Many third-party logistics (3PL), warehousing, and transportation businesses use attachments with a Hyster® forklift.
But did you know that combining a Hyster lift truck with the right choice of attachment can also help overcome some common challenges this sector is facing?
Challenge 1: Cost pressures
With economic uncertainty, many operations are limiting investment in their warehouses and equipment. With financial pressures and decreasing margins, the efficiency of equipment and operations is of paramount importance.
Multi-pallet handler attachments are one way that some applications can boost handling efficiency with lift trucks, in some cases almost doubling throughput, without the need to invest in extra lift trucks or personnel.
To further keep costs down, logistics businesses can also consider using their Hyster lift trucks for several different purposes. Certain attachments feature quick release hooks so that different attachments can be easily used on the same truck at different times.
Challenge 2: Operator skill level
As the industry faces significant labour shortages, a lack of skilled (albeit qualified) drivers may contribute to damage to products, infrastructure, lift trucks and attachments.
Selecting Hyster lift trucks, which are intuitive to operate, is a good starting point. However, some applications may find that additional camera, light or laser systems may also be beneficial.
Attachments can also play a part. For instance, Intelligent Carton Clamps may be designed to automatically select the correct clamping pressure, reducing risk of damage.
Challenge 3: Maximising uptime
In challenging market conditions, businesses are often operating with leaner fleets. At the same time, as well as lacking in skilled operators, there are also limited maintenance staff. With a greater dependency on a smaller number of trucks, maintenance disruptions and operational downtime can severely impact efficiency.
Hyster lift trucks are designed for dependability, alongside ease of maintenance and service access to help minimise downtime. Many attachments widely used in 3PL and logistics operations are also designed with low maintenance requirements, such as automatic lubrication.
Challenge 4: Fluctuating demand
As well as predictable seasonal peaks, there are increasingly unexpected fluctuations in demand within logistics which require flexibility. Due to a volatile market, many logistics firms are leasing lift trucks and attachments for shorter periods and are instead looking for short term rental of Hyster lift trucks as and when required.
Hyster rental lift trucks are available from official Hyster dealers with a range of attachments for use in logistics.
Find out more
Talk to your local Hyster® dealer about the attachments that may support your logistics operation or learn more from our logistics industry experts.
