Yale Material Handling White Papers

White Paper

Warehouse myths BUSTED – lift truck operator assist systems

Lift truck operator assist systems (OAS) are often misunderstood. Just another telemetry tool? A magic wand that makes equipment stronger or able to operate itself? Or a cumbersome tool that gets in the way of productivity? This white paper explores common OAS myths and the real nature of this emerging category of lift truck solutions.

White Paper

Improving DC metrics

Lift truck operations identified 12 of the most important DC metrics in the 2022 WERC Report, including average warehouse capacity used and on-time shipments.

White Paper

Five Food Safety Risks

In 2021 alone, 15.5 million pounds of food were recalled by the USDA. In addition to contributing to food waste, recalls can have a significant impact on the bottom line – the average direct cost (including scrap, administration and lost sales) of a food product recall in the US is close to $10 million but can end up being much higher — up to $100 million in the case of a very large event.

White Paper

How technology can give lift truck operators a hand

Warehouses depend on lift truck operators performing at their best in order to meet increasingly intense throughput targets – but that very drive to maximize productivity can make it a challenge to maintain a strong focus on best practices and traffic rules. Find out how operator assistance systems are helping to reinforce them.

White Paper

How hydrogen fuel cells can keep lift trucks moving for busy online warehouses

Consumers have a growing appetite for the convenience, selection and cost of online retail. E-commerce sales grew 44% in 2020 and a Forrester report projects more than 25% of all retail sales to be online by 2024. With demand continuing to rise, logistics operations are under pressure to support expectations for broad selection and fast delivery, while tightly controlling costs.

White Paper

Help reduce operating costs with robotic lift trucks

Warehouses are increasingly using robotic lift trucks to improve productivity. Seasoned managers might be inclined to assume that such significant efficiency gains must come at a steep price, but the truth is that robotic lift trucks actually help lower operating costs.

White Paper

Getting the most out of warehouse labor

While warehousing is characterized by growing overall competitive intensity and a whole host of rising customer demands, labor challenges reign supreme as the most profound challenge dogging the industry. According to the MHI Annual Industry Report, more than half of companies surveyed rated hiring and retaining qualified workers as “extremely or very challenging.”

White Paper

The seven best applications for robotic lift trucks

Robotic lift trucks (RLTs) are growing in popularity for applications in warehousing and manufacturing, and for good reason. With warehouse turnover well over 40%, operations are turning to robotics to relieve their dependency on a transient labor pool, reduce operating costs and help increase efficiency as they strive to meet escalating demand for high throughput and fast delivery.

White Paper

The modern warehouse: Maximizing productivity and capacity

In today’s always-on, e-commerce-driven world, customer expectations for a robust product selection and faster delivery times are pressuring warehouses to hit entirely new levels of efficiency.

White Paper

Social distancing,contact tracing and more

While the COVID-19 pandemic has not come to a close, a new normal is taking hold as businesses figure out how to keep moving while taking steps to mitigate the spread of the virus.

White Paper

The New Normal

How does getting back to work in the era of COVID-19 work for lift truck operations? From daily operation to service calls, personnel interact with lift trucks in several ways, all of which can risk virus transmission without proper sanitization. Developing and implementing best practices requires drawing on guidance from the CDC and applying it to the unique nature of your facility, including specific equipment used and its applications.

White Paper

Seven factors to find the right power source

Today’s lift truck power market is more robust than ever, with mature alternative power options joining the ranks of tried-and-true traditional sources. With this variety at their disposal, businesses can build a fleet solely around their unique operational and sustainability requirements, rather than manufacturer limitations.

White Paper

Six signs you need to re-evaluate your lift truck power

Today’s manufacturing and distribution operations face unprecedented competitive pressures, with a challenging labor market, rising commercial real estate costs and e-commerce growth all coming together to mandate greater efficiency. In the quest to make the most of available resources, companies are investing in automation, adjusting workflows, collecting data and more.

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The ROI of Robotics: Financial and Operational Sense

Gone are the days when self-driving vehicles were confined to science fiction and bold predictions of the future. Autonomous technologies have blossomed into well-developed, ready-to-deploy solutions.

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Industrial Internet of Things

The connected world is growing at an astounding pace – from 2 billion “smart devices” in 2006 to an expected 200 billion by 2020. But what does this mean for warehouses and distribution centers? This white paper outlines how your operation can benefit from capitalizing on the Industrial Internet of Things and how to start making sense of an ever-growing deluge of data.

White Paper

Enhancing Productivity through Safety

Today’s fast turn, customer satisfaction-driven economy puts more pressure than ever on distribution center employees to meet productivity goals. Tight deadlines and throughput-based incentives may cause operators to overlook safe operating procedures, resulting in costly violations or accidents. This white paper offers a step-by-step approach to building a safe, productive workplace through training, proper maintenance and operator-friendly features.

White Paper

Small Data, Big Impact

In an era of expanding digital networks, smarter connected devices and integrated systems, businesses turn to data-driven intelligence to improve efficiency and protect the bottom line. Lift truck telemetry programs can produce a wealth of relevant small data insights for conversion into actionable business intelligence. However, most operations do not use fleet data to its full potential. This white paper outlines the strategic advantage of working with lift truck intelligence and its value in the complete productivity equation.

White Paper

Increasing Slot Capacity and Picking Efficiency

In a distribution center, fast and accurate order fulfillment defines success. But as SKU counts increase and order profiles change, racking and slotting systems that functioned adequately in the past may begin to compromise order fulfillment efficiency.

White Paper

The Adoption of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Lift Trucks

What if your materials handling operation could achieve higher operational productivity, eliminate cumbersome battery charging infrastructure and deliver consistently high performance? Well, it’s possible with lift trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and today’s materials handling industry is the perfect fit for this innovative power solution.