Steve Richmond, general manager of Jungheinrich’s systems and projects division, says: “It could be argued that forklift trucks are approaching the point where they cannot be safely made to travel any faster or lift the load any more quickly without contravening health and safety requirements, therefore future supply chain efficiencies are likely to be made by optimising the truck’s on-board intelligence systems and integrating the truck into the supply chain information process.
Jungheinrich has just launched the EKS 210 and EKS 312 VNA order pickers with RFID technology that enables a WMS to automatically guide the forklift to the right location in the right aisle. Tests have shown this feature can potentially boost productivity in the warehouse by some 25 per cent.
Mark Ogden, product manager VNA at Toyota Material Handling, says: “The latest edition of the BT Vector man-up truck features the latest technology in balance cylinders, allowing the truck to capture the energy released as the cab is lowered and recycle it to support lifting operations. This helps to give an improved battery life.
The BT Veflex man-down truck features Optipace – a technology that enhances safety and productivity by matching travel speed to lift height. In addition, pin code access allows supervisors to tailor the performance of the truck to the experience of the operator. This allows newer operators time to familiarise themselves with the truck, while more experienced operators can take advantage of maximum productivity.
Toyota can also offer customers a unique solution in the Radio Shuttle; an innovative alternative to VNA for optimising space.
