Hyster raises stock with new warehouse products

Hyster, one of the world's leading materials handling suppliers, introduced a range of new or enhanced products in 2007 which is making an impact on warehouse operations in 2008. Companies benefit from Hyster's focus on the individual application and needs of specific operations to help deliver productivity around the clock.

Companies use materials handling equipment in different ways depending on the scale and demands of a particular operation. The performance offered by Hyster's P2.0S platform pallet truck used for the horizontal transport of goods, such as 10Kmh travel speeds and power steering, is not necessary in some applications which led Hyster to develop the new P2.0SE model.

Robert O'Donoughue, Hyster's General Manager for Warehouse Products explains “In smaller warehouses and less intensive applications, operators do not need such powerful equipment, so we developed the P2.0SE to provide the optimum balance between investment cost and performance for lighter application customers.” The P2.0SE was designed to include all the main characteristics of the P2.0S but with reduced maximum speed and mechanical steering.

Productivity however, is largely determined by the relationship between the operator and the equipment. For picking activities, Hyster introduced a low level order picker that is designed to optimise the time and human effort to perform each picking task. Hyster has achieved this on the LO2.0 and the LO2.0L through focusing on ergonomics, and provides a large comfortable work space, easy on-off access for picking both sides of the truck and pedestrian operation. The superior ergonomic benefits found across Hyster's product range are the achievement of Hyster's own engineers working with world renowned academic institutes.

Factors external to the operation have also affected Hyster's product development. The increasing cost of land at strategically important sites has lead to a growing trend towards taller warehouses resulting in the need for taller handling products. Robert O'Donoghue explains “Racking often reaches heights of 12m which is why Hyster developed its Matrix reach truck to include a stronger and taller mast capable of placing heavier goods at 12m. This provides the manoeuvrability in narrow aisles with the flexibility to use the truck for horizontal transport such as cross docking and load shuttling.”
In warehouses that extend to 20m in height, Hyster's range of VNA trucks takes over helping to deliver exceptional productivity in high intensity operations. An intelligent combination of both travel and lift speed helps to deliver one of the fastest VNA transits in the industry contributing to significant time savings and overall productivity. Hyster's new VNA is making an impact on warehouses already, with additional features such as the excellent visibility of the fork tips and the patented QUAD form mast design that provides unmatched rigidity and torsional strength at height and excellent rear visibility.

In a business culture where environmental concerns and energy efficiency play an important role in the decision making process, Hyster pays particular attention to power efficiency in the design of all products. In fact, recent tests on both the Hyster J1.60-2.00 XMT and J2.00-3.20XM electric counterbalance models prove that the models offer the lowest energy consumption of any trucks in their class*. In addition, all Hyster products are designed to provide sustained productivity in multi-shift operations in warehouses that operate around the clock. Robert O'Donoghue adds “Our business is not just about providing forklift trucks, it's about optimising our customer's individual operation with handling solutions that fit their current and future business needs. In addition to the performance, Hyster products are built to be dependable so that customers can rely on their availability with full service support from local distribution partners.”

Hyster will continue to launch new products and advancements in 2008 which will provide even greater performance to increase productivity and efficiency in demanding 24 hour warehouse operations everywhere. Contact the local Hyster distribution partner for further information.
*Tests carried out in 2007. Refer to Hyster for details