No matter how you slice it, produce is precious cargo—banged up bananas or squashed squash are a tough sell. That's why handlers at Chicago's largest fresh food market handle their cargo with care.

The Chicago International Produce Market (CIPM), which recently re-located to the city's Pilsen Industrial Corridor, supplies the nation with the world's freshest produce.

The more than 20 wholesale merchants whose products supply grocery stores and restaurants across the country, needed a solution that satisfied vendors' taste for quality, convenience, comfort and reliability. In this one-level 435,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility with 100 trailer docks, selecting the right type of lift truck was the answer.

“Produce is easily marred during transportation, which makes it essential for produce resellers to use materials handling equipment that's reliable and of the highest quality,” says Breck Grigas, CIPM board chair. “Our vendors lose substantial revenue when their product is poorly handled and damaged. A bruised tomato just doesn't have the same resale value.”

CIPM operates a fleet of lift trucks that has to perform reliably during a 12-hour work day without costly downtime or expensive operation and maintenance costs.

Merchants have seen improved productivity with the lift truck features, including variable speed for lowering fragile loads, precise lifting/lowering controls, and great weight load handling for the multiple tons of produce shipped daily.

And because real estate is at a premium, going vertical is often the solution to increasing existing storage space. For these applications, lift trucks that offer options like quad masts facilitate the handling of pallets that can easily be stacked to the ceiling and provide greater maneuverability between narrow aisles.

The trend, especially in the food environment, is toward electric pallet trucks like those used at CIPM. They produce lower noise levels, no emissions, and need less maintenance.

Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. 800-381-5879 www.toyotaforklift.com