The proper maintenance and handling of forklift batteries is imperative to their longevity. There’s a right way and a wrong way to maintain and handle forklift batteries and doing it properly will ensure your investment is maximized.

Proper Handling

Forklift batteries can be heavy and dangerous if not handled properly, so it’s important to be educated on the correct way to handle them. Use these tips for some ideas about handling batteries properly:

1. • Use special equipment, like a walkie pallet jack equipped with a transfer carriage, to maneuver the battery. Because of the weight of some forklift batteries, no single person should attempt to move a forklift battery alone. Steel toe shoes should also be worn while moving the batteries.

• • An eye and hand washing station should be nearby. Should any hazardous liquid come in contact with hands or eyes, a hand and eye washing station should be conveniently located nearby to remove it as quickly as possible.

• • Chemical-resistant protective gear should be worn while maneuvering batteries. Having a conveniently located eye and hand washing station is necessary, but chemical-resistant gear should also be worn to keep the need for the station at bay. This includes safety glasses and gloves.

1. • Remove all metallic jewelry when handling and charging.

Proper Charging

Properly charging a battery is all about doing it at the right time, for the right amount of time. Use these tips when charging your forklift battery:

1. • Designate an area specifically for battery charging. This is an OSHA-recommended best practice.

• • Remember that lead acid batteries should be charged at 80 percent depth of discharge. Charging prior to 80 percent can result in reduced battery life depending on the type of battery.  Discharging the battery past 80 percent depth of discharge can also be detrimental.

• • If your battery overflows, take time to rinse it. Rinsing your battery after an overflow will help prevent corrosion.

• • Ensure compatibility between the battery and the charger. The charger that is being used should match the voltage/amperage of the battery. Color coding the connectors and clearly labeling the chargers can help to prevent accidentally connecting a battery to the wrong charger. Proper training is also imperative.

• • Avoid overcharging the battery. Some batteries have battery management systems that can prevent overcharging. If yours doesn’t, take precautions not to overcharge it, which can reduce the battery’s life.

• • Charge and operate the batteries at the proper temperature. Charging a battery in extreme cold or heat can cause reduced service life. Since battery types and specifications may vary, contact the battery manufacturer for their recommended charging temperature range.

• • Add water when needed after the charging cycle. Adding water to a wet-cell battery prior to charging the battery is a common mistake. Pure or distilled water should be used and the watering should occur after a full charge cycle to bring the electrolytes to the proper level.

• • Ensure the charger is turned off before connecting or disconnecting the battery.

Toyota Forklifts lead the industry with innovative designs and top-of-the-line customer support. At Toyota, safety comes standard, and we spend time each day developing ways to keep everyone in your facility protected, healthy, and productive. We start with the top safety concerns and ask, “what can we do to improve our engineering to help make people safer?” It’s part of our culture of continuous improvement. We’re always pushing ourselves toward what next. And it’s what led us to develop the best safety features in the industry.

Innovative Forklift Safety Features: System of Active Stability and Active Mast Control

Toyota’s forward-thinking engineering is what helps make Toyota Forklifts some of the safest forklifts on the market. Asking the tough questions, we found that tip-overs and falling loads were some of the most common causes of forklift accidents. So Toyota engineers went to work, and, in 1999, introduced the System Active of Stability, which comes standard on most Toyota forklifts. In conjunction with Active Mast Control, Toyota engineering is a must for the most safety-conscious operations managers.

• System of Active Stability (SAS): The SAS is unique to Toyota forklifts. While many stability systems are reactive, Toyota’s SAS is a proactive system that takes approximately 3,000 readings per second to ensure operator safety. Because of this proactive approach, SAS recognizes when factors could put the forklift at risk and automatically stabilizes the lift using the innovative swing-lock cylinder to prevent a tipover.
• Active Mast Function Control (AMC): AMC is also unique to Toyota forklifts. This system recognizes dangerous tilt speeds when lifting payloads and slows the speed of the mast to prevent tipovers.

Innovative Forklift Safety Features: Other Toyota-Engineered Safety Features

But Toyota’s safety innovation does not stop at these unique features. We employ safety-first thinking in all of our manufacturing, developing the best solutions for features that seem common. The unique-Toyota approach? Safety always in manufacturing:

• Orange Forks: It seems so simple, but optional orange forks on our lifts prevent accidents and loss of products by assisting visibility during placement. Accurate fork placement helps prevent against spilled payloads that can be dangerous for forklift operators and other associates.
• Horn: All forklifts are required to come installed with a functioning horn.
• Rear Horn with Grip Assist: Toyota offers an add-on horn placed behind the operator on the overhead guard support leg. This ergonomic design allows operators to honk while they are turned and viewing the workspace behind the forklift.
• Seatbelt: Toyota forklifts come standard with a seatbelt. We also offer orange seatbelt upgrades to increase visibility and ensure proper usage of this highly-important safety feature.
• Overhead Guard: This safety feature protects operators from falling objects. The single component welded construction improves rigidity and safety while design considerations such as the 45 degree angle of the front cross beam improves visibility for operators moving pallets at height.

Making the Best Use of Forklift Safety Features: Using a Safety Checklist

These innovations in engineering are excellent and can lead to increased safety in your facility. But the best way to make sure your forklift is in optimal working condition is to use a forklift safety checklist as part of your daily walk around on your forklift. Here’s one example of those features on your Toyota Forklift that would benefit from routine checks.

Making the Best Use of Forklift Safety Features: Fork Safety Best Practices

All Toyota forklifts are engineered with safety in mind. That includes every part of the forklift, including one of the most important parts: the forks. But no matter how well a forklifts is engineered, using them appropriately is the responsibility of the operator. The forks can represent a problem area if used inappropriately. Be sure to regularly use a fork caliper to inspect the forks and employ the following best practices:

• Low and slow. Anytime you’re moving, keep your forks no more than six inches off the ground and move slowly through the warehouse. Be careful not to drag your forks on the ground, however, because that can shorten the lifespan of your forks.
• Carefully maintain your forks. Make it a habit to check your forks every during every inspection and maintenance cycle, as designated in your operator’s manual. If your forks appear to be bent, it’s time to replace them.
• Stick with your load capacity. Don’t ever try to push your load capacity. Remember, your forks are only made to lift as much as your forklift says they are and trying to lift more could result in dropping a load.
• Only use your forks to lift. Your forks are made to lift and that’s it, so don’t try to push things or pry things open with them. Using your forks irresponsibly could cause damage making them vulnerable to dropping loads.

Building a forklift that works perfectly for every application can be challenging. After all, what works for a small mom and pop retail store may not work as well for a high-throughput forging application. Options such as lights and attachments allow you to customize each forklift to fit your needs, but did you know that adjusting forklift settings can be just as critical to optimizing performance and efficiency?

Many forklifts today come standard with pre-set performance and operational settings that can be adjusted either through a built-in multi-function display or an external device such as a laptop. Toyota’s Core Electric and 3-Wheel Electric models, for example, each have over 60 different settings that can be fine-tuned through the display. These settings are protected via passwords to prevent access to unauthorized users.

Settings on Toyota forklifts are highly adjustable as most parameters have eight or more levels of adjustment. Understanding how these settings affect forklift operation is the first step in realizing productivity and efficiency gains. Below are a few examples of settings that can be adjusted and how they can impact your operation. If you feel like you may benefit from optimizing your forklift’s parameters.

Toyota Forklift Acceleration, Speed, and Braking Adjustments

Travel/Acceleration – These speeds can be adjusted to increase productivity or slow down forklifts for when precise handling is necessary. These settings can also provide energy savings in applications where quick acceleration or faster travel speeds are not necessary.

Accelerator Pedal Response* – Adjusts sensitivity to the initial depression of the accelerator pedal. Higher settings will reduce the delay between when the pedal is depressed and when the forklift begins to accelerate.

Rollback Speed* – Trucks with the rollback feature have a momentary delay followed by a controlled descent when the accelerator pedal is released while on a grade. This setting allows the travel speed and time before rollback to be adjusted.

Over Speed Alarm – An alarm sounds on the forklift when a pre-set travel speed is exceeded.

Regenerative Braking* – Adjusts how quickly the truck slows down when the operator’s foot is taken off of the accelerator pedal. Strength of “plugging” response can also be adjusted (when travel direction is switched between forward and reverse).

Toyota Forklift Lift, Maintenance, and Power Adjustments

Hydraulic Functions – Lift, lower, tilt, and attachment speeds are all adjustable. This includes starting, inching, maximum, acceleration, and deceleration settings. These settings can also provide energy savings in applications where faster hydraulic speeds are not necessary.

Lift Interrupt Level* – Used to tune the depth of discharge of a battery before the truck reaches lift interrupt. When the battery reaches the set level, the lift function will be disallowed. This allows the forklift to be matched to the battery size and type that is installed.

Planned Maintenance Hour Meter – An alarm sounds to inform the operator when the forklift is due for planned maintenance. The maintenance period can be adjusted and the alarm can be overridden.

Engine Auto Off/Auto Power Off – Engine (IC models) or battery power (electric models) will automatically turn off during a certain period of inactivity. The amount of time before it turns off can be adjusted or the setting can be turned off entirely.

*Applies to electric forklifts only.

Original Post: Trinton Castetter, Product Marketing Specialist, TMH

In the heartland of the United States lies a small farming town with big city architecture and some of America’s most important engineering operations. Columbus, Indiana is the home of Toyota Forklift and we are proud to be assembled in the USA.

The American economy is a well-oiled intricate connection of businesses working together. At Toyota Forklifts, we know that if we get our jobs done in manufacturing, other businesses are getting their jobs done all across the country. At our Columbus, Indiana headquarters, we are proud to employ thousands of hard working Americans. Outside of our home base, 66 members of the Toyota dealer network sell forklifts straight to the hands of customers. If a product needs moved, you can bet we help move it, from coast to coast, through American warehouses, railyards, and ports, and in businesses ranging from family farms to fortune 500 companies. When we do well, we know other businesses are also doing well. People helping people—it’s the American way.

At Toyota we believe our core values drive the work that moves the American economy every day.

1. Always be faithful to your duties

The hard-working American culture means showing up and doing the right thing every day. Not only do we move our own company forward, but we strive to contribute to the overall betterment of the American economic infrastructure.

2. Always be studious and creative, striving to stay ahead of the times

We are innovators and inventors, just like our forefathers. Staying ahead of the times means a constant pursuit of improvement. Never be satisfied with average.

3. Always be practical and avoid frivolousness

The Toyota Production System is world-renowned and our lean style of management is commonly reproduced around the country. Other businesses have adopted our Kaizen attitude in order to be more profitable, efficient, and effective.

4. Always strive to build a homelike atmosphere at work that is warm and friendly.

The Midwest is known for the warm and homelike environment it fosters. Treating every member of our Toyota family like a valued part of our shared success isn’t just a business philosophy – we know that it’s true. And we know being generous means giving back to the community. Toyota has made a mark in Columbus by giving scholarships to disadvantaged youth, donating 50 cherry blossom trees to the city of Columbus, and supporting many other local philanthropic missions. Community is at the heart of our business.

5. Always have respect for God and remember to be grateful at all times.

Being an industry leader comes with responsibility. Showing gratitude for all that we have and all that we work for is key to our success.

While we are proudly assembled in the USA, this Japanese phrase integrates well into our patriotic culture here in Columbus, “Monozukuri wa hitosurkuri” – making things is about making people. Toyota Forklift values that Americans are passionate about working hard. Just like this country, we are a melting pot of people from all walks of life coming together for a common goal – getting the job done. People are the core of this business.

Original Post: Anna Harris, TMHU Marketing Intern

Peak seasons are an exciting time for any business. These busy seasons can mean increased orders, fulfillment requests, and, best of all, revenue. But peak seasons can also be stressful times that lead to warehouse inefficiencies and cause lost opportunities. Lead time can get extended and damage your reputation if you haven’t planned effectively for a higher than normal volume. Here are three useful questions to ask as you prepare for your upcoming peak season:

Do I have the right equipment for increased velocity?

Sometimes the right warehouse equipment is a full sit-down forklift (like a 3-wheel electric) that can move large pallets of numerous individual products to high velocity picking areas. For other warehouses in peak seasons, versatile hand pallet or electric walkie pallet jacks that can quickly cover short distances with limited touches are the answer. But as you come into your peak season, take an inventory and make sure you have the right material handling equipment to get the job done.

Do I need to reorganize my warehouse during peak seasons?

Perhaps it makes sense to keep pallets of high velocity, peak season products on pallets near the shipping area. Or maybe high velocity products need to be placed on lower racking levels for easier access by forklift operators and order picking personnel. Your distribution and supply chain needs will dictate what you need, but it’s worth asking if you can reorganize to be more efficient during peak seasons.

Can I increase efficiency by cross docking?

The goal of any productive warehouse is to eliminate touches on each product. If you can decrease the number of times a product needs to be moved, then you can shorten your lead time for customer delivery. During high-demand periods, you might consider whether you have an opportunity for cross docking, or the process of receiving a product and then shipping it to its next location without ever moving it to short or long term storage in a warehouse. If peak seasons demand quick delivery of products, it might be best to grab a hand pallet or electric walkie pallet jack and immediately put that received product on the next truck for shipping.

Original Post: Jake Stewart, Digital Copywriter, Toyota Material Handling, USA

When your forklifts are placed in a planned maintenance rotation, you’ll have a technician on site inspecting your forklifts to be sure they are in top working condition. That means a Toyota Certified Technician is regularly on site to answer any specific questions you might have about the functionality of your fleet while they work to ensure your forklifts are in top working condition.

When a service tech is on site, they will be inspecting several parts of your forklift for optimal working condition. This will include:

• Mast, lift chains, forks, hydraulics
• Running and braking system
• Control system
• IC engine or electric motor
• Vehicle body and safety components

If your technician is thorough, you should be able to visibly see them inspect these specific areas. To ensure top quality inspection is occurring, it might be useful to request a PM inspection form before your begin the engagement with your service provider. Then, when a technician in on site, you can request that you see the completed form. This will help to make sure you’re getting exactly what you paid for. All Toyota Dealers have these forms available.

What is the long-term value of planned forklift maintenance?

One of the most important long-term values of planned maintenance is that it will save you money. Avoiding repair costs and downtime because maintenance issues are caught early before they become problems is one main contributing factor. But there are others, as we illustrate here:

More important than these cost savings can be the long-term benefit of planned forklift maintenance on the safety and security of operators. Worn out components can lead to accidents, but a technician might be able to replace these components during planned maintenance before they become too worn to function.

Increased efficiency is also a benefit, both because your forklifts will see increased uptime because of frequent maintenance and because you can plan for downtime during regularly scheduled inspection.

Planned forklift maintenance can also have additional, unanticipated benefits. For example, interruption to your daily schedule caused by a forklift breaking down might be avoided with planned maintenance. Instead of your having to take the time to call around attempting to locate a service tech to get the forklift back up and running, a Toyota Certified Technician will be on site regularly to help prevent such problems from occurring. You also won’t have to wait for an available technician to maintenance your forklift.

How do I know I’ve chosen the right partner for planned forklift maintenance?

Planned maintenance sounds great in theory, right? But it’s only great in practice if you have a dedicated partner who is willing to go the extra mile for your business. As you would when you purchase material handling equipment, perform thorough research to make sure you’re getting the right partner. Ask your potential partner for referrals for other businesses they’ve currently worked with. Take the time to interview your potential partner and get to know some of their technicians. After the engagement has begun, ask to see PM completion rates on your fleet to make sure they are holding up their end of your agreement.

As part of the Toyota 360 Support promise, Toyota is dedicated to being the industry leader in customer support and aftermarket services. Our dealers are happy to provide any of the information you request and can come on site for discussions leading up to a planned maintenance agreement.

When a forklift is down and in need of repair, operators and managers are tasked with ensuring, first, the safety of those in their warehouse, and, second, that no further damage to the forklift or moved product occurs. When a forklift goes down, lockout tagout procedures should be initiated to help operators address both requirements simultaneously.

What does the OSHA lockout tagout standard refer to?

The OSHA Lockout Tagout Standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), Title 29 CFR, outlines the required procedures for disabling machinery to help protect operators and other associates from unexpected bursts of energy or startup while maintenance activities are being performed on a piece of equipment.

Commonly, lockout tagout procedures included attaching a locked box to the forklift and a red and white warning tag hanging from the steering wheel. The box is a lockout box that isolates the forklift power source to the forklift so it cannot be operated and the tag provides information about why this forklift is locked out from its power source. Information you might see on the tag is the last date someone was working on the forklift, who last worked on the forklift, and the type of repair that is being performed. The procedure is meant to protect both the operators of the forklifts and the technicians performing maintenance on the forklifts. It’s to your benefit to fully understand this procedure as OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.333 requires lockout and tagout procedures be used on all equipment that uses electric energy for industrial purposes. This standard is meant to control hazardous energy such as electrical or hydraulic energy sources in forklifts. A typical lockout tagout procedure might follow these steps.

Lockout Tagout Steps

Step 1: Detail your procedure in full, including location

Step 2: Communicate the breakdown to ALL impacted associates

Step3: Shut down your equipment following detailed shutdown procedures

Step 4: Use lockout box or other procedure to interrupt energy output

Step 5: Follow procedures to eliminate any residual energy sources

Step 6: Attempt to start the equipment to make sure it will not start

Step 7: Perform maintenance

Step 7 b: Make sure to communicate breakdown across shifts

Step 8: Employ reverse lockout tagout procedures to reintegrate equipment into operation

To protect both operators and technicians, keep in mind these three tips about your lockout tagout procedure:

Lockout Tagout Procedures: Understand that removing the key is not enough

Removing the keys from the ignition is not enough to lockout your forklift. The forklift is still connected to the power source. It does not matter whether the forklift is powered by a liquid propane gas (LPG) tank or a battery, the hazardous energy is not isolated. Because the energy source is not isolated, there is potential for an unexpected release of energy, making both operators and technicians vulnerable to an accident.

Lockout Tagout Procedures: Document, Communicate, and Train Lock Out Tag Out

Your lockout tagout procedure should be well documented. The documented process also makes it easier to communicate and train employees. If employees need clarity, the documented procedure is the first resource to turn to for answers. Once the procedure is documented, communicate the procedure and set up routine training to keep lockout tagout top-of-mind.

Lockout Tagout Procedures: Inspect and re-evaluate procedures at least once per year

The success of your lockout tagout procedure cannot truly be assessed until the procedure is implemented. It allows you to gauge if the procedure is working, where improvements can be made, and how the procedure can change or evolve to become safer.

Original Post: Kenny Trusnik, Toyota Material Handling, USA

What is a Site Survey?

A site survey is when a trained warehouse consultant visits a work space to help maximize the business’ work place through racking, equipment, and a multitude of other factors. Their job is to help a business work as efficiently as possible and utilize all the space a company owns. But why should you think about getting one? Below are a few reasons.

Warehouse Operation Efficiency

Once a warehouse consultant comes on the scene at the time and date arranged specifically for the site survey, it doesn’t take long for them to identify opportunities that can carry already profitable business even further.

For example, let’s say a company is using reach trucks to grab pallets, bring the pallets down, remove the product, and then put the pallet back up onto the racking unit. In this case, an order picker may be a more optimal equipment choice to get the job done.

Often times, companies have already thought of this, but their response as to why they haven’t done it yet is usually: “We’ve always done it this way.” Those words echo through warehouses and distribution centers nationwide, and often deter operations managers from making the moves they must make in order to meet the changing demands of the modern-day distribution environment.

For those companies that do embrace change, a site survey typically starts by inventorying all forklifts and determining how that equipment is being used in the facility.

Warehouse Storage

On the warehouse floor, a site survey can help detect storage problems (e.g., stacks of pallets that are pushed into corners using hand pallet jacks), inventory management issues, and poor use of vertical space. There are times when managers say they don’t have enough space, but only have product stacked 12 feet high in a building with 25 foot ceilings. This is an opportunity for the warehouse to grow up, instead of out. The site survey will also help determine the best equipment for this type of application, such as order pickers, reach truck, or a combination of both.

All of these steps culminate into a complete warehouse optimization package designed to help operations achieve and exceed their customer service, safety, and profitability goals. By getting material handling professionals involved early in the process, these operations may be able to optimize their space and equipment in a way that they may not have been able to handle on their own.

If you would like to learn more about site surveys and warehouse consultations, download our free E-book, “Making the Case for Warehouse Consultants.”

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