Within the changing warehouse landscape, specialised equipment is more important than ever before. Yale Lift Truck Technologies places its Special Project Engineering Department (SPED) at the heart of its customer-driven design philosophy.
In some cases, the choice to tailor a truck is to incorporate ‘nice to have’ features. These often cater to preferences and company rules rather than industry challenges. For example, extra lights, different coloured seatbelts, or special paintwork. However, other times, a specially engineered solution is required to meet a specific operational need or solve a more complex problem.
Whether it’s adapting to intensive environments, handling unusual loads, or meeting highly specific operational requirements, Yale can apply innovative engineering expertise to its wide range of forklifts and warehouse equipment, tailoring solutions that go beyond the ordinary.
Why do you need tailored forklift solutions?
Warehouses today are operating in a constantly evolving landscape, managing demands from automation and sustainability, to space optimisation and labour efficiency. As your business changes, your materials handling equipment must keep pace.
The Yale range of forklifts, pallet trucks, stackers, reach trucks, and more, is designed with the customer in mind. Handling technologies are built and brought to market based on real customer insight, at the right price, and with the operator’s needs front and centre. These new innovations proactively respond to trends in the industry, as well as our customers’ requirements, to keep our line-up relevant and effective.
However, every intralogistics operation is unique, and sometimes, a specially configured solution is the best fit. That is why the Yale SPED team works directly with customers to create tailor-made material handling solutions, starting from a detailed specification, and continuing through to delivery.
This collaborative approach provides lift trucks and warehouse trucks that are not just designed to meet the need, but which enable operations to unlock real benefits. From efficiency gains to operator satisfaction, operational cost savings and site safety process compliance. Not to mention opportunities to expand warehouse capability and load variation.
There are countless examples of this in the real world. For instance, one Yale customer with more than 3,000 Yale pallet trucks was challenged to find a solution to help address risks around site safety incidents. In this specific application, to help support operators when reversing, the Yale SPED team developed an integrated electronic bumper switch, and hand protection for the operators. For this particular warehouse, this solution aimed to help prevent operators from reversing the trucks over their feet, or hitting a static object. It was deemed a success, and has since become the customer's new standard configuration for pallet trucks.
What’s possible with Yale special engineering?
The quality and reliability of Yale forklifts is the solid foundation that enables such effective customisation. Some examples of Yale solutions engineered for complex and unique handling applications across industries include:
- Food & Beverage: Corrosion-resistant trucks for environments where washdowns are needed, and special cabins for operator comfort in cold stores.
- Pharmaceuticals: Cleanroom-compatible equipment with special coatings to minimise contamination risks, and solutions to minimise ingress of dust from raw materials
- Automotive parts distribution: Lift truck fork positioners, load overload detection system, and laser positioning to aid precision handling for heavy, irregularly shaped components.
- Retail & E-commerce: Modified masts, carriages, and forks that help extend reach in the warehouse, and noise reduction packages for warehouse equipment ideal for unloading on sites in residential areas
The majority of special engineering projects are driven by specific application or operator needs. However, cosmetic changes are also possible. Did you know you can specify a Yale truck to be whatever colour you want? Because sometimes having consistency in your brand across your company is important too.
Flexible forklifts, tailored by design
When your handling challenges are specific, inflexibility can hold you back. With our intralogistics expertise and special engineering capabilities, we can help your equipment fleet evolve to meet your requirements. Share your application challenges with the SPED team and we will perform an engineering review to look for potential solutions.
Turn customisation into a strength. Reach out to your local Yale dealer to discuss your unique handling opportunities.
*Based on internal measurements between the two mast channels compared to the Linde E3.0, TCM/CAT/Mitsubishi FHB25 and Toyota 9FMB25T. Measurements taken in March 2023.
