NEW LOGISTICS PRODUCTS & SERVICES
EDITED BY ERICA MAC DONALD AND SEAN MALONEY
rollouts
Open-and-shut case: Akro-Mils, a provider of storage, organization, and transport products, introduces a new family of products
known as AkroDrawers. Available in both 12- and 18-inch lengths,
AkroDrawers keep supplies and parts secure, dust-free, and neatly organized. The AkroDrawers line features five convenient sizes
and five colors: red, yellow, gray, blue, and crystal clear, which
keeps contents highly visible. (Akro-Mils, www.akro-mils.com)
New and improved pallet trucks: Toyota Material Handling,
U.S.A. (TMHU) has unveiled several new product enhancements
for its AC pallet truck line. These enhancements are designed for
pallet truck usage in distribution centers, retail operations, and cold
storage applications.
Enhancements to the 6,000-pound capacity pallet trucks
include a dedicated walkie-type control handle with large dual
directional thumb-wheels and angled hand grips for greater
maneuverability and simplified operation with either hand.
Toyota’s AC pallet trucks also include a new innovative AC traction controller. The controller is designed to improve truck operability and provide improved motor torque control and regenerative braking benefits.
The new electric disc brake system eliminates the need for
brackets, linkages, and cables, resulting in fewer moving parts and
increased durability. The enhanced electric brake system uses controlled regenerative braking, which reduces brake component wear
for longer product life. The new brake system self adjusts, eliminating the need for routine maintenance, which translates to
increased productivity and efficiency for Toyota customers.
Drive tire durability is improved with the addition of a new 12-
inch diameter tire on the 6,000- to 8,000-pound capacity center-control rider pallet truck and 10,000-pound capacity tow tractor.
The new standard tire lessens road vibrations and provides
improved ride quality over the previous 10-inch diameter drive tire.
In addition, companies requiring extra protection against moisture and corrosive elements can benefit from a new optional steering bearing for cold storage and wet environments. (Toyota
Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc., www.toyotaforklift.com)
Help with the heavy listing:
Herkules Equipment Corp.’s
Zero Level Post Lift is
designed to reduce the
potential for back injuries in
applications like pallet jack
loading and unloading. The
unit allows customers to
drive a pallet jack with a skid of cartons directly onto the lowered
lifting platform, unload the skid, and then raise the platform to the
correct ergonomic height for carton unpacking activities.
The electric hydraulic Post Lift uses a hydraulic ram with a chain
pulley mechanism. The unit is electrically powered by a 220V-
240V 3-phase 20A electric motor with post-mounted hydraulic
pump and reservoir. User-friendly controls can either be mounted
on the post or used remotely via a 12-foot cord. (Herkules
Equipment Corp., www.herkules.us)
Charging up: The iWarehouse
fleet optimization system from
The Raymond Corp. now features the iBattery module to
help maintain lift-truck battery
fleets. The new module enables
data-driven battery management by automatically notifying
warehouse managers of key
battery statistics, like charge/dis-charge cycles, high and low
temperatures, and low battery
water levels. The result is a prolonged battery life, with increased uptime and reduced cost.
The iWarehouse system draws real-time, accurate information
from the computers on board Raymond lift trucks. The system’s
reporting modules enable warehouse managers to benchmark lift
truck and operator productivity, diagnose potential lift truck issues
remotely, reduce the risk of impacts, and optimize lift truck capital
and maintenance costs. When the system is combined with the
iWarehouse Gateway, information gathered by the iWarehouse
modules, including the iBattery module, is accessible via an online
Web portal.
iBattery also provides accurate voltage monitoring to aid in the
prevention of over-discharging of the battery, promoting longer
battery life. In addition, the battery data can help ensure compliance with warranty requirements by providing detailed reports on
the interval of charges, temperature, watering, and equalization to
validate battery maintenance. (Raymond Corp., www.raymond-corp.com)
Sick sense: Sick, a manufacturer of sensors, safety systems, and
machine vision and automatic identification products for factory
and logistics automation, offers its new V180-2 cylindrical photoelectric sensor. The V180-2 provides an economical solution for
universal applications, such as product detection and machine
positioning in packaging, general manufacturing automation, material handling, and warehousing systems.
These new sensors are easily aligned and installed using an
extremely bright red sender LED, according to the company. They
also feature indication LEDs that are highly visible due to translucent housing material, allowing for 360-degree visibility. The indication LEDs provide continuous signal strength information, offering quick and simple troubleshooting.
The sensor can handle fast processes where objects must be
detected at high speeds due to its short, 0.5 ms response time
while increasing throughput. The V180-2 offers complementary
light and dark operate outputs (selectable light or dark operate).
The LEDs also indicate if the sensor is wired for light or dark operate. The flat, smooth lens reduces the collection of dust and dirt
for safe operation with minimized maintenance and cost. (Sick,
www.sickusa.com)
