Industrial trucks - Introduction

There's no longer any need to explain the general concept of self-propelled forklift trucks, so much so that these machines, in their various variants, have become a regular feature of the industrial and commercial landscape. There's hardly a place where they don't make their contribution.

Their adaptability and speed of implementation make them a strategic investment, enabling companies to keep pace with market trends.

Unlike fixed installations, a "cart" solution allows you to spread your investment over time, and easily adapt to numerous changes in the manufacturing process, production machinery, product characteristics, packaging and working hours.

Leasing is particularly well suited to this type of investment. It allows you to reserve financing resources for other essential investments. It also enables us to cope with peaks in activity and to compensate for breakdowns and other unforeseen events.

When a service level of 100% must be guaranteed, a reserve of equipment can be set aside for maintenance and repair operations.

If the production site changes, the forklift truck "follows" without a hitch, and even helps with the move.

Finally, when changes are significant enough to eliminate its use, the truck retains a significant resale or use value which must be taken into account in the profitability calculation.

What's more, while it's well known as an indispensable palletizing tool, it's sometimes overlooked for its ability to handle palletless loads using auxiliary equipment.

Eliminating the pallet means significant savings on :

• pallet investment costs ;

• pallet fleet management costs: accounting for movements, deposits, inventories, maintenance, renewal, storage, etc;

• additional transport costs, represented by the dead weight of outbound pallets and the return transport of empty pallets.

Continued reduction in hidden costs and longer supply distances in a globalized economy may well draw attention to palletless handling solutions.

Certain equipment (such as jib cranes) transform the forklift truck into a truly versatile mobile lifting machine. This wide range of forklift applications means that everyone can find the solution best suited to their needs, but it also makes the preliminary study more complex.