The world of forklift technology is evolving rapidly. Faced with various pressures, warehousing and logistics operations are turning to increasingly innovative lift truck solutions to stay competitive. However, forklift technologies can bring new challenges, around implementation, safety, and workforce skills. Understanding some of the key trends and intelligence around materials handling equipment innovations for the warehouse is essential to making smart investments in the right solutions.
To provide valuable insight, here, the experts from Yale answer three important questions about forklift technology.
- What are the latest trends in forklift technology?
To understand warehouse equipment trends, we must first look at the various industry challenges guiding the adoption of lift truck technologies. Warehouse demand is high, driven by the e-commerce boom, and other trends. Operating costs have increased with inflation. Labour is especially hard to find and retain, and fierce competition for this limited labour pool can lead to high warehouse worker turnover.
Finding and retaining workers is a top challenge for many warehouses. Labour shortages tend to elevate demand for forklift technologies, such as operator assistance systems and automation. Automation is not the only technology or solution for addressing labour and talent challenges. And sourcing lift truck operators is not the only labour challenge facing warehouses.
As they deploy automation to help address this issue, they run into another issue: finding the software engineering skillsets typically required to implement and manage those systems. For this reason, Yale has invested time and development into user friendly software, helping to lower the IT skillsets traditionally needed to install and implement a robotic warehouse truck solution.
The labour shortage has also brought worker safety, and wellbeing into sharper focus. With a limited pool of lift truck operators available for hire and temporary operators key to the workforce, there are fewer experienced operators in the warehouse. Could this bring a greater risk of lift truck incidents?
To help address this and support overall operator welfare, some warehouses are investing in operator assist solutions. Alongside the correct training and certifications, these technologies may help to reinforce best practices and support operator awareness. And provide one strategy for helping to take care of the valuable labour force.
- What do forklift operator assist systems do?
Operator assistance systems, sometimes called forklift assist systems, are smart technologies integrated into or added onto lift trucks with the aim of helping and supporting the operator in some way. These solutions are often adopted to help save time, achieve efficiency objectives, or adhere to site safety protocols. Operator assist technologies can refer to a wide range of different solutions. Some of the most common options are sensors and cameras.
One example is the Pedestrian Awareness Camera, which can accurately identify pedestrians at ranges up to 6 metres, through a 120-degree field of view. The system then provides automatic alerts to the lift truck operator when a pedestrian is detected.
Designed to help boost operator awareness and support overall warehouse safety, the camera system is available with audible and visual alerts only, or with the addition of optional traction alerts. In addition to the audible tone and light notifications, traction alerts provide the operator with a perceptible alert through truck deceleration. While the operator remains in ultimate control of the equipment, this deceleration effect is intended to get their attention and encourage action to avoid the detected pedestrian by slowing down, steering away or both.
The pedestrian awareness detection system was developed using extensive amounts of real-world photographic data. It adapts to low light conditions* and various environments. The ultimate result is that the technology can help operations to address risks around lift truck incidents and help inexperienced operators grow more comfortable with safety protocols and best practices.
- Are warehouses using automated forklifts?
Reports suggest that the automated forklift market is projected to be worth more than $5 billion by 2032. According to the Autonomous Forklift Market research report, as typical early adopters of technology Europe is expected to account for the largest share of this market in 2025.
However, the adoption of lift truck technology, whether forklift automation or other solutions, may require a major financial outlay that will, today, be beyond many operations’ budgets. And while capital expenditure (CapEx) may stall in some areas due to economic uncertainties, operational pressures haven’t gone anywhere.
The flexibility to test technologies in real-world conditions without being locked into a long-term CapEx commitment may be attractive for many warehouses. Some automated or autonomous forklift solutions, for example, may be available with rental models that allow operations to see how these technologies perform within their own workflows without the financial magnitude of an upfront capital investment.
While Yale offers automated solutions, not every warehouse today is ready for an automated fleet. Moreover, not every warehouse needs one and there may be other lift truck technologies that will have a greater impact on performance (and a lesser impact on budgets).
Discover Solutions for the Real World
There are many factors that will influence the right choice of forklift technology for a specific warehouse’s requirements. With a deep understanding of industry challenges and local market trends, the network of independent Yale® dealers can offer guidance on the right solutions for each intralogistics operation.
