Remote data acquisition and forklift operator assistance systems can help warehouse managers capture data about forklift usage.
Inflation pressure and rising costs are the main concerns of the entire food and beverage supply chain, especially in warehouses, because enterprises want to protect profit margins. Tight order execution deadlines and long hours of work push people and processes to the limit. Enterprises need advanced solutions to make full use of their equipment and employees. With the inflation rate reaching a 40 year high of 9.1% in June, it is particularly important to maintain cost control.
Many businesses are turning to technology to collect and use data to improve efficiency, whether it is improving productivity or optimizing equipment fleets. According to the annual industry report of MHI in 2022, the adoption rate of Internet of Things, wearable and mobile technologies, forecast analysis, and inventory and network optimization tools is expected to rise significantly, reaching or exceeding 75% in the next five years.
Remote Data Acquisition and Forklift Operator Assistance System (OAS) are examples of these types of technologies. The warehouse manager can obtain data about forklift use through remote data acquisition tools to monitor operation and make wise decisions in the future, and realize the sensing ability of real-time performance adjustment and amplification through OAS software package. These solutions are designed to improve efficiency, help increase operator situational awareness and adherence to best practices, and reduce costly damage to products, equipment, and facilities - ultimately saving money.
Understand the difference between OAS and remote data collection
Before delving into the details, it is important to define each solution and their differences. OAS is an umbrella term, including all kinds of products and technologies. It aims to do exactly what the name implies - to assist operators. It includes remote data acquisition and other features, such as pedestrian awareness lights and alarms, as well as recent developments, such as automatic performance tuning, to proactively help operators comply with best practices that support safety and efficiency.
The remote data acquisition system captures and reports the status and use of the lift, and provides data to inform fleet management, equipment maintenance, and operator behavior management, all of which are reactive methods. The automatic performance tuning mentioned above is a key difference between newer operator assistance solutions. These are the first systems to implement automatic performance tuning in real time, rather than collecting data for managers to review afterwards.
Optimize warehouse expenditure and maintenance with remote data acquisition technology
One way to control the cost of food supply chain is to reasonably adjust the size of their forklift fleet. For the cold storage environment, the cost and other challenges are magnified compared with the normal temperature environment, and this process may be particularly valuable. Remote data acquisition technology can provide a data driven picture, enabling managers to eliminate the cost of running redundant forklifts. By checking the service time of the lift truck, we can clearly see which equipment types are used most and which are used least. If the data shows that some equipment is accumulating dust, it is better to move these forklifts to another place where their capacity can be better used, or replace them.
The following is an example of this process;
A food dealer began a fleet optimization process to reduce operating costs while maintaining flexibility to accommodate seasonal peaks and future growth. Based on current and future forklift applications, labor resources and needs, the staff of the distribution center determined the requirements of the fleet and established a remote data collection system from local dealers to provide a data-driven view of fleet utilization and productivity.
Over time, facility staff identified areas where forklifts were idle, identified opportunities to reduce fleet size by improving processes, and identified specific order selector models that were well suited to the sorting process. By reducing redundant forklifts, establishing more effective processes, and using forklifts tailored to the implementation of applications, the company's fleet size was reduced by 10%.
The streamlined forklift fleet eliminates idle time and reduces costs, but it makes enterprises have low tolerance for downtime. The remote data collection function includes the equipment summary that displays the forklift performance and health indicators, and reminds the operator to pay attention to problems before the equipment stops. These systems have complete sensors, which will trigger an alarm if something reaches a critical level or notices dangerous operating behaviors, such as excessive speed or impact. The dashboard can also include planned maintenance information to track maintenance days and know which forklifts are available and which are not.
In order to control the maintenance cost, the remote data collection system can achieve a more streamlined service plan. With key maintenance data and analysis, it can help improve the regular maintenance plan, so that operations only need to pay for necessary services, and achieve sufficient support without overspending.
With this data, enterprises can isolate and manage it.
● Trigger service request according to equipment diagnosis results
● Restrict forklift access to only approved operators
● It is required to complete the OSHA pre shift checklist before forklift operation
● Identify effective routes through GPS monitoring to affect facility layout and traffic patterns
Using OAS to Exceed the Standard Remote Data Acquisition Tool
Collecting remote data collection data to make informed decisions is valuable, but being able to make real-time performance adjustments changes the rules of the game. The advanced OAS brings together different technologies to promote operator awareness of the situation and adherence to best practices, issue dynamic alerts, and initiate degradation of lift truck performance according to the rules of specific facilities, while allowing the operator to exercise final control over the equipment.
Of course, not all OAS products can provide the same functions. Some products may have a combination of unique sensing technology and performance reduction functions. The system uses these functions to provide a series of functions in real time according to the established traffic rules and operating environment. For example, some packages may use laser radar based technology to detect obstacles in the driving path. Proximity detection can be provided through labels on equipment, pedestrians and infrastructure to provide forklift to forklift, forklift to pedestrian and forklift to beacon detection. These tags can also work with anchors placed around the facility to form a mesh network, enabling real-time location sensing of devices and pedestrians. Information from lidar, proximity detection and real-time position sensing can be combined with device level sensors and inputs to trigger performance adjustment of driving speed, acceleration and hydraulic functions without damaging the stability of the forklift.
OAS functions to be searched
● Decelerate at the end of the walkway. When the operator reaches the end of the walkway, the performance of the equipment can be reduced.
● Line of sight support provides the operator with additional reaction time by adjusting the forklift performance, and actively promotes the operator's awareness of objects and pedestrians that are not in their direct line of sight (blind spots).
● Lateral stability automatically reduces the speed according to the integrated center of gravity of forklift and cargo when turning to increase stability
● The rear end collision prevention function enables the forklift to maintain an appropriate following distance when moving
● Forks are highly conscious. Fork height limit based on position to avoid low hanging beams or other obstacles
Go one step further
Many enterprises know the existing new technologies, but less than half of the warehouses have adopted and fully implemented innovative technologies such as remote data collection and OAS. This technology provides a real opportunity for operational leaders who want to control and promote positive revenue results, which in the past were lost and accounted for afterwards. Advanced innovations available in warehouses continue to evolve and become more accessible. Therefore, it is not a question of whether your enterprise will implement remote data collection, OAS or other advanced technologies, but when.
