With machines and people constantly on the move and operating in tight spaces where visibility is often poor, the material handling sector can be a hazardous environment to operate in.
This is why upholding stringent safety standards remains a critical consideration for any operation and one that Toyota Material Handling remains committed to promoting across its extensive range of material handling equipment and solutions.
Brent Light, Product Manager for the Toyota Material Handling division at CFAO Equipment SA, a leading southern African supplier of material handling and industrial equipment from many of the world’s leading manufacturers, says that Toyota Material Handling’s ethos draws on the philosophy of “KAIZEN”, a principle of continuous improvement.
“For us at Toyota Material Handling, continuous improvement means enhancing our product lineup to include new innovative features that bolster safety, performance, efficiency and the agility to boost productivity - and this is precisely what we have equipped our popular Toyota 8FBE range with,” he adds.
Apart from its rear LED combination lights, 3-level travelling speed control, and key-off light-off function that averts needless power consumption, a notable inclusion in the features list of the updated 8FBE range is that of Toyota Material Handling’s innovative SEnS+ operator assistance system. The system distinguishes between pedestrians and objects behind the forklift and notifies the operator with a buzzer and lights when someone is in close proximity. The system also automatically controls the travelling speed of the truck and prevents it from moving backwards.
“While there are similar products on the market, some require pedestrians to wear tags for the forklift to identify them. This feature is not always practical in operation. Unlike tag-enabled systems, the SEnS+ system can detect unspecified obstacles apart from just pedestrians, and can therefore be used even at logistics sites with unspecified movement constraints,” comments Light.
It’s no secret that most operators keep their forklifts in high-performance mode, however, continuously operating in this mode comes with downsides such as significantly reduced operational time on a single charge. With this in mind and in a bid to increase efficiencies, Toyota Material Handling has developed its new Slope Sensing Auto Power Mode Selector feature that detects the slope angle and automatically switches the driving performance to high power mode only when required - allowing for greater battery efficiency and overall consistency.
Another distinct feature and a standard feature on the majority of Toyota Material Handling forklifts is that of the exclusive System Of Active Stability (SAS) - a system that monitors forklift operations. When the system detects instances of instability, the automated vehicle speed control and the turning speed control will actively adjust forklift speeds to reduce the chance of lateral tipover.
Furthermore, the Active Mast Function Controller senses and reacts to instability by limiting mast angle and speed according to the load's height and weight, while the Active Steering Synchroniser ensures that the angle of the steering wheel corresponds to the angle of the rear steered wheels.
“Features such as these, coupled with the range’s improved fork vibration dampening, are imperative for warehouse operators who handle sensitive or fragile goods such as glass or electronics,” concludes Light.
Toyota Material Handling is committed to improving the operations of its customers. Driving awareness about the impact of safety and efficiency on overall profitability - and offering first-rate equipment solutions to bolster this - are just some of the ways the company aims to help its customers reach even greater levels of success.
