Hercules Industries' safety personnel learned and efficiently implemented Crown's DP MoveSafe operator training with their own staff, acquiring the skills to conduct three-year re-evaluations, safety refreshers and warehouse inspections.
The ability to conduct training in-house allowed the company to reduce the time and expense required to individually train new operators on an entirely new fleet.
The ability to cross-train operators on multiple trucks without having to schedule multiple off-site training sessions provided the company with increased flexibility and productivity in the warehouse.
Safety Director and Manufacturing Superintendent – Hercules Industries
Hercules Industries, located in Denver, CO, is a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of high-quality HVAC sheet metal products and equipment. Since its establishment in 1962, the company has expanded to 18 retail centers and three manufacturing facilities servicing the Western United States. As Hercules Industries continued to expand, they relied on multiple branch locations to handle warehousing and distribution, utilizing a disparate fleet of sit-down counterbalance trucks. Eventually they outgrew this decentralized approach and sought to capitalize on the potential efficiencies of a new centralized warehouse and distribution center.
In the heart of their manufacturing campus, Hercules Industries built a modern 100,000 square foot (9290 square meter) distribution center. The company seized the opportunity to update their fleet of counterbalance forklifts with lift trucks optimized to perform specific tasks, including pallet trucks, stockpickers and reach trucks. As a company with a keen emphasis on safety, the addition of many new and unfamiliar lift trucks and newly hired operators created an immediate need for operator training. Hercules needed a training solution that would help them onboard the new trucks and operators as quickly and efficiently as possible without compromising productivity or safety.
Hercules Industries had already relied on Crown to service their existing fleet and to provide racking and lift trucks for its new facility, so they turned to Crown’s Demonstrated Performance training programs for a solution. The DP TrainSafe Train the Trainer program provided the most efficient solution to their training challenge. By completing the Train the Trainer program, the company’s safety personnel have the necessary tools to train its new employees as they are hired, eliminating the time and expense required for individual offsite training. In addition, the hands on experience acquired for each lift truck equips management to cross-train operators on multiple trucks, further enhancing efficiency and productivity while maintaining the company’s focus on the safety of its employees.