BY TOBY GOOLEY, SENIOR EDITOR
LIFT TRUCK FLEET MANAGEMENT
strategicinsight
How to reach
the height of
productivity
Want to get the most from high-lift forklifts like order
pickers, turret trucks, and reach trucks? Here are a
few considerations to keep in mind, along with some
productivity-boosting tips from the manufacturers.
GETTING THE FULL BENEFIT OF A WAREHOUSE OR DC WITH
narrow aisles and reach-for-the-sky racks requires equipment that’s
specifically designed for that environment. Examples include reach
and stacker trucks, which keep the operator on the ground while
the forks and mast rise to the required height for pallet putaway and
retrieval; order pickers and turret trucks, which lift the operator into
the racks for case or piece picking; and articulated very-narrow-aisle
(VNA) trucks, which have front steering assemblies that pivot in
either direction.
How high this equipment can go depends on the type of truck and
the application, but the lift truck makers we spoke with for this story
offer forklifts with mast heights ranging from 17. 5 feet to 59 feet.
Several said that customers are asking them to design trucks that can
reach even higher.
Height has a big impact on lift trucks’ design and performance, of
course. Accordingly, there are several considerations warehouse and
DC operators should be aware of if they want to get the most productivity from their tall trucks.
VISIBILITY
When forks and pallets are 30 feet or more—often much more—in
the air, it’s difficult for an operator on the ground to discern exactly
what’s happening up there. The result is a slower operation; an operator who isn’t 100 percent sure of fork positions will be cautious and
may need a couple of tries to get it right. Poor visibility can also cause
mistakes that result in damage to the racks, the pallet, or the product,
which introduces more delays.
There are several ways to give operators on the ground an “eye
in the sky.” One popular solution is a camera mounted on the fork
carriage paired with a video screen in the operator’s compartment.
