, and I have to say, the Linde Xi is a really great piece of kit! When you accelerate, the power is there immediately and the same is true when lifting and lowering. It’s a really fast machine.” In fact, the Xi10 – 20 series from Linde achieves lifting and lowering speeds of up to 20 percent above the market average. At the same time, as Michael Heying confirms, the forklift offers a high level of user comfort thanks to the lowered and widened entry step. This is made possible by the battery being permanently integrated and there therefore being no need for the battery tray that features in other models.

Where top performance meets the highest ergonomic standards

The fact that the battery is permanently integrated also provides other ergonomic benefits – in terms of headroom and legroom, for example. Michael Heying: “You have a lot of space and it doesn’t feel quite so cramped. I can see everything through the large windows – which makes truck loading much easier. I also go home at night without a booming headache, because the forklift is so quiet and the vibrations are absorbed so effectively.” This is partly achieved by the damping concept, which uses elastomer ring bearings to decouple not only the steering axle and the chassis, but also the mast and drive axle from one another. In addition, the Linde Xi20 PH at Ostendorf has an operator’s seat with air suspension. The high-performance air-conditioning system with 2,500 watts of heating and 3,500 watts of cooling power completes the ergonomics package. The high level of stability is achieved through the low centre of gravity of the forklift thanks to the Linde pendulum axle.

The verdict: this electric forklift has what it takes to replace diesel

When an electric forklift is taking over a job that an internal combustion truck used to do, sooner or later the question of endurance will come up. So far, however, the pilot implementation in Ostendorf has proven that the Linde Xi20 PH has sufficient power reserves even during intensive non-stop operation. Workshop Manager and Operations Coordinator Marco Schillmöller: “Depending on the workload, the battery still has up to 25 to 30 percent residual capacity in the battery at the end of a shift without interim charging.” At the same time, Technical Operations Manager Uwe Fröhle adds, the all-electric concept aligns well with the company’s sustainability strategy: “Of course, as a supplier, we want to gradually reduce our carbon footprint. And if a zero-emission electric forklift truck does the job of an internal combustion truck just as well, the handling performance fits the bill, and our people are extremely satisfied with it, then I could easily imagine the Linde Xi20 PH in regular service here.”