The Material Handling Blog

Winter has well and truly arrived, and it's time to wrap up warm, switch the heating on and start scraping the car in the mornings.

But when the temperature drops below zero, spare a thought for forklift operators working in cold stores — where temperatures can be as low as -35°C all year round.

Working in these extreme environments isn't easy on the workers. High-performance thermal clothing is a must to avoid hypothermia or frostbite, and heated truck cabins may be required if drivers are spending long shifts inside the cold store.

However, these kinds of temperatures place some major stresses on the truck as well, which can cause huge problems for the operation if not managed properly.

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.

Cold stores are some of the most challenging environments that forklifts can operate in — temperatures as cold as -35°C are not unusual in these facilities, which are an absolutely vital part of the modern supply chain.

Cold store operations are one of the toughest material handling challenges.

Not only do the sub-zero temperatures affect your trucks’ battery capacity, electronics, lubrication, bodywork and drivers’ ability to operate the truck, the need for high storage density can reduce selectivity and throughput.