Optimising operators

Fleet management tools have been used in the recession to help companies right size lift truck fleets, but they can be equally useful in managing operators, as Simon Emery, managing director of Crown Lift Trucks UK explains to Simon Duddy

The recession has brought about a step change in thinking over lift trucks, as companies sought to justify every expense. Firms have looked in far more depth at how much equipment they actually need. Tools such as InfoLink from Crown Lift Trucks have been instrumental in the thinking of many companies as they looked to reduce fleet size without adversely impacting productivity.

But the truck itself is only half of the argument.When it comes to the operator, can fleet management tools also help to optimise this resource? For Simon Emery, managing director of Crown Lift Trucks UK, this is where fleet management comes into its own.

"InfoLink allows managers to track exactly how an operator is using a truck, including amount of lift time, travel time, and time spent blending functions." "It allows you to compare productivity. You can set a mean average for your operators, and those that don't meet that level are highlighted within the system and managers can take appropriate steps to coach them to an acceptable level." Emery also highlights that the tool can help to address individuals who try to cut corners and put the company, colleagues and themselves at risk from a health and safety perspective."Most warehouse managers will know the operators who maybe cut a few corners.Where InfoLink comes in is that it givesreal time, comprehensive visibility into how they are doing it," he says.

One example of how monitoring and influencing operator behaviour can have a substantial impact on a company's bottom line is battery changing.

"Some operators go into the battery bay and take a couple of minutes to change a battery," explains Emery. "On the other hand, some operators take half an hour. Some slip into bad habits, such as changing their battery half an hour before the end of shift even if it has not been appropriately discharged." InfoLink offers visibility into the state of the battery, covering, for example, when it goes and comes out of a battery changing bay and at what levels the batteries are at as they enter and leave.

"It works in real time and drives email notifications on events, so a manager can straight away ask an operator, for example, why has it taken 30 minutes to change a battery, or why has a battery been recharged at 50% instead of 80% discharged." As well as installing the InfoLink system, Emery says a key part of any implementation is working with managers.

"We make a big point of briefing managers. The implementation of the system is key, the managers are driving and monitoring behaviour on the floor. If you can give them the tools to manage, it is very powerful and you see savings. Straight away, installations typically experience a 50% drop in impacts, because operators know they are being monitored," says Emery.

Another aspect of the system which aids productivity is its granularity. Essentially the software interface breaks the complex range of inputs and functions on the suite down for each individual user group.

"The forklift driver trainer doesn't need to see utilisation stats, likewise the senior manager doesn't necessarily need to know an operator's license has expired. InfoLink is a web-based system, and we can give people access only to the parts they need. Any system needs to be easy to use and people should not be blinded by too much information." The InfoLink system is light touch, as it runs on existing wireless infrastructure. Crown does not expect all customers to move its fleet to InfoLink in one step, but it says that when it gets a foothold in one DC, it finds customers typically want to roll it out over other sites at a later date.

"The average ROI is 9-14 months and most accountants think under two years is very good. Over a five year contract, that's only maybe 20% of the way into the contract," explains Emery.

"InfoLink can drive cultural change and make operators more accountable for their actions, and that drives down costs for the business."