Logistics Management
By Gary Forger, Contributing Editor
October 8, 2019
In case you haven’t noticed, a new wave of tech for lift trucks is here—onboard terminals and digitally monitored battery management systems. You’ve likely noticed the former, but the latter is just emerging. Taken together, they are about to have a strong impact on your operations.
Both technologies contribute directly to day-to-day productivity. And, they both deliver a direct impact on right-sizing lift truck fleets now and into the future. In other words, both tech tools are ready to help fleet managers plan not just today’s activities and fleet deployment but long-term fleet needs.
On-board terminals continue to appear in new form factors including tablets and other mobile devices, no longer mounted once and forever on the truck. That’s introduced a new level of flexibility and agility that directly contributes to productivity.
Digital battery management systems, however, are a tech tool at its earliest stages of development. After all, when was the last time you thought about software and the Cloud when it came to battery management? Probably never.
“The charging game is changing,” explains Mike Nelson, general manager of Advanced Charging Technologies (ACT). “The trend is to have real-time views of battery status and use to maximize daily operational efficiencies of lift trucks as well as longer term,” he adds.