Bring drivers along for the automation ride

There are few better ways to combat the labor shortage than to focus on retention. These days, an extra 25 cents or dollar an hour can’t guarantee a forklift operator’s loyalty. And, no matter how experienced, an operator’s productivity can be expected to wane toward the end of a shift. As a result, basic ergonomic features no longer cut it, according to Mark Faiman, internal combustion product manager for Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.

“Operator comfort is becoming more of a concern out there,” says Faiman. “We’re seeing requests for deluxe or air-ride seats and more support, or ISO-style joystick controls that are easier to use. Ten years ago if you approached a customer with that sort of thing they’d probably say, ‘nah, just give me a seat.’”

It’s relatively straightforward to consider the places an operator’s body comes in contact with equipment. Faiman highlights a mounting market for cameras, sensors and other technologies that deliver enhanced awareness and safety for operators, pedestrians and objects.

Some solutions are as simple as a dash light to indicate someone is behind a forklift, or a light projected from the forklift to the floor to keep people from moving right behind it. The latest technologies are advancing safety from a traffic light model to something more akin to air traffic control.

“We’re seeing a lot of the industry looking at how to apply items that are familiar on automatic guided vehicles and autonomous cars—all the high-powered scanners, lasers, camera and radar systems—and scaling them down to a warehouse environment at a reasonable cost,” Faiman says. “Two years ago, this wasn’t even an option, if only because it was cost prohibitive. One partner already dropped the price of their scanner by half in two years, so it’s becoming more practical for everyday use.”

Just like a car’s backup cam, many of these features are headed for ubiquity, but Faiman outlines the unique challenges. In some ways a warehouse environment is simpler than a vehicle on the road, but it’s not often that cars try to park two inches from a steel beam. Faiman offers the example of a project with SICK for a pedestrian/object detection system.

“A lot of the protection systems out there get between racks, and they go crazy in tight quarters, or they don’t see the box you just ran over,” Faiman says. “So you need long- and short-range detection, and solutions you can tune to your specific environment.”

A solution might grant operators the ability to “see” around corners, or automatically line forks up to a shelf or pallet. Faiman expects an ongoing transition to more dual-purpose, hybrid forklifts. In some cases it will be possible to fully automate, but Faiman says operators will continue to add indispensable value even as forklifts become more intelligent. Therefore, they will continue to be worth ergonomic investments. Faiman cites the freight industry as an early leader.

“They’re putting computers, RFID, dimensional scanners and scales on the forklift so they can roll up to a load and scan, dimension, weigh, log, confirm in one shot,” Faiman says. “They’re truly creating a mobile office on their forklifts, because every move and touch can cut out cost.”