Crown’s V-Force® Energy Solutions Increase Productivity at City Furniture

While many in the material handling industry are just now beginning to see the benefits of lithium-ion power in their facilities, City Furniture was an early adopter of the technology. The company soon learned the importance of working with a supplier that can provide an integrated system of lift trucks, batteries and chargers as well as responsive, local support, in order to realize all of the desired benefits of lithium-ion power.

As a long-time user of Crown’s lift trucks, City Furniture looked to Crown for help in solving its power challenges. Crown’s V-Force® Lithium-Ion Integrated Storage System, consisting of lithium-ion batteries and high frequency chargers, provided the hardware platform for the solution, but process changes and operator training were also required to ensure that the power system performed as desired.

Of the number of benefits that City Furniture experienced, one significant benefit was the ability to opportunity charge the V-Force lithium-ion batteries. With the elimination of battery swapping during shifts, it saw overall operator productivity increase more than 12 percent. The increased productivity also improved its operators’ job satisfaction by helping them earn time-based performance and safety incentives that the company has in place.

“With lithium-ion, they (operators) can do opportunity charging. It’s zero time wasted within our operation from a productivity standpoint,” said Shaun Feraco, Senior Vice President of Operations.

Another major benefit of the transition to V-Force lithium-ion was better space utilization within the facility. By eliminating dedicated space for charging and additional battery storage, the company recovered a half million cubic feet of essential storage space for additional inventory.

Beyond productivity, operator safety is always paramount at City Furniture. It began utilizing Crown’s InfoLink Operator and Fleet Management system, with the 7” Touch Display, to eliminate manual pre-shift inspections, improving accuracy and ensuring that necessary repairs and maintenance were addressed before they resulted in unexpected downtime. The InfoLink system’s Dynamic Coaching feature also helps reinforce training by alerting operators to potential safety issues and acknowledging safe behaviors.

Learn more about City Furniture and its experience with the V-Force Integrated Lithium-Ion System and the InfoLink Operator and Fleet Management System.