Logistics Management - October 2011

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is evolving1Automating lift trucks. Automation iscoming to lift trucks as Crown, MCFA,Toyota, Nissan, and Raymond ready lifttrucks that can operate as automaticguided vehicles. Raymond, for instance,has plans to introduce an automatedlift truck incorporating a camera-basednavigation system from Seegrid in early32012. The justification for automation issimple: Labor is expensive. “If you lookat the five-year economic life of a lifttruck, labor represents 70 percent to 75percent of the total investment,” saysFrank Devlin, manager of advancedtechnologies at Raymond. “If you canmaximize your labor force, there is atremendous need for this.”2Bringing RFID to lift trucks. Inaddition to automated lift trucks, manufacturersare exploring semi-automatedsolutions. Through its relationship withJungheinrich, MCFA is bringing RFIDandtransponder-based technologiesfrom Europe to very narrow aisle lifttrucks in the North American market.One solution relies on a warehousenavigation system that knows where thetruck is located based on encoders andtransponders in the floor and RFID tagsat the pick and pallet locations. Onceorder picks are loaded into the system,the truck calculates the most efficientway to pick the orders; it will also calculatethe lift and drive speeds that aremost productive for the process.“The system will automatically driveand lift the truck in an automated fashionfrom pick location to pick locationwithout going to a completely automatedtruck,” says Bowles. MCFA isalso installing transponders and sensorson the truck for safer operations. Onman-up trucks, for instance, the systemwill monitor what’s in front of the truckat the ground level. “It’ll slow the truckuntil the obstruction is moved whenthe operator has limited visibility,” saysBowles.Remote-controlled trucks. Crownis also developing semi-automatedsolutions that serve the gap betweenconventional lift trucks and AGVs:a remote-controlled vehicle for casepicking. An order selector can drivethe truck into a pick zone; while picking,the operator moves the truck fromone pick location to the next using aremote control device. That saves thetime usually spent getting on and offthe truck between picks. “We are tryingto bring functionality to the truckthat adds value,” says Tim Quellhorst,senior vice president of Crown. “This isa good example of a solution that candrive labor productivity in the less thanfull automation area of operation.”4Lift truck, phone home. Lift trucks aregetting smarter, thanks to telematics—anindustry term for the convergence oftelecommunications and data collectiontechnologies such as sensors andRFID technology. Telematics allow thelift truck to collect data about the operationof the truck and the performanceof the operator and then communicatethat information to a system of record.The onboard computer on a Raymondlift truck, for instance, has the ability tosend fault codes and the serial numberof a truck by e-mail to a technician’ssmart phone or computer. “That allowsOctober 2011 | WWW.LOGISTICSMGMT.COM Logistics Management 43
Warehouse & DC Managementa technician to diagnose a truck andbring the tools, parts, and componentsthey need for the job,” says Devlin.5Integrating the lift truck with theWMS. Most of the information beingcollected by telematics systems todayis being used to support maintenanceand fleet management initiatives. Thenext step, says Jonathan Dawley, vicepresident of marketing for NACCOMaterials Handling Group (NMHG),is to integrate telematics with a warehousemanagement system (WMS).That integration would allow lift truckdata to become part of the workflowof a facility. “Using data from the lifttruck to improve the productivity oflabor could be more important thanrunning your lift truck 1 mph faster,”Dawley says.6The ergonomic lift truck. Ergonomicsand worker comfort have long beena priority in Europe, where distributorsand manufacturers have a longerterm relationship with their employees.That thinking is beginning to permeateU.S. enterprises, especially thosewith a global footprint. That, in turn, isdriving the demand for more Europeanstyle trucks here in the United States.“We see some of our U.S. and Canadiancustomers creating a different typeof environment for their employees inthe warehouse,” says NMHG’s Dawley.“They want a smarter, more productiveoperator, not a stronger operator.” Hebelieves the attention to ergonomicsnot only improves productivity, it helpsretain skilled employees.7Fingertip controls. Multi-functionalcontrols that can be controlled by anoperator’s fingertips are one example ofimproved ergonomics. With one control,an operator can work the lift of theforks, the tilt angle and the side shifter.“Fingertip controls were introduced inEurope,” says Steve Cianci, director ofmarketing and product management forNissan Forklift Corporation of NorthAmerica. “While they’re not popularyet in the United States, we’re seeingincreased interest because they providea more ergonomic experience for theoperator.”8Smarter lift trucks. What mightthe lift truck of the future look like?According to Lyndle McCurley, salesand marketing manager for DoosanIndustrial Vehicles America, it’s atruck that’s smarter, more ergonomic,and flexible. Last month, Doosan previewedan electric concept vehicle atthe British Open. The glass on thetruck’s cab is clear when operatingindoors and tints to keep out sunshineand heat when it’s operating outside.As the forks are raised, the cabin risesslightly and tilts backward so thatthe operator can look up at higherelevations without straining his neck.Heads up displays include graphics ofthe height of the forks, the weight ofthe load and the tilt angle. Finally, thetruck can change its center of gravityand wheel base—automatically elongatingor retracting the length of thewheelbase—depending on the sizeof the load and the operating environment.“Instead of a 5,000-poundtruck, we’re developing multi-capacitytrucks that can adapt to the operatingrequirements,” McCurley says.9Inhibitor functions. Inhibitors aredesigned to predict the unsafe operationof the truck for the operator, saysCianci. These functions automaticallyreduce the forward and reverse travelspeed of the truck at different heightsand automatically control tilt angles.10 moving from preventive maintenanceGet on the bus. The lift truck industry,like other mechanical solutions, istoward predictive maintenance.“We’re not there yet,” says Ed Campbell,sales manager for the materialshandling group at Landoll Corp.“But with the CAN BUS system, weget two-way communication withthe components. That lets us knowwhether we’re operating a higher temperature,which allows us to react tosomething before it fails.”44 Logistics Management WWW.LOGISTICSMGMT.COM | October 2011
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