The Material Handling Blog

Forklifts are durable machines, and they can stand still for long periods without creating too many problems. However, during the ongoing crisis, it's important to make sure that your equipment will be able to return to work quickly and smoothly once things return to normal.

We've already given you advice on how to maintain your forklift batteries if they're not in use over a long period. Here are some similar tips on how to treat the machines themselves if your business is operating at reduced capacity or even shut down.

A forklift's sticker price is an important figure, but it's often smaller than the much larger set of costs which arise over the truck's lifetime from things like service, driver costs and financing.

One major cost that every materials handling professional wants to avoid is the cost of downtime. This occurs when the truck is out of operation at a time it would otherwise be in use — typically when it has broken down and needs maintenance.

Creating an effective materials handling operation is hard, and it's even harder if you have to deal with different supplier for your forklift trucks, fleet management solution, service and rental. Even with smaller fleets, juggling different suppliers can be tricky, and it means you have less time to deal with the most important thing — your operation.

That's why choosing a supplier that can offer all of these services at the same time is a good choice. Regardless of your materials handling issue, you have one point of contact at one company — not a network of suppliers who have to get involved.

There's many ways that the carbon footprint of a materials handling operation can be reduced. Using electric trucks instead of IC trucks brings down emissions, for example, and energy can be saved by choosing more eco-friendly heating and lighting systems.

However, if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your company's forklift service operation, then choosing a service partner with a high first visit fix rate (FVFR) is a great solution.

You can have a fleet of the most technologically-advanced trucks on the market, but if you don't have a decent service partner to rely on, your operation will really suffer.

Downtime is a major threat for any materials handling operation, especially if you have high turnover rates and tough delivery deadlines. That's why the ability to get a machine back up and running after something goes wrong should be one of the most important factors you should consider when choosing a forklift service supplier. 

But what makes a good service partner? There's lots of different qualities, and the correct answer for you will depend on the unique details of your operation. However, the best service partners will be able to provide things like these.

Cold stores, warehouses where frozen goods are stored, can reach temperatures as low as -35°C and are some of the most demanding environments that forklifts can operate in.

Fortunately, most forklift suppliers offer machines that are capable of working reliably in such cold temperatures. Freezing environments can make steel more brittle, make the oil and lubricants more viscous and reduce the truck's battery capacity, but adaptations can be made to forklifts to reduce the impact of these issues, ensuring both safety and reliability.

All trucks require maintenance sometimes, especially in high-intensity materials handling operations. The important thing is how quickly you can get the truck back in operation afterwards. This is where your service supplier's first visit fix rate becomes important.

Cold stores are extreme environments, but they're an absolutely essential part of the modern supply chain. Without these specialised warehouses, where temperatures can go as low as tens of degrees below zero, it would be impossible to store and distribute frozen goods. Even chill warehouses, which operate at much warmer (but still cold) temperatures are essential for the supply of perishable goods.

Even after you've chosen, ordered and taken delivery of your new forklift truck, your relationship with the supplier isn't necessarily over. If you want that new truck to keep performing optimally throughout its lifetime, you're going to need regular service and maintenance.

But what makes good service and maintenance? It's an important question, since forklifts are the backbone of any material handling operation.