CATCHING A LIFT WHAT’S NEW IN THE FORKLIFT MARKET

With the pace of warehouse operations picking up speed all the time, manufacturers and developers of material handling equipment and software are working hard to keep up. Here’s a roundup of developments in forktrucks and related technologies like fleet management software, safety systems, and charging.

Efficiency

Combining a new, ergonomic cab and electrification with its recently launched 360-degree steering, Combilift has brought a new narrow aisle forktruck to market. Called the CombiCube because the driver is in the middle of the square vehicle. It’s 1.5 metres square, so the vehicle is 1.5m long without forks, and is 1.5m wide. It does not need to stop for forward to sideways direction changes. “In a lot of ways, it’s a forklift truck that’s operating like a hovercraft,” said Martin McVicar, Combilift’s CEO.

The large rear wheel and rubber tires on all three wheels mean that this model is not restricted to super flat floors and is suited for working indoors and out, ensuring that semirough terrain is no impediment to reliable operation. For quick battery changeover during heavy shifts, two new easy-change roll-out batteries are provided.

5. Inconsistent quality

Are you experiencing quality control issues in your operations? This could be due to inconsistencies in the way products are handled or moved.

Autonomous vehicles can be programmed to handle materials and/or products consistently, ensuring standard operating procedures are met and the product is moved and staged as desired every time.

Fast ROI

If repetitive and time-consuming tasks, safety concerns, increased demand, inefficient workflows and inconsistent quality are slowing down your operations, these may be signs that automated equipment is right for you. By investing in even simple autonomous equipment for your operations, it is now possible to attain ROI from day one and unlock more value from your people every day.

Bill Pedriana is CMO at Big Joe Forklifts

Safety

Sister companies Hyster and Yale have introduced stability systems to help prevent lift trucks from overbalancing and tipping.

At ProMat, Yale announced the extension of availability for its Yale Reliant operator assist system to electric counterbalanced trucks in the 3,000-12,000-pound capacity ranges and the company’s very narrow aisle (VNA) turret truck and enclosed end rider. These join the five other models available with the operator assistance technology, which first launched in 2021. Reliant was honoured with a 2023 silver Edison award for innovation.

Hyster Company announced the Dynamic Stability System (DSS), which provides automated performance controls and alerts to help reduce forward and sideways forklift tipovers, is standard on all H40-70A models in the recently launched Hyster A Series.

“With OSHA estimating that nearly 100,000 injuries involving forklifts occur annually, warehouses are constantly looking for tools that can help support safety efforts for all types of lift truck equipment, from order pickers and reach trucks to end riders and counterbalanced trucks,” said Nic Temple, director, technology solutions, Yale. “But while we’re already breaking new ground with expanded availability on a broader range of lift truck types, operator assist systems are still a relatively new entry to the market.

Hyster’s DSS sensors are maintenance-free and continually monitor forklift performance such as lift height, hydraulic load, mast tilt, truck speed and steer angle. When the system detects the lift truck exceeding designated stability thresholds, it automatically intervenes with measures to support stable travel. Four different subsystems help to smoothly decelerate the forklift when traveling around corners.

“Safety is critical in materials handling. Fast-paced environments and demanding productivity targets are just another day on the job for forklift operators,” said Jimmy Anderson, product manager, Hyster. “That’s why DSS is engineered to give operators real-time stability support they can count on and learn from. The system is also designed for managers, offering insight to how forklifts are being operated, particularly when integrated with the Hyster Tracker option.”

Yale’s Reliant system monitors truck and load status to prioritize stability as it implements hydraulic and traction controls. It can provide warnings and assist with operator awareness by proactively reducing truck speed if it detects something in the monitored area, such as obstacles, other trucks or pedestrians.

Security

Vector Security Networks, a division of Vector Security, Inc., has brought a forklift security camera to market. The system uses multisensor video technology feeding into one camera, to create a 360-degree view, recording the actions of both the forklift and its operator. It gives distribution centre operations, safety, risk management and loss prevention teams unprecedented access to video, allowing them to better manage their business and immediately improve both productivity and safety. It was designed to universally fit orderpicker forklifts, and helps warehouses, fulfillment and distribution centres improve operations, manage risk, and mitigate loss in the aisles, the company says.

Fleet Management

ELOKON’s sytems are designed to improve forktruck fleet productivity, prevent accidents and collisions involving forklift trucks, AGVs and AMRs, protect pedestrians and ensure a high level of productivity in the warehouse. These solutions use digital technologies such as a cloud-based management system for all material handling assets, the ultra-wideband wireless sensor technology for highly precise indoor location tracking solutions, and off-the-shelf modern smartphones for fleet management and proximity detection solutions.

ELOKON’s cloud-based ELOfleet system incorporates a predictive maintenance feature which complements the existing functionalities such as impact recording, RFID access control, pre-ops checklists and productivity recordings. It can predict when maintenance is next due, and if this falls in a peak period, it can be rescheduled to avoid downtime for uninterrupted availability whenever required.

ELOfleet and ELOshield have been merged onto one hardware platform – a standard off the shelf smartphone. This means that customers can now not only operate a fleet management and a proximity detection system on one, non-proprietary hardware device but also that third-party solutions, such as app-based warehouse management systems, can be operated from this device. In the future the company will be adding expense management, RTLS and digital twin solutions on the cloud portal.

Wireless charging

Wireless charging is advancing quickly, and Enersys has upgraded its offering with the NexSys AIR wireless charger. The charger is chemistryindependent and capable of charging flooded lead acid, thin plate pure lead (TPPL) and lithium-ion batteries.

“The new NexSys AIR wireless charger delivers the convenience of a reliable, hands-off charging solution,” said Harold Vanasse, senior director of marketing, motive power global at EnerSys. “Along with charging a range of equipment and battery technologies, our NexSys AIR wireless charger can drive safety and productivity by eliminating the need for extra personnel to physically plug-in automated equipment, something especially important with today’s labour market.”

The wireless charger also offers safety features such as foreign object detection (FOD) and live object detection (LOD) capabilities.

Li-ion batteries

The Raymond Corporation has developed a 48-volt drop-in lithiumion battery (48V LIB), which is available in multiple configurations.

“The 48-volt drop-in lithium-ion battery offers customers a smart alternative energy solution to upgrade existing or new lift trucks,” said Damon Hosmer, senior product marketing manager, energy storage technology and integration, The Raymond Corporation. “This new product solves three of the biggest concerns our customers tend to have when adopting alternative power sources: footprint, power and run-time. This battery delivers higher energy density in a smaller footprint, which creates more power, decreases charging times and increases run-times.”

Designed as a direct, plug-and-play replacement for conventional lead acid batteries, the new 48V LIB fits lift trucks with battery compartments of 13 inches and larger and requires no additional

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modifications. The new battery also provides for continuous data exchange between Raymond lift trucks and chargers, giving customers easy access to critical operating data.

The new 48V LIB is suitable for a variety of environments and is designed to deliver a strong business case for alternative energy adoption, including:

 Increased productivity from convenient opportunity charging, longer run-times and faster charging;

 Reduced maintenance thanks to the sealed design, which eliminates the maintenance requirements of traditional lead acid batteries;

 Reduced energy and operating costs due to the decreased need for spare batteries or lift trucks;

 Easy installation and implementation thanks to a drop-in design that’s compatible with the entire Raymond fleet of new or existing electric lift trucks;

 A UL 2580 listing and a six-year or 5,000-cycle warranty.

Inductive charging

Wiferion, an energy solution supplier powering mobile robots and autonomous industrial vehicles through a wireless charging platform, has entered the North American market.

“A strategic approach to power supply solutions is a natural priority for makers and operators of AMRs and AGVs. Navigation works. Tasks are completed. But current approaches to power supply strategy fall short and remain an area of need to deliver optimal efficiencies for fleets,” said Matthieu Ebert, vice-president of Wiferion

North America Inc. “We are focused on a strategic solution to upgrade charging infrastructure and create a standardized process for automated vehicle power that works for any mobile robot or autonomous truck. Our new home base in the U.S. helps us implement, service and engage with North American companies quickly and effectively.”

Wiferion has sold charging systems in more than 20 countries. The system has been designed into more than 100 different industrial EV, autonomous guided vehicles and mobile robots, with thousands of units sold globally, including installation in several renowned European and U.S. automotive manufacturing facilities.

Wiferion’s inductive charging systems supply energy to entire industrial vehicles fleets automatically, regardless of voltage, current or battery type. The charging innovation increases productivity by up to 32 percent through automated in-process charging.

Wiferion provides a wireless power supply solution for the mobile robotics industry, including:

• a 3kW contactless inductive power supply;

• a 12kW scalable energy wireless battery charging system with an efficiency of 93%;

• lithium iron phosphate and lithium-titanate battery options for AGV, AMR & mobile robots;

• a plug-and-play battery retrofit for forklifts and other industrial trucks;

• and, a charge optimization platform for remote diagnostics to optimize battery life and vehicle performance.