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.

Unlike traditional, sit-down forklifts, order pickers travel parallel to racking so that operators can pick products to build out orders. Travelling this close to racking, however, can be a tedious affair. Operators must strike a balance between being close enough to the racking to make the perfect pick, yet still have enough space to travel safely down the aisle without hitting the racking.

Guidance systems such as rail and wire guidance can be useful tools for reducing product, racking, and forklift damage. While both rail and wire guidance systems offer similar benefits, the differences in installation and how they function make each option ideal for some applications over others.

Rail Guidance

Rail guidance systems use physical boundaries to keep order pickers on the desired path. Physical rails need to be installed into the ground in front of the racking to set the path on which the forklift runs. Guide rollers installed on both sides of the order picker allow the forklift to contact the rails on each side and continue to travel down the aisle, potentially minimizing damage to the racking, product, and the order picker. Many advanced systems, such as Toyota’s double rail guidance option with auto-center steering have one unique guide roller with a sensor switch that, when contacted, automatically centers the drive tire, enabling the order picker to continue straight through the rest of the aisle.

Since every application varies, it is important to configure the rails and guide rollers appropriately so that operators can work productively and safely within each aisle. The configuration should also cause minimal hindrances to their ability to travel and pick product. In some cases, the rails actually need to be built into the rack depending on the aisle width and available space between the front face of the rack and the rail.

Wire Guidance

Wire guidance systems require installation of a wire into the ground that is detected by sensors on the truck. These sensors detect the wire and the forklift follows the wire’s path.  Travel of the order picker becomes limited to the set confines of the wire’s physical location in the ground. Some wire guidance settings are configurable, such as end of aisle slowdown and travel speed that can be set based on your application’s needs.

One advantage of wire guidance systems is that the operator can turn off the guidance system when needed to allow for travel outside of the confines of the wire. This is helpful in certain situations where travel within the confines of the wire limits the forklift’s ability to travel based on the product they are picking and the aisle in which they are operating. Similar to rail guidance, wire guidance can be used in any aisle type, but is most commonly found in narrow and very narrow aisle applications. Wire guidance systems allow the operator to relinquish steering control when the system is active within the aisle, allowing operators to focus more on travel and lift, which can further increase productivity.

Making a Decision

A number of factors can affect your decision about the guidance system you want to purchase. Pricing between the two different systems can vary greatly, especially depending upon the size of your fleet and your warehouse. Wire guidance systems tend to be more expensive to install for both the sensors and equipment added to the forklift and for the wires and electrical installation at your facility.

Next, you have to consider how the two different types of guidance can affect your operation. Applications with larger aisles where the operator must travel between racking on both sides may benefit more from a physical guidance system that would allow that type of travel. In addition, depending on the type, size, and weight of the product you are picking, the distance from the racking required to make a safe pick may vary. Finding the right balance between limiting the distance between the order picker and the racking and optimizing the distance for safe, efficient picking plays a significant role in the choice that you will make.

Remember, guidance systems can provide increased productivity and reduce product damage, but they are not ideal for every application. When selecting the right guidance system, make sure to work with a professional who knows your operation and can guide you through the entire process. Dillon Toyota Lift is available to help with designing the optimal layout for your operation to maximize productivity and improve your warehousing efficiency.
 

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As the push for sustainable business practices continues to grow stronger, more and more warehouses are adopting “green” initiatives. Toyota has been practicing sustainable business practices, led by the guiding rules of the Toyota Production System, and continues to improve our impact on the environment. Practices such as Just-In-Time and Jidoka have helped Toyota Forklifts’ manufacturing site achieve a zero-landfill facility status.

With benefits ranging from positive environmental impacts to substantial cost savings, making changes in your facility is worth your while. Here are a few of the ways you can bring green warehousing practices to your own facility:

Sustainable Warehouse Management: Recycle

Recycling, by definition, means reusing material. This might mean converting waste into material that is usable or finding a new purpose so they can be used again. However, when it comes to manufacturing, recycling is about more than just throwing plastic cups and used paper into their respectively labeled bins. It is about making recycling initiatives part of the core of your manufacturing process.

Start off small. Send your used packaging material to a recycling center. Take metal shavings from the welding department and recycle them as scrap metal. Dispose of batteries and chemicals in ways that are environmentally sound, including working with a battery recycler to dispose of worn forklift batteries.

Sustainable Warehouse Equipment: Use Green-Manufactured Products

The efficiency and reliability of your equipment has a tremendous impact on your warehouse processes. Choosing electric products can increase your uptime due to their lower maintenance requirements. They also cut fuel exhausts – and fuel costs! Toyota offers a full line of electric products – everything from pallet jacks to THDs – to keep your facility running smoothly.

Aside from forklifts, you can also opt for eco-friendly conveyor systems that cut energy use and maintenance while maintaining a productive workflow.

Sustainable Warehouse Sensibility: Check Your Lighting

Do the lights always need to be on in every part of your facility? Probably not. Install an energy management system that knows which lights need to be on, and when. Additionally, swap out those old bulbs for energy-efficient LED fixtures to boost energy efficiency and save on electricity costs.

There are many ways to bring sustainable practices to your facility. Monitor your efforts and find ways to continuously improve. The gradual implementation of a variety of these techniques over time can transform your facility into green warehouse.

Original Post: Anastasia Sistevaris, Communications Copywriter, Toyota Material Handling, USA

Running a material handling business is a tall task – not only do you have to monitor your product, your sales, and your employees, you also have to ensure your forklift fleet is operating at its best capacity. Malfunctioning and overheating forklifts can skyrocket your operating costs and require expensive repairs. So what do you do if you’ve followed all maintenance suggestions and they are still overheating? Here are three areas that may be the cause of your forklift running hot:

Maintenance

The first area to check is also the easiest to fix: are routine maintenance tasks being completed correctly? Issues such as low coolant levels or worn hoses can contribute to a forklift’s overheating. If your on-site tech stretches parts past their optimal use, such as clogged filters, your forklifts could be choking on thick, dusty air. Worn fans or damaged radiators can also contribute to high running temperatures in material handling equipment.

Environment

The same advice for workers in high temperatures applies to your forklifts – give them frequent breaks and make sure their fluids are topped off.

Is your work yard paved or on packed dirt? Excessive dust, debris, and rough terrain can put additional demands on your forklifts and cause unforeseen maintenance problems. If this is a recurrent summer problem then the outside temperature can even be to blame. The same advice for workers in high temperatures applies to your forklifts – give them frequent breaks and make sure their fluids are topped off. If your forklifts are overheating indoors then you’ll want to survey your work area to find issues. Is the floor dusty or dirty? Are pieces of paper, pallet wrap, or other debris being left on the ground where they can clog filters? Once you find these issues then you can optimize your work areas to prevent damage.

Operation

If it’s not maintenance or environmental issues causing your overheating problems, then you need to check on how you are driving the equipment. If you are overloading the forklift with loads above capacity, this can cause overheating and create unnecessary risks for product damage and accidents. Are you driving forklifts constantly at top speeds? This can also contribute to high heats.

Many IC forklifts come equipped with an inching pedal to use when maneuvering your forklift while raising the mast to retrieve loads. If you are “riding” this pedal while driving it can cause many problems, as it slightly applies the brakes. The inching pedal should only be used when retrieving loads.

Once you’ve identified the cause of the problem and put a fix in place, ask why it arose in the first place. Are you overworking forklifts due to high expectations? Should your work area floor upkeep be added to existing maintenance plans? Don’t just solve the problem. Find a solution to keep it from happening again.

The use of LP, CNG, gasoline, and diesel forklifts can provide an increase in efficiency and higher ROI for many different types of operations. Whether moving material between manufacturing steps or increasing throughput in a warehouse, Toyota offers a wide variety of pneumatic tire and cushion tire gas-powered forklifts to fit your needs.

Facility design is one of the most important factors in protecting against the harms of exhaust, but a few key ventilation precautions can greatly reduce the risks from emissions.

But as with any piece of heavy machinery or equipment, proper precautions have to be taken to ensure people are protected from residual impacts of their use. In the case of LP, CNG, gasoline, and diesel forklifts, exhaust fumes can be harmful to employees and products if proper precautions aren’t taken. Facility design is one of the most important factors in protecting against the harms of exhaust, but a few key ventilation precautions can greatly reduce the risks from emissions. Here are a few reminders that you can use in your own facilities or bring to your supervisor’s attention.

Warehouses Need Proper Ventilation, Too

In fact, OSHA reported that most complaints of symptoms like dizziness and headache related to LPG forklift use came from warehouses. Performing a proper audit of your warehousing air flow can help to alleviate the possibility of harm from fumes to both people and products. If you run or work in a facility that requires both manufacturing and warehouse storage operation, then it’s important to remember to ventilate both areas.

Forklifts in Enclosed Areas can Lead to Ventilation Problems

Many operators have to use forklifts in very tight areas, sometimes for long periods of time. Long exposure to fumes from an LP, gasoline, CNG, or diesel forklift can lead to the possibility of health hazards. When working in spaces like semi-trailers, within the confines of materials that can’t pass air (think cotton bails), or small rooms for storing specialty products, taking breaks is required. Understanding how to offer proper air flow to these areas by opening windows and vents and providing fans can help limit risks. And according to OSHA standard 29 CFR 1912.12(a)(2), operating forklifts onboard a ship requires special precautions to ensure the right levels of oxygen are present in tight spaces.

Weather Can Impact your Ventilation

When things get cold outside, we tend to want to keep heat in. But when you close your windows, doors, or vents, you also have to account for the fumes that might fill your forklift-operating areas. Make sure staying warm doesn’t come at the expense of fume exposure.

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

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

Businesses have traditionally relied on multiple vendors for equipment, service, and consultation services to keep their operations running. This can be an appealing approach as you can pick and choose the right vendor based on their qualifications and ability to meet your needs. After all, you likely don’t buy your groceries in the same place where you dry clean your clothes, right?

But what if you could? What if you didn’t have to drive to two separate buildings across town for these services? What if you had one main point of contact who could hand you your dry cleaning and the groceries you bought online at the same time? Or what if the person who fixed your cable could also fix that vacuum that hasn’t had proper suction for years?

These conveniences translate well to the world of material handling. When you work with multiple vendors, it creates added work, takes more time to communicate between each vendor, and it can prevent you from getting the best solution that takes into account all aspects of your business.

Think about it this way: If you have one company who quotes you a racking system, one that quotes you a forklift, and one that quotes you a conveyor, how can you be sure you are getting the optimal solution? How can you be sure your facility layout is optimized to accommodate all of these separate pieces of equipment? Will these individual pieces of equipment work together more efficiently and productively than if you had chosen one (or more) of those pieces differently?

True full-line material handling solution providers:

• Not only give you added convenience, but they help to optimize every part of your business.
• They’re experts when it comes to providing integrated systems that optimize space and work flows.
• And they can help you leverage advanced technologies that work harmoniously together for the perfect blend of automated and manual material handling processes.

When it comes to single solution providers, there is none better equipped to handle a wide range of challenges than Toyota. Toyota boasts the largest lineup of material handling solutions that are capable of handling materials at every point in the supply chain. Everything from parcels to pallets to containers can be handled by a Toyota product.

Thanks to the partnership between Toyota Material Handling and Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company, Toyota dealers can also provide fully integrated systems with both automated and manual material handling equipment. Everything from conveyors to AGVs to automated storage and retrieval systems can be quoted through your Toyota dealer. And best of all, these pieces of equipment can also be serviced by the same Toyota Certified Technicians that work on your forklifts.

Having these resources available combined with the knowledge of how they can be integrated together into one comprehensive solution is where the real value of a single solutions provider can be realized. You get one point of contact for support and service, AND you get a complete solution that is going to optimize all aspects of your business. It’s truly a win-win situation.

If you’re interested in how these services can benefit you, reach out to your local Toyota dealer today. They probably won’t be able to handle your dry cleaning or fix your faulty vacuum, but a free site survey could put you on the right track to optimizing your business.

Original Post: ToyotaForklift.com