strategicinsight LIFT TRUCK FLEET MANAGEMENT
costs, and damage rates.
But that’s not always enough. Tell a fleet manager that the
data show he needs fewer trucks than he’s been running for
the past 20 years, for instance, and he’s likely to feel that his
competence is being questioned. “A lot of times, people take
[the software’s conclusions] as a personal affront,” says Joe
LaFergola, manager of business and information solutions
for The Raymond Corp. A better way to frame the message,
he says, is to tell the manager, “It’s not that you did it wrong
in the past. It’s that technology has improved so much that
you can do the same or more work with fewer vehicles.”
In fact, it’s difficult to get full buy-in from operators and
managers without recognizing and acknowledging the
value of their knowledge and experience. “The best deci-
sions are usually a blend of both data and personal experi-
ence … otherwise, you won’t get the results you intended,”
says Nick Adams, senior manager of fleet management
services at Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc.
(MCFA), which represents Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks, Cat
Lift Trucks, and Jungheinrich.
Nevertheless, cautions Scott McLeod, president of
Fleetman Consulting, an independent forklift fleet manage-
ment and procurement company, “Data is an input, and
unless you have an argument as to why the data is not rele-
vant, you have to accept the data.”
routine,” he says.
2Keep on training. Vendors say it doesn’t take much training to learn to use fleet management software. Sometimes, though, users need additional instruction
in basic tasks such as how to access and review reports. In
such cases, a live online seminar using the customer’s actual data can improve their comfort level, says Jim Gaskell,
director of global Insite products for Crown Equipment
Corp. “After they get used to it and it’s familiar, then it
becomes routine—and that’s what you want, to make it
3Be disciplined and consistent. Consistent, timely data collection and entry is necessary in order to get an accurate, up-to-date picture of operating and maintenance costs. That’s not a big issue with systems that automatically gather data from the trucks or those that depend
on forklift dealers to produce maintenance reports. But for
software that requires users to gather and enter data themselves, it takes discipline to stick with it day in and day out.
It’s not uncommon for that effort to peter out after a couple of years, particularly when there are personnel changes.
Consistency in collecting, measuring, and evaluating data
is critical for multifacility installations, says Adams of
MCFA. If facility managers handle those tasks differently,
companies will end up setting policies and making decisions based on invalid comparisons.
Furthermore, says Crown’s Gaskell, when everyone is
handling data consistently, it ensures accurate benchmarking of cost drivers. “Without that, you can’t see that your
Where to learn more
Both forklift manufacturers and independent software
developers offer fleet management software and systems.
Here’s where to learn more about some of the fleet management technology products on the market today.
▪ Access Control Group: www.assetor.net
▪ Crown Equipment Corp.:
www.crown.com/usa/fleetoptimization
▪ Fleetman Consulting Inc.: www.fleetmanconsulting.com
▪ Hyster Co.: www.Hyster.com/Americas/
en-US/FleetServices/ FleetSmart.htmx
▪ I.D. Systems: www.id-systems.com
▪ Keytroller LLC: http://keytroller.com
▪ KMH Systems Inc.:
www.kmhsystems.com/speedshield.html
▪ LinkIt Software Corp.: www.ez-maintenance.com/
forklift-maintenance-software.php
▪ Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (Cat,
Mitsubishi, and Jungheinrich): www.mcfa.com/_mcfa/
index.cfm/our-company/national-accounts
▪ On-Board Communications Inc.:
www.on-boardcommunications.com/LTSol.php
▪ The Raymond Corp.:
www.raymondcorp.com/fleet-management-iwarehouse
▪ Total Trax Inc.:
http://totaltraxinc.com/index.php/smart-forklift-solutions
▪ Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. Inc.:
www.toyotaforklift.com/pages/fleet-management.aspx
▪ Yale Materials Handling Corp.:
www.northamerica.yale.com/yna_fleet.asp
