The Material Handling Blog

Christmas has finally arrived, and the busiest time of the year for many businesses has come to an end.

Peak times can vary dramatically depending on the nature of a company's work and the industry it operates in, but for most business-to-consumer companies, the pre-Christmas period is hard work. Customers are rushing to buy presents for loved ones, and with the recent advent of Black Friday, the pressure is even higher.

But at times when demand for goods may be twice as high as during other times of year, how does an operation keep up? If the materials handling operation is well-optimised, there shouldn't be any 'spare' trucks or manpower that can be brought into action. So how can sudden spikes in demand be met?

No matter the quality of your forklift truck, after a few years of service in a busy and fast-moving warehouse, it’s not going to have quite the same performance as it did when it was brand new.

Productivity and efficiency in the warehouse can really suffer once a forklift becomes too unreliable, and the time will always come when you need to replace it.But how do you know how long a forklift should last? And are there any alternatives to replacement? The diagram above should give a clear description of what your options are, and when you should consider them.

Even if your warehouse operation is running smoothly and you’re happy with your forklift fleet, there can still be times when you need a little extra help to meet peaks in demand. Short term forklift hire is often used by logistics professionals to make these busy periods easier, but there’s also plenty of great reasons to hire trucks for short periods even at quieter times of the year.

When you need a new forklift truck, one issue to consider is whether it really has to be new. Of course a brand new truck is an easy and trouble-free choice, but from a cost and benefit perspective, will it pay off? Depending on your operations, a used forklift may be the way to go.