ing GPS tracking of over-the-road trucks and dock
scheduling software. If, say, a delivery truck will be
delayed because of traffic, algorithms will reorganize
that day’s jobs in the WMS to accommodate the delay
and automatically give drivers new instructions, he
explains.
Telematics will play a greater role in inventory tracking. There are two types of telematics solutions for lift
trucks: one is for equipment and activity monitoring,
and the other, referred to as real-time location systems
(RTLS), tracks equipment, pallets, and people, says
Sorenson. The next logical step, he says, is to integrate
data from both types to provide visibility of inventory movements within the warehouse. TotalTrax is
working on this via its Skytrax RTLS system, which
places unique bar-code location markers in a facility’s
ceiling and optical imaging devices on top of forklifts.
The devices capture multiple images per second and
translate them into real-time data about a vehicle’s
location, direction, and speed. Putting the same optical technology on the mast of a forklift enables the
device to automatically read pallet labels and confirm
to the driver that the acquired pallet matches the pick
order generated by a WMS, Sorenson explains. It can
also identify and track pallets through putaway and
convey that information to the WMS. A lift-height
sensor on the mast identifies the rack level when a
pallet is put away, and a pallet detector, also on the
mast, creates a “time on/time off” stamp. Together,
these technologies identify each pallet’s exact location
at all times, he says.
Software will become more important than hardware. As more hardware is installed at the factory,
the software that manages the data collection and
enables the information to be exchanged with other
software and systems will become the critical factor
in delivering value to users, Sorenson says. A similar factor is at play when it comes to data analysis.
Rather than introducing more sensors into a truck,
vendors will focus on finding fresh ways to extract
and analyze data from the mechanisms already in
place, Rosenberger says. For example, the data output
from measuring the force of hydraulic fluid could be
analyzed to determine when a truck is carrying a load
and to estimate its weight.
Telematics will facilitate predictive maintenance. In
the future, fleet managers will analyze operator and
equipment data together in order to more accurately
predict what parts will need to be replaced on a truck
and when. For example, one driver may routinely
wear out tires faster than another; when the system
sees that the first driver has been assigned to a truck
that’s subject to heavy outdoor usage, it might sched-
ule tire replacements earlier than the average expected
replacement time. The key will be basing maintenance
plans on data from a specific operating environment
and on intelligence about a particular person, says
Brown.
Task interleaving will become more effective. Everyone
wants to do task interleaving—carrying out one task
like pallet putaway and then completing a different
one, like order picking, on the way back, without
wasted time or effort—but the results from currently
available WMS modules are subpar, Sorenson says.
Telematics could allow users “to get to true interleaving” that maximizes operator productivity by using
vehicle tracking technology to optimize each movement and allocate every resource in the warehouse in
the most efficient way, he says.
FROM FUTURISTIC CONCEPT TO NECESSITY
The lift truck manufacturers and independent providers mentioned here are not the only ones that offer
lift truck telematics systems. Others, such as Yale
Materials Handling, Hyster Co., and Asset Control
Group, to name just a few, offer similar products that
continue to evolve.
Providers of these systems expect that concerns
about the technology’s maturity and implementation costs will dissipate as prices drop. It won’t be
long, they say, before fleet managers stop thinking of
telematics as a futuristic concept and come to see it as
a necessary part of everyday operations.
But many fleet managers are just beginning to recognize that telematics can introduce game-changing
efficiencies to their operations. “The lift truck is a
very interesting asset because it goes everywhere in
the warehouse and touches so many things,” observes
Maria Schweiterman, a senior marketing product
manager at Crown Equipment Corp. As a result,
telematics systems can potentially bring improvements to all of those areas. With so many improvements and new applications currently in development, she says, it’s worth thinking about the benefits
this technology could potentially soon bring to fleet
operations of all sizes. c
TOBY GOOLEY IS A SENIOR EDITOR AT DC VELOCITY.
