Toyota Material Handling’s BT Lifter receives the label iF Universal Design expert favourite

iF Universal Design has officially labelled the BT Lifter L-series as the expert favourite 2016. The BT Lifter was originally designed by the Swedish industrial designer Rune Monö in 1967.

Throughout the years the iconic design has become the standard shape of the hand pallet truck. At present, the BT Lifter is built according to the Toyota Production System and has a unique lifetime guarantee of 99 years. Just last year, the Lifter has also been awarded the Japanese Good Design Long Life Design Award 2015.

The expert favourites were awarded by the Universal Design expert jury, which consisted of five jurors: Chairperson Prof. Fritz Frenkler (f/p design), Verena Voppichler (BMW Group), Kyoko Tanaka (yellow design), Veronika Egger (design for all, Austria), and Prof. Wolfgang Sattler (Bauhaus Universität).

The jury took a number of criteria into account to reach their verdict: a broad, flexible, simple and intuitive use; error tolerance and safety; marketability and market potential; feasibility and innovation; sustainability and environmental compatibility.

All entries were examined and tested by the judging experts during the Munich Creative Business Week in February. The event took place in the Oskar von Miller Forum, where all entries were on display to the public.