Companies invest in forklift fleet management for unique reasons, spanning from tracking real-time utilization of a forklift to measuring impacts that cause equipment damage and repairs. For many, knowing the actual activity of a forklift and/or forklift operator is the first step in determining the cost of operating a fleet.
FLEET MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS
To make use of the fleet management data, work with your team to determine production expectations. Starting with common questions will help you to define what’s working well within your warehouse, and which areas need improvement.
At Thompson & Johnson, our customers frequently ask:
What is the daily utilization for each forklift?Is a forklift being under- or over-utilized?Did a forklift experience an impact, and when did it occur?Where is a forklift physically located within the warehouse?Do operators perform pre-shift forklift inspections?
FLEET MANAGEMENT REPORT FREQUENCY
The size of your forklift fleet and number of work shifts is a factor when deciding how often fleet management reports should be reviewed. A company with a large forklift fleet may review data monthly while a team with a mid-sized fleet will review data quarterly. The goal is to have enough data to spot true trends rather than exceptions to your production, ensuring you don’t act incorrectly on inflated results.
FORKLIFT COST PER HOUR
Determining the cost of the fleet is a common goal among companies; however, forklift fleet management reports alone will not provide you with an answer. The fleet management system tracks and measures present data but it cannot associate forklift repair costs with specific equipment. With a few more steps, your team can take a deeper dive and associate costs into various categories such as forklift repairs, planned maintenance and abuse.
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE
After compiling the fleet management data, what changes can be implemented? The production expectations previously set by the team should guide and prioritize your initiatives.
Your changes may include:
Moving an under-utilized forklift to a high production warehouse areaEliminating, replacing or adding forklifts to your fleetIdentifying forklift operators involved with impacts, and follow-up with coaching and refresher safety trainingCreating buy-in and completion for pre-shift forklift inspections
Could forklift fleet management help you create change for your daily production and forklift operators? To learn more, contact Thompson & Johnson for an on-site evaluation by an equipment specialist or fill out a Customer Request Form.
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