The 2015 Lift Truck Issue

This month, Modern is proud to offer you the fifth installment of our annual Lift Truck Issue. Back when we produced the first, it was clear that the U.S. economy was just starting to tiptoe out of recession, and fleet managers, who had taken their lift truck operations for granted for far too long, were short on budget and literally running their equipment into the ground.

Realizing that poor practice couldn’t be sustained, Modern decided to fix an annual spotlight on what we traditionally called the backbone, the workhorse, the most fundamental piece of equipment to be found in any materials handling operation. The goal was to—year after year—offer a comprehensive snapshot of the lift truck market and see how suppliers chose to follow the ever-evolving needs of today’s quick-response, omni-channel-centric warehouses and DCs.

I’m happy to report that, five years later, we find an editorial lineup that shows lift truck users re-investing and innovating.

Lift truck priorities: Building the lift truck of the future
Lift trucks used to be about brawn. The lift truck of the future will be about intelligence, automation and software. And, the future is closer than you think.

Top 20 lift truck suppliers, 2015
Currency conversions obscure some sizable revenue gains among foreign companies, but overall growth in unit sales matches 2013’s strong performance.

Lift truck user survey: Readers report steady growth
Lift truck purchases remain steady in 2015 as companies look to upgrade or replace vehicles while also putting more into their training, technology and maintenance programs.

Mobile computing: Flexible mobility
Data collection devices for the warehouse have long been RF enabled and mobile, but heavily focused on simple data capture routines. Now tablets, smart phones and other devices are supporting richer apps and management activity, while wearable, wireless printers give warehouse workers the capability to perform efficient, on-demand printing.

Fleet management: Fleet-footed operations
Having sprouted from mere lift truck maintenance, fleet management is now budding into a powerful and integral part of labor management.

Read more of the Lift Truck Issue.