Buffalo Forklift Blog

Focused on running efficiently while providing consistent services and improving the customer experience, facilities are increasingly turning to metrics, data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to help them achieve those goals. In the warehouse or DC, for example, data has become a focal point for any company that wants to become more accountable, make better decisions and keep tabs on its operations. An important part of any warehouse operation, forklift fleets—no matter how big or small—are more easily managed when data is involved. From impact data to fault codes to maintenance monitoring, data can help facilities track metrics and then...

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) has again claimed the No. 1 spot on Modern’s annual list of the Top 20 lift truck suppliers, as KION Group held second place with nearly double the revenues of third-place finisher Jungheinrich. Although the combined value of the list grew less than a percent, 2015 was a good year for lift truck sales. While several companies appear to have reported lesser revenues, many also reported growth in unit sales as well as net revenue increases in local currency before conversion to the relatively strong U.S. dollar. Brett Wood, chairman of the Industrial Truck Association (ITA)...

The journey to reform fleet management practices looks different for everyone, but some common themes recur. Labor costs are a challenge for fleets of one to 1,000 and ensuring the optimal performance and behavior of those operators is an ongoing effort. The equipment is smarter across nearly all models, many of which come factory-ready to electronically export a wealth of usage data from onboard sensors. The appetite is there, the table is set, but how do fleet users decide what to order from the telematics menu? “Fleet management is still fairly new, and a lot of folks are not quite...

The art and science of building a team of forklift operators has changed in recent years. Extreme peaks, labor shortages and the growing sophistication of forklifts and related systems have all conspired to keep labor expenses at the top of a facility’s costs. The need for rapid onboarding and better-than-average operator performance means body count is no longer enough. To preserve the productivity, safety and sustainability of a team of operators requires new thinking about training and cost management. David Hoover, founder and president of Forklift Training Systems, says training practices suffer from at least three major pitfalls: unrealistic expectations,...

Hercules Industries in Denver, Colo., is a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of HVAC sheet metal products and equipment. Since its establishment in 1962, the company has expanded to 18 retail centers and three manufacturing facilities servicing the Western United States. As the company grew, it relied on multiple branch locations to handle warehousing and distribution, each with a varied fleet of sit-down counterbalanced trucks. After centralizing warehouse and distribution, the company standardized its fleet and used a comprehensive training program to onboard the new trucks and operators as quickly as possible without compromising productivity or safety. The new 100,000-square-foot distribution...