Robert Weed Plywood Corp.'s internal committee had the company's customer-first and cost-management values in mind when shopping for a new fleet of lift trucks. Quite simply, the plywood supplier wanted to improve load handling efficiency and customer response in its 740,000 square foot warehouse in Bristol, Ind.

The company supplies an array of wood products to furniture, cabinetry and picture frame molding industries. Its 40-truck fleet moves about 1,000 loads each day, with loads weighing up to 7,000 pounds.

With plans to reduce operating costs, the company replaced its fleet with a mix of 8,000- and 5,000-pound capacity trucks. The mix of truck capacities better suits the handling requirements by matching trucks to load sizes better.

Several features of the trucks are expected to improve their use in the warehouse. For instance, automatic control of each truck's fork loading provides safer, easier handling of multi-sized loads and high lift heights.

Other safety features include the lift truck's patented System of Active Stability (SAS), which reduces the risk of tipovers, injuries and load spillage. The system uses sensors to control and monitor truck movements.

"The safety, dependability and overall quality of these lift trucks is clearly superior, and the increased efficiency and long-term cost-savings of the on-site maintenance program is exactly what we needed," says president David Weed.

But the company didn't stop there. It also gave lift truck operators two-way Nextel radios that link them to the main office. This system improves speed and accuracy of customer response by facilitating immediate fulfillment of emergency orders. Meanwhile, installation of on-board terminals improves inventory tracking through the use of bar codes on warehouse inventory. Both features increase productivity and customer satisfaction.

Also with an eye for cutting costs, the plywood supplier replaced its in-house maintenance program with a program run by its lift truck dealer. This switch saves time and money by eliminating parts inventory and reassigning maintenance personnel to more productive positions directly involved with customer service.

"These cost-savings over time mean that we can avoid unnecessary price increases for our customers, and continue to provide the highest standard of customer service that made us a success," explains Weed.