DC Velocity - January 2014

LIFT TRUCKS

materialhandlingupdate

EVERY LIFT TRUCK MANUFACTURER RELIES on a network of dealers to represent its interests in specific regions of the country. As you might expect, the dealers’ “bread and butter” is equipment sales, leasing, rental, and maintenance. But lift truck dealers today are no longer simply providers of equipment— far from it, in fact.

Just ask Mike Romano, president and CEO of Addison, Ill.-based Associated. Associated is a Raymond dealer, but providing lift truck equipment and related parts and services is just one facet of its mission. The 53-year-old company has refashioned itself as a provider of integrated supply chain solutions that include fleet optimization and labor management programs as well as systems consulting, design, implementation, and integration, Romano says. As part of that strategy, Associated recently acquired Peach State Integrated Technologies, a company that offers consulting services and automated material handling solutions.

Associated exemplifies an emerging trend in the
industry: In addition to supplying lift trucks and relat-
ed services, dealers are expanding to become equip-
ment and facility designers and integrators. If you
think about it, it’s really not much of a stretch. While
they may have begun as experts in one area, that does-
n’t preclude them from becoming knowledgeable
about other areas of the distribution center. In today’s
business environment, moreover, it is really not
enough to simply sell and service equipment. Vendors
have to understand how their products fit into the
entire operation and how all aspects of the facility
interact. From there, it’s a natural step to assisting cus-
tomers with the entire facility or operation.

Not every lift truck dealer can—or should—offer every product or service for every customer. But many provide a surprising array of services and solutions— some of which have nothing to do with lift trucks. Here’s a brief look at some of the value-added services they provide.

THE EXPECTED …

Some of the value-added services and solutions lift truck dealers offer will come as no surprise. Fleet management services, for instance, have been a mainstay for years. If a customer desires, dealers can essentially take over the day-to-day management and operation of the fleet. They also work with customers to measure and analyze lift truck utilization rates, maintenance requirements and costs, operating costs per hour, and many other performance factors. The objective is to identify the optimal fleet size and make-up for a customer’s operation, notes Jim Mozer, senior vice president,