How an AI-based Linde System is significantly improving safety levels at CEMEX

It’s what you add that makes the difference— and for industry specialist CEMEX Admixtures that applies to their intralogistics as well as their construction admixtures. The fleet of forklifts at the company’s site in Salzkotten, Germany has a new addition—an AI-based system from Linde Reverse Assist Camera, which has significantly improved safety levels in reversing maneuvers.

When you think about how the human body can twist and turn, it really is a wonder of nature. But it does have one sticking point (literally!) and that is its inability to rotate the head right around so that we can see everything happening behind us. This anatomical fact might seem relatively minor in everyday life, but it is quite a significant aspect of working life in the world of logistics. “However flexible you are and however carefully you watch your mirrors, if you’re reversing a forklift, there’s always a risk that you might not see someone,” warns Roland Poppe, Manager Production Europe at cement additive manufacturer CEMEX Admixtures.

High Traffic Levels in a Tight Space

We’re on-site in Salzkotten, in North Rhine-Westphalia, where CEMEX Admixtures GmbH produces a wide range of additives for the construction materials industry. Counterbalanced trucks are an essential part of their operations—for example, in loading and unloading around 20 trucks every day. As Poppe explains, this process involves more than a little potential risk: “Reversing in itself requires maximum concentration; when you add in external truck drivers who are not familiar with the site, that can further amplify the risk.” Reversing indoors is just as demanding, especially in the filling area, where containers weighing up to 1.4 tonnes are removed from the production plant. Health & Safety Specialist Karen Förster goes into more detail: “Our site isn’t just limited in terms of space; there are also up to 11 forklifts operating there at the same time. That’s why we wanted a practical and effective solution that improves safety when they are reversing, both inside and out.”

AI: The Ever-Watchful Eye

Managers at CEMEX Admixtures wanted practical and effective and this led them straight to an innovative solution: Linde’s Reverse Assist Camera. Despite the name, this is no ordinary rearview camera; instead, what you get is an intelligent assistance system with AI-based algorithms that can distinguish between people and objects in an area of up to 12 meters behind a forklift. If someone is inside or enters the designated zone, the system gives both a visual and an acoustic warning and can also be programmed to reduce the speed of the industrial truck. The underlying technology is explicitly trained to recognize people wearing work clothes and protective clothing.

AI: The Ever-Watchful Eye

Managers at CEMEX Admixtures wanted practical and effective and this led them straight to an innovative solution: Linde’s Reverse Assist Camera. Despite the name, this is no ordinary rearview camera; instead, what you get is an intelligent assistance system with AI-based algorithms that can distinguish between people and objects in an area of up to 12 meters behind a forklift. If someone is inside or enters the designated zone, the system gives both a visual and an acoustic warning and can also be programmed to reduce the speed of the industrial truck. The underlying technology is explicitly trained to recognize people wearing work clothes and protective clothing.

Retrofitted—and Customized to Your Requirements

“We started by working with our Linde network partner NEOTECHNIK Fördersysteme to install the system on one of our Linde forklifts, so we could spend several weeks testing it,” reports Poppe. “During that testing period, a NEOTECHNIK employee configured the settings to meet our exact on-site requirements”. And that brings us to another special feature of the Linde Reverse Assist Camera: its individual configurability. You can set two warning zones—one amber and one red—and that in turn defines the acoustic warning. Drivers can also see the camera image on the forklift’s display (which can also be retrofitted), with any people detected highlighted in color.

The Linde System Issues Warnings when It Should

The latest-generation of the Linde counterbalanced forklift truck shows images on the factory-fitted 7-inch display, plus both warning zones can be assigned a specific speed reduction. In 2022, CEMEX warehouse technician Marcel Shabanaj was one of the first people to try out the Linde Reverse Assist Camera. “Right from the start, I really liked the fact that the system only warns me if it actually detects someone behind the forklift. Apart from that, you don’t have to listen to an annoying warning tone all the time.”

Wide-Ranging Safety Technology

When it comes to safety, this new system is not the only Linde solution in use at CEMEX Admixtures. The Linde E20, Linde E30, and Linde H30 trucks not only feature Linde BlueSpot LED lights, but are also equipped with the Linde Safety Guard assistance system. This system uses high-precision vehicle location on all forklifts to prevent collisions between them. “We have also defined six additional warning zones in difficult-to-monitor areas on our premises where forklift speeds are automatically reduced. In addition, LEDs at strategic points project clearly visible warning symbols on the hall floor if a truck is approaching,” explains Förster.

An Ongoing Success Story

Since then, the intelligent Linde system has been fitted on all the forklifts in Salzkotten—and elsewhere. “We intend to roll out the retrofit of this system to plants in Spain and England by the end of the second quarter of 2023,” confirms Poppe, who is responsible for production across Europe. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually became the new global standard across the entire group.”