December 08, 2008 - Whilst the majority of the industry agrees that proper care of forklifts increases productivity, a recent study found over half believe that operators don’t take care of their trucks or that they actually misuse them. A national campaign launched by Briggs Equipment in conjunction with Logistics Manager hopes to rectify the situation.

Alarming statistics in a piece of research undertaken by Briggs reveal that operators are not engaged in looking after and taking ownership of their equipment. Over half of the companies surveyed agree that operators not only don’t take care of the equipment but they actually abuse and misuse fork lift trucks.

“To many people these findings will not come as a complete surprise”, comments Dave Northover, Transit Manager at haulier and logistics company Knights of Old. “It is often expected that a machine will work at or near its peak, however, the reality is that performance, productivity and even safety will all be impacted by truck neglect. At Knights of Old our equipment is vital to all operations therefore daily checks and continuous maintenance ensures MHE downtime is kept to a minimum.”

In fact, the results of this survey are particulary appalling given the fact that 97% of respondents agree that proper care of lift trucks increases productivity and 96% concurring that proper care of lift trucks reduces accidents and damage.


Missed Opportunities
Organisations who are not taking steps to reverse this state of affairs, and truly engage their operators with the forklifts that they drive, are missing significant opportunities to add value in their inbound and outbound logistics functions. For such companies their damage bill alone can represent as much as 20% of their fleet operating costs. Drivers who are not taking ownership of their trucks will not spot deterioration before a full blown breakdown occurs, so uptime will be lost. And statistics show that operators who take care over driving will save up to 30% in fuel consumption to those who don’t.


The Fork Lift Knights
Whilst the research points to a real need to do things differently, there are a good number of companies who are currently getting it right. At the end of the day this comes down to behaviour; what is it that these operators are doing?

Lee Bell, an operator at Northamptonshire Business of the Year; Knights of Old Truck: 4ton Cat Diesel counterbalance with sideshift and custom modifications

“I have been driving forklifts for 11 years. I look after my truck like my car and treat it with respect. My truck is a reflection of me and my work, so I want it to look good and for people to know it is looked after. Every morning I carry out a ten minute check which includes oil and water levels and lifting the forks to check the hydraulics and chains. The workplace environment can often be dusty so once a week I will jet wash the truck as well as blow out the radiator to stop it becoming clogged up. The truck needs to be in full working order all of the time.”

“The company gave me a new truck in January and I don’t want it to look old in 12 months’ time. They got me involved in specifying the design of the new truck, which was great. We needed a four tonne truck but I needed it to fit inside container lorries for unloading. We decided to cut the overhead guard down to 2.2m and we modified the load backrest.

“The new Cat truck is a brilliant bit of kit compared to my old machine. It is a smooth drive and performance-wise it’s like the difference in driving an old escort and a new BMW 5 series. It’s got a 6 cylinder engine – if I’m loading a container I will have 2.5 ton on the tyres spread over a distance of several metres so I need a machine with some power in it. It means I can do my job quickly, efficiently and safely.”


How can you get involved?
Briggs Equipment, in conjunction with Logistics Manager has launched the ‘We Can Handle It’ campaign, a national campaign which aims to raise awareness of the need for daily care of forklifts and encourage all drivers to treat the trucks like they would their own personal belonging.

There is a blog – wecanhandleit.net – where regular advice and information will be posted about aspects of truck care and maintenance such as the daily check, battery care, tyres and advice on fleet management in tight economic times.

Briggs have also launched a Facebook page – Forklift Heroes – specifically for operators with posts and videos about machine care to encourage operators to send in their stories, photos and videos of how they look after their trucks with a chance to win a luxury holiday and other prizes.

Get your operators to sign up to this national campaign and you will receive a comprehensive ‘We Can Handle It’ kit comprising:
• A mini wall chart for their wall reminding them of the daily check and how to care for forklift trucks
• A certificate declaring their intent to look after their truck
• A ‘I Can Handle It’ t-shirt declaring their intent to care
• A free guide and video on FLT care and maintenance
• Full details of how to get involved in the campaign and details of the competition

If you are a manager who wants to improve productivity and motivation of your drivers, if you are tired of needless damage and neglect, or just want to save money in your operations by making sure that your drivers take proper care of their equipment, then request your pack now.

To register for the campaign please contact:
Jo Wood, Briggs Equipment
Phone: 01543 437926 or Email:


- Ends -

For further information please contact:
Tiffany Clowes
Changeworks Communications
T. + 44 (0) 1785 247588
E.

Company Contact:
Scott Bullock
Briggs Equipment
Orbital Way
Cannock
WS11 8XW
T: 01543 430 455
W: www.briggsequipment.co.uk

Tags: Briggs, forklift, forklift care, productivity,

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