Even When it Comes to Great Service, Too Much Is Not a Good Thing

In a previous blog, we discussed the benefit of having an appropriate forklift maintenance plan for your operation. It is equally important to use quality replacement parts that are designed to provide the same durability and reliability as the forklift itself. A thorough and consistent planned maintenance program can help ensure that repairs are made efficiently and on time, but that benefit can be quickly offset by inferior parts that fail more often, resulting in unexpected downtime with every repair. Most would agree that it is better to avoid repetitive service, even when the service experience is a positive one. 

For most warehouse managers, reliability and durability is an important consideration when selecting their forklift fleet. They want to make a smart investment in a product that will serve them well over the long haul. It is surprising that this same consideration and care isn’t applied to replacement parts when service is eventually required. Too often, the original equipment is selected because of how well its components work together, then with every repair, inferior replacement parts chip away at the efficiency and effective performance of the original equipment as it was manufactured. Decisions made in the moment to reduce the cost of repair can actually end up costing far more than using the recommended OEM part. The advice? Consider the long-term ROI of your parts in the same way that you evaluate the equipment itself. 

OEM parts like Crown Integrity Parts typically go through a rigorous qualification process that ensures they are designed to fit and perform reliably and consistently. The parts qualification effort for both manufactured and sourced parts is supported by documented procedures, intense test criteria and facilities and equipment specifically designed to perform thorough thermal, humidity, shock, vibration and HALT testing. Replacement parts must also meet precise tolerance limits for proper fitment, which streamlines installation and helps reduce overall wear.   

Sometimes, even the smallest part failure can still render a forklift inoperable, especially when it creates a potential safety issue. While the immediate focus is often placed on minimizing the cost of the parts and labor to correct the issue, when a forklift is offline, the clock is still ticking. Operators are still on the clock. Work is piling up. That’s when the true cost of inferior parts and service kicks in. It’s almost like a one-two punch when work isn’t getting done, and your labor expenses are constant. 

Saving a few dollars on an alternative part can end up costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars in lost productivity if that part fails often and, it’s worse yet when its replacement isn't readily available. Choosing the right replacement parts can help, but it is also equally important to choose the right parts supplier. Will they help expedite parts when they’re needed? Is your downtime as important to them as it is to you? Customers like Ridge Tool have learned just how important this relationship with a parts and service provider can be. Choose wisely. 

As is the case with many things, knowledge is power. The longer parts perform and how quickly they can be replaced can have a direct effect on downtime experienced due to repair or replacement. Knowing what parts you use and how often you use them can also help streamline the process. Crown can provide customers with a routine overview of parts consumption for individual forklifts or entire fleets, even across multiple locations. Products like Crown’s FleetSTATS Fleet Maintenance System can help capture and analyze parts and maintenance cost. This information can be used to inform online ordering or parts consignment programs, which helps to make parts even more accessible and can reduce inventory management and procurement costs.  

At this point, it should be clear that there are many creative ways to reduce the true cost of forklift repair and unexpected downtime, but choosing inferior replacement parts isn’t one of them. Doing so may actually increase cost over time and throw in a whole lot of stress and frustration along with it.