DeLaval recognised for Occupational Health & Safety invention

The German Worker’s Compensation Board competition for preventive measures against work-related accidents and illnesses – The Golden Hand – praised DeLaval for inventing a customised crane application for picking trucks that handles chemicals in our European Distribution Centre in Gallin, Germany.


As there are no standard picking trucks with a crane on the market, the team in Gallin, developed this solution together with the forklift supplier Linde.

The warehouse workers are working with canisters of different sizes and the biggest ones require the use of a crane and a truck.

The new truck now handles both the lifting and transportation of the canisters and the workers do not need to put extra stress on their bodies.

“This invention has been very positively received by our team in the warehouse. Many companies are still asking their workers to do the lifting manually, which is a potential health issue. We want to make sure that all our employees have a good work environment and that they are well taken care of,” says Ralf Sundaram Pillai, Warehouse Manager in Gallin.

The Golden Hand – The German Worker’s Compensation Board (BGHW) competition for
preventive measures against work-related accidents and illnesses

This is the first time DeLaval enters this competition. It was back in 2019, but due to the pandemic the award ceremony was postponed to 2021. Even though the invention did not make the podium, the solution was praised by the jury and received a recognition award.