inbound
forklifts as objets
d’art?
not ready at a
moment’s notice
PHOTO COURTESY OF CROWN EQUIPMENT CORP.
Anyone who’s roamed the
aisles at a ProMat Show
knows that material handling
professionals can get pretty
excited about a
shiny new lift
truck. But apparently they’re not the
only ones who appreciate excellence in forklift design. Lift-truck maker Crown Equipment
Corp. recently earned accolades
from an organization of professional industrial designers for
one of its vehicles.
In July, the Industrial
Designers Society of America
presented Crown with an
International Design
Excellence Award (IDEA)
in the Commercial and
Industrial Equipment
category for its ESR 5000
Series of narrow-aisle
reach trucks (photo). Although
judging criteria included visual appeal and
appropriate aesthetics, the ESR 5000 didn’t earn
the award solely for its “pretty face.” The selection
criteria also included innovation, benefit to the
user, benefit to society and natural ecology, and
benefit to the client. This is the fifth consecutive
year and 18th overall that Crown Equipment has
received an IDEA.
To Kazue Sasaki, chairman of Toyota Material
Handling North America and president of Toyota
Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM), a
forklift is also a worthy subject for artistic endeavor. Sasaki commissioned a stained-glass “portrait”
of his company’s 8-Series AC electric forklift (at his
own expense) and presented it at a ceremony introducing the new model in August. The detailed
design was judged “anatomically correct” by those
in attendance. According to one of Sasaki’s associates, the Toyota executive closely monitored every
step of the design and production process to make
sure the image was accurate—no surprise given his
background in mechanical engineering and lean
manufacturing.
It’s common knowledge that ocean carriers and airlines took ships and aircraft out
of service during the recession in an effort
to reduce excess capacity and prop up
rates. But now that business is picking up,
they can just crank up the engines and get
those ships and airplanes back in service,
right?
Apparently not. Even equipment that
has been carefully maintained while “on
vacation” still needs extensive preparation
before it can start plying the sea lanes or
flying the friendly skies.
Dozens of large freighter aircraft, each
able to carry payloads in excess of 80 metric tons, currently are parked in the
desert, says David Hoppin, an independent transportation and logistics consultant and strategist. Although the dry desert
air cuts down on the risk of metal corrosion, the aircraft still require protection
from the elements, and they must pass
stringent safety inspections before they
can be certified to fly again. Not all will
make it out of the so-called airplane
“boneyards.” It won’t make economic
sense to reactivate some of them due to
their age (and thus relative inefficiency)
and/or the cost of maintenance work
required to return them to service,
Hoppin says.
Ships kept in “hot” lay-up, with most of
their equipment running, typically can
return to service in about 24 hours. But
those that are stored “cold”—with their
electrical and mechanical systems shut
down—require three or more weeks
before they can be recommissioned,
according to Russ Brown, global business
development manager with Munters
Moisture Control Services. Moisture, condensation, mold, and corrosion are all
hazards for mothballed ships, he says.
Carriers often use desiccant dehumidification equipment in enclosed areas of the
ship to bring relative humidity down to
50 percent or less, Brown wrote in an article on how to combat those problems.
