If you’ve been at your business for a while, you can usually predict when busy seasons are going to strike. Advancements in supply chain forecasting measures have made it easier than ever to plan ahead for seasonality.

And while you may feel prepared to meet demands, all businesses are subject to conditions and circumstances beyond their control. Say you didn’t anticipate the popularity of a new product that was released. You may not have ever needed to handle this new volume of orders for this particular product. On the other hand, say you released a product during a holiday that turned out to have an incredibly high return rate. You’re now unprepared for the stress on the reverse supply chain when orders are returned in larger volumes than predicted. And while both of these situations can happen and can mess with your inventory projections and needs, you also have to consider the possibility of equipment breakdown. On deadline in the peak seasons, having an important piece of pallet moving equipment go down can be devastating to delivering products to customers in line with your promises.

I actually recommend you keep some backup equipment on hand to combat these possibilities. But whatever the circumstances, these unexpected turns can leave you in a position where you simply don’t have enough equipment available in your warehouse or distribution center to keep the products moving. You need additional material handling equipment that you can get quickly and without hassle.

As you begin to explore your options, you might find that the benefits of a Hand Pallet Truck (HPT) are precisely what you need. It is a small but reliable piece of equipment that can take on heavy loads – perfect for short-term influxes of product. Ordering a Toyota HPT directly from the ToyotaForklift.com Store makes the process even smoother.  Buy Now

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

Keeping a large inventory of spare parts on hand encroaches on both the budget and physical storage space of your business. What happens if your forklift goes down and you don’t have that critical spare part on hand? Your business suffers unnecessary downtime and you may be forced to pay outrageous freight costs to have the parts shipped to you overnight.

How do you determine which forklift parts are critical and which are not?

If you are looking to define a critical spare part, ask yourself the following questions:

• What parts do you purchase most often? This should be your first consideration, especially if you have a fleet of several forklifts. Look back and determine which parts have been consistently replaced in the last few years and keep them in your on-site inventory.
• If your forklift goes down, how quickly will you need the part? If you will need it immediately, then it is a critical part. If you have a backup forklift that can be used or another means of covering the downtime, then it would not be a critical part.
• Will your business be halted or delayed if you don’t have the part? If the answer is yes to this question, then it is a critical part and must be kept in inventory.
• How long will it take you to receive a part if ordered? Find out which parts your local Toyota Forklifts dealer keeps on hand and which ones have to be ordered. Doing so will help you determine how long it will take you to retrieve the new part.
• If you need to have a part repaired, what is the average time it will take for your dealership to make the repair and have it returned? Contact your dealer and determine average repair times for those parts that you define as critical.

Have a backup plan. 

• If you don’t have space for a large inventory of spare parts, work with Dillon Toyota Lift to make sure they have the parts on hand that are critical to your organization.
• Keep a list of those critical parts posted so your technicians know what steps to take to procure that part.
• If you are going to experience a lengthy downtime, will your dealer be able to provide a loaner?

By being prepared and determining which parts are critical, your business could save money and most importantly, time.

Original Post By:  Debi Stanton, Customer Satisfaction Administrator

Your business is growing and you either need to expand your current warehouse or build a new warehouse to support your growth. Sounds like a good problem to have! At least, until you have to decide what type of pallet racking system you need to install. In its simplest form, a pallet racking system is a material storage system. Pallet racking helps you stay organized within your warehouse and better manage you inventory. Choosing pallet racking, however, is not as simple as selecting a pallet rack brand and installing it. There several racking types that help you meet your needs. The type of racking you choose depends on a few criteria:

• How tall the racking needs to be
• What goods will be stored
• What the floor plan will be
• What type of inventory management system makes sense for your product and operation
• What types of forklifts you currently use or forklifts you intend to switch to

Types of Pallet Racking: Selective Racking

Selective racking systems are some of the most common and widely used racking systems, mainly because they are less expensive and easier to install than other, more specialized racking systems. Selective racking is great for warehouses that store a large amount of stock keeping units (SKUs). Selective pallet racking is usually a single-deep pallet rack. This type of racking makes any given pallet in the rack system accessible without having to move another pallet.

Types of Pallet Racking: Cantilever Racking

Cantilever Racking systems are used to store items that cannot be easily stored on pallets. Warehouses that use cantilever rack, usually store longer and heavier items to be stored horizontally across multiple arms (like lumber or steel pipes). Pallet racks, on the other hand, have vertical uprights that limit the length of stored items. This is the primary difference between cantilever racking and pallet racking.

Types of Pallet Racking: Pallet Flow Racking

Pallet flow racking systems are also referred to as “gravity flow” racking systems. Pallet flow racking systems are best suited for the first-in, first-out (FIFO) inventory management methodology. When you load a pallet from the loading aisle and onto the lane rollers, gravity allows the pallet to roll to the front of the system. When the pallet is removed from the front of the racking system, the pallets behind roll to the front of the lane. Pallet flow racking allows for high-density storage while maintaining FIFO. Some pallet flow racking systems may hold up to 20 pallets deep in one lane, minimizing the number of aisles needed to store items while maintaining efficient inventory turnover.

Types of Pallet Racking: Push Back Racking

Push back racking systems is another high density storage option, with the ability to store up to six pallets deep on either side of an aisle. There are usually three carts stacked on top of each other.  The first pallet is loaded from the front in a push back racking system and sits on the top cart. When the second pallet is loaded, it pushes the top cart with the first pallet back. Push back racking gives you higher density storage than selective racking systems, while allowing you more selectivity with storing items than other types of racking, meaning you can store more SKUs.

Types of Pallet Racking: Drive-In Racking

Drive-In racking systems are great for storing large volumes of just a few SKUs and can also be configured to manage inventory with FIFO or last-in, first-out (LIFO). With drive-in racking, the forklift literally drives into the racking system to move a pallet. This type of pallet racking system is cost effective by maximizing the amount of storage space in your warehouse.

Choosing between these types of racking systems will depend on the various goals of your operation and the relevant inventory data like volume and throughput. No matter your decision, always be sure that this racking is installed safely and effectively to increase productivity.  Dillon Toyota Lift's Warehouse Solutions team is here to help from start to finish.  

Original post by:  Kenny Trusnik, Marketing Systems & eCommerce Specialist, Toyota Material Handling, USA