How To Increase Forklift Efficiency
Learn how to increase forklift efficiency by using telematics, keeping your forklifts tuned up, properly maintaining your tires, turning off engines when not being used, and more!
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on increasing forklift efficiency! With over 40 years of experience in the material handling industry, we're excited to share our expertise and insights with you. Today, we'll explore practical tips and strategies to enhance the efficiency of your forklift operations. But that's not all—improving overall material handling efficiency will also be part of our discussion. Let's dive in and discover how you can optimize your operations for maximum productivity and effectiveness.
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Learn how to increase your forklift efficiency
How to Increase Forklift Efficiency
Use Telematics
In order to increase your forklift efficiency, you first need to gather information about how your forklifts are being used such as:
If they are being used in the right places
If they are sitting idle
If they are safe enough to operate
How your drivers are treating your equipment, etc.
Basically, telematics is a system where you install devices inside your forklifts that use cellular networks to transmit data back to servers hosted by your telematics provider.
The data is stored remotely in the cloud and can be easily available from any device that is connected to the Internet.
Telematics is a great way for you to manage any type of fleet including forklifts. By using telematics, you can gather useful information about your fleet that will help you to ultimately increase your forklift efficiency.
iWarehouse is one type of telematics system that can help you monitor your forklift efficiency
Ask Your Operators for Forklift Efficiency Suggestions
Your forklift operators can be one of your most valuable resources when it comes to increasing forklift efficiency. You can do the following to help increase forklift efficiency:
Ask about one task: Ask your operators to describe one of the tasks they perform and to outline what steps are involved in that task. Then, get their opinion on how they think that task can be improved.
Watch your top operators: Take some time to observe your top forklift operators. Watch how to they perform their tasks to see if there are any helpful tricks that they are using to make them so efficient and then pass those tricks on to your other operators.
Observe your top operators and learn their forklift efficiency tricks
Pass on training: Have your top drivers take some time to train your other drivers on how to improve their processes to save time and effort.
Keep your forklift operators well-informed: When you decide to implement a new process that is designed to increase forklift efficiency, make sure that all of your operators are properly informed about the new processes and that they clearly understand how to implement them.
Improve Forklift Fuel Efficiency
Another area where you can increase your forklift efficiency is by improving your fuel consumption. Here are some tips for making your forklifts more fuel efficient.
Keep Your Forklifts Tuned Up: If your forklift is regularly maintained it will actually run more efficiently and save you money on fuel costs. Properly tuned engines will have lower CO emissions and are more fuel efficient.
Keep your lift trucks well serviced and tuned up to improve forklift efficiency
Test Your Forklifts Regularly for CO Emissions: Regular carbon monoxide emission testing will let you know when your lift trucks need a tune-up and in turn will help you increase your fuel efficiency and lower harmful emissions.
The CO concentration level of your forklifts should be 1% or less. If the level is greater than 1% your forklift should get a tune-up.
Turn Off Your Forklift When Not in Use: An idling forklift will waste fuel and produce a large amount of harmful CO. If you are waiting for more than 10 seconds, it is better to turn off your engine and re-start it again than to let it idle.
Maintain a consistent speed: It is important to find a good balance between getting your work done quickly and saving on fuel consumption.
Constantly speeding up and slowing down excessively uses more fuel than maintaining a consistent speed while driving. Encourage your drivers to do gradual accelerations and to avoid "gunning the engine."
Ensuring your tires are in good condition can also help to increase forklift efficiency
Keep your tires in good condition: Proper maintenance of parts such as your tires will cut down on your fuel expenses. Normal operation will cause wear and tear on your forklifts' tires.
If your tires are damaged, they can cause harder driving, thus forcing your engine to work harder and consume more fuel.
Following a regular preventative maintenance schedule will not only help you decrease fuel consumption, but will also increase your forklift efficiency, which will save you money.
General Material Handling Efficiency Tips
Coordinate Your Shipping and Receiving
Designate your shifts for shipping or receiving: It is much more efficient to receive goods during one shift and the ship goods during another. That way, you can reduce your staging area requirements by half.
Schedule your trucks carefully: In addition, try to efficiently schedule the arrival of trucks so that they don't arrive all at the same time.
Staggering arrivals also means that you will be able to cut down on the number of dock doors that you use, which can save you money on your utility bills.
Schedule the arrival of your trucks wisely to avoid wait times
Make Improvements to Your Order Packing
Ensure you have sufficient space: Make sure that those who are doing packing have enough room to work so that they aren't knocking into or tripping over each other, thus slowing down the process.
Ensure you have a consistent workflow: Observe your order-picking process to see how effectively it is working, looking for fluctuations in speed. If it isn't as smooth as it could be, make revisions. Your aim is to have a consistent workflow so that you don't have times when everyone is rushing as well as dead periods.
Ensure you have complete orders: Make sure your order pickers are giving your packers complete orders so that they don't need to be looking for missing items, thus slowing down the process.
Make sure orders are complete before they are given to your packers
Want to Increase Your Forklift Efficiency? Get Regular Maintenance and Tune-ups from ForkliftHub
One of the best ways to improve your forklift efficiency is to make sure that your forklifts are regularly maintained and that they have tune-ups when necessary.
ForkliftHub provides the best servicing and maintenance you can find in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Contact us today to set up a service appointment.
ForkliftHub: For Quality New & Used Forklifts
If you are looking for top-quality new or used forklifts, contact ForkliftHub. We sell the best forklifts you can buy and our knowledgeable staff will be able to help you choose the perfect model that will best suit your particular applications.
ForkliftHub offers the best forklift warranties in the business for both new and used models. We will be happy to answer all of your questions. Contact ForkliftHub today for all of your forklift needs.
Need Safety Training: Contact ForkliftHub
ForkliftHub's intense and comprehensive forklift safety training program will provide you and your employees with the best safety training at the best price.
This thorough program has a 98% pass rate. We can train individuals or groups at our facility or yours - you choose.
Our Safe Operation of a Lift Truck/Forklift Program is an excellent way for you to ensure forklift safety in your workplace. With our training, you will experience:
Innovative training practices
Affordable pricing
Flexible and professional trainers
Comprehensive in-class and practical experience
Contact ForkliftHub today to book your next session.
"I really recommend to get your lift license here. One of the best courses I've taken in my life, they make sure everything's done the safest ways step by step so you can walk out ready for the job. Angela is the best teacher, very funny but makes sure all precautions are taken. Excellent place to get your forklift or scissor license in Kitchener Waterloo."
- Miguel Maza
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