Offense vs. Defense: Winning the Peak Season Game
For many operations, peak season is a time when throughput and productivity can become priority one. Some operations add seasonal help, and every piece of equipment needs to be in top-notch shape. In this situation, downtime is the enemy, and no one wants to sacrifice productivity even when forklift maintenance is due, whether planned or unexpected.
Work Smarter with Telematics
Unfortunately, delayed or deferred planned maintenance can sometimes turn into unexpected downtime which can be far more disruptive than proactively scheduled maintenance. Some companies have turned to telematics solutions, like Crown’s InfoLink® Operator and Fleet Management system, to establish and enforce the discipline to complete planned maintenance on time and on their terms. Case examples, like The PRI Group, highlight how telematic systems can inform and streamline a forklift maintenance program to proactively address issues and avoid the downtime associated with unexpected issues or those caused by deferred maintenance.
While Crown’s InfoLink Operator and Fleet Management system can help keep planned maintenance on track, it can also streamline and enforce compliance with pre-shift inspections that can help proactively identify repair issues that could potentially cause unexpected downtime if they aren’t addressed. Telematics can help ensure that inspection checklists are being consistently and thoroughly completed and any issues requiring attention can be automatically relayed to the right contact to proactively schedule service.
Crown customer City Furniture talked about how the InfoLink system has helped the company identify maintenance issues, complete the proper service when it is convenient for the business and ultimately help them reduce cost.
Streamlining Service
When service needs are identified, whether planned or unplanned, you can also reduce downtime by using the Crown Service Request app to submit and track service issues. You can read more about this process in this prior entry on the Crown blog.
Some have said that the best offense is a good defense. Taking a proactive approach enabled by the integration of telematics within your operations could help you preserve forklift uptime and productivity by completing planned and unplanned maintenance on your terms. At a time of the year when nothing stands in the way of performance and throughput, it’s nice to know there are options available that put you in control.
Be sure to subscribe to the Crown blog so you can stay in the know on all things related to material handling equipment. You can also learn more about the best ways to keep your forklift fleet up and running efficiently through planned maintenance and service by downloading Crown’s Service and Maintenance e-book.