10th-annual Lift Truck Issue: Celebrating the workhorse

Take a good look at the first cover of The Palletizer 75 years ago, and you’ll find the image of a lift truck safely and efficiently going about its duties inside a warehouse. Fast-forward to 2020, and you’ll find Modern Materials Handling, the publication The Palletizer evolved into over the decades, devoting the majority of our August issue to that same trusted workhorse—to this day the backbone of pretty much every warehouse and DC in operation.

This marks our 10th-annual Lift Truck Issue where we take readers inside an operation putting the latest lift truck battery innovation to work; we roll out our annual reader survey that illustrates the state of lift truck usage and investment; we offer our annual deep dive into the Top 20 lift truck OEMs; and then we set the spotlight on some of the latest trends and technological innovations changing the way we manage and put lift trucks to work.

Over the past year, much has been written in Modern about the evolution of lift truck power sources and the growing need for more low-maintenance or even maintenance-free alternatives to many of the current options.

Starting on page 20, executive editor Bob Trebilcock takes us into the New Jersey-based refrigerated and freezer warehouse facilities operated by cold storage company FreezPak. Of course, the temperatures necessary to execute cold chain logistics wreak havoc on equipment, especially batteries, and the company was ready to do away with keeping spare batteries around and executing frequent charges.

“Lost productivity is just one of the reasons FreezPak decided to switch to hydrogen fuel cells as the energy source for their fleet of about 85 lift trucks,” says Trebilcock. “The result of the switch has been a 100% improvement in productivity in addition to freeing up valuable floor space. More importantly, the company has demonstrated that hydrogen fuel cell technology isn’t just for big companies operating spaces of 500,000 square feet or more.”

Editor at large Roberto Michel offers a round up of current technology trends and how they’re helping fleet operators improve productivity and efficiency.

“So many lift truck technologies are in play, including autonomous lift trucks, telematics and fleet software, virtual reality software, and digital cameras that integrate with truck forks,” says Michel. “However, one thing all these technologies have in common is the ability to improve labor efficiency. You can assess value by how much efficiency a technology can bring to an operation relative to its cost. Think of it as a sliding scale for lift truck technologies.”

And while new technologies will continue to evolve and find their place in all our operations, this month contributing editor Gary Forger reminds us that when it comes to managing a lift truck fleet, safety, ergonomics and maintenance will always serve as a rock-solid foundation.

“While certain features on lift trucks come and go,” says Forger, “that trio is all about reducing wear and tear on lift truck operators and the equipment itself. All three are focused on making trucks and their operators highly valued productivity resources in the plant and warehouse—and always will.”