While effective operator training programs are vital to creating and maintaining strong forklift safety cultures, ensuring that equipment is properly maintained and safe to operate is also critical. The forklift operator plays a role in this process by inspecting the equipment and confirming its performance. With many companies now seeing an influx of new operators due to expansion or changes in workforce, training these new employees and equipping them with tools to help identify maintenance issues can be more challenging.
Connected technology and forklift telematics can help. A wealth of data can be gathered from forklift telematics systems, such as Crown’s InfoLink® operator and fleet management system. These systems provide a powerful tool to help managers reinforce training and ensure the fleet is properly maintained and potential safety issues are identified and addressed.
Additionally, as the supply chain becomes more connected, individual assets and equipment become interconnected and can share operational data and health status in near-real time. This data can be integrated, aggregated, and analyzed to identify trends and opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, and safety.
This connected technology and the data analysis it enables can contribute to proper forklift maintenance and improved workplace safety in several ways:
- Telematics can help ensure operators appropriately complete pre-shift inspections that can identify potential operational and safety issues. They can even provide visual guidance to the operator regarding the various components and systems to be evaluated to help less experienced operators correctly complete the inspection.
- Connected forklifts can generate maintenance notifications when a maintenance or repair issue has been identified to help ensure it is resolved. They can even share diagnostic information with service technicians to help expedite troubleshooting and repairs.
- Telematics can record and report individual forklift utilization to give managers a better understanding of how and when their forklifts are actually being used. This can help ensure that planned maintenance and manufacturer service recommendations are completed as scheduled and needed.
- A connected maintenance program can gather operational data for individual forklifts and compare it with aggregated data across thousands of vehicles. This data is used to predict issues and generate notifications, providing the opportunity to initiate proactive repairs that help avoid safety issues, operational disruptions, and unplanned downtime.
- A connected system, such as Crown’s FleetSTATS Fleet Maintenance Management System, provides a method for capturing and analyzing total maintenance costs of individual forklifts or entire fleets, within single locations or across multiple locations. The system can help users select appropriate maintenance programs, control costs, and make informed repair/replace decisions, resulting in an overall healthier fleet.
- Service technicians can leverage connected electronic systems to troubleshoot issues and document resolutions more efficiently, helping to expedite maintenance and repair.
Supply chain constraints and shortages are focusing more attention on the importance of maintaining a safe working environment for operators and pedestrians. A properly maintained forklift can function as designed, with all of its safety systems supporting safe operation. There’s a wealth of technology available to help ensure the health and performance of the forklift fleet, which contributes to the health and well-being of operators, regardless of experience level.
Contributed by Crown Equipment Corporation
