Crown Equipment Earns 2022 Top Supply Chain Projects Award

NEW BREMEN, Ohio (September 8, 2022) – Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) has again named Crown Equipment, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, as a recipient of its Top Supply Chain Projects award. The award spotlights successful and innovative transformation projects that deliver value across a range of supply chain functions. 

SDCE recognized Crown for helping DHL Supply Chain incorporate a scalable automation solution into its 3PL operation to enhance efficiency, reliability and safety. The solution utilized a fleet of

DualMode automated reach trucks to handle high-reach, double-deep pallet putaway and retrieval without requiring any significant warehouse infrastructure changes.

The DualMode reach trucks also provided new career opportunities for existing forklift operators. Skilled employees were reassigned to manage multiple autonomous reach trucks rather than operating one on their own, enabling those employees to significantly increase the number of pallet moves per shift. With the ability to operate in either manual or automated mode, the DualMode reach trucks provide the flexibility and resiliency required to meet customer needs while managing the demands of an ever-changing supply chain environment and workforce.

“The value of AGVs for the customer is limitless. They allow us to make sure our end customers get the product our customer sold to them,” said Gordon Hanthorn, Senior Director of Operations at DHL Supply Chain.

The DualMode automation solution enabled DHL Supply Chain to increase its productivity with 20% greater efficiency in pick and putaway times and represents another successful step in accelerating the company’s digitalization efforts.

About Crown Equipment Corporation

Crown is one of the world’s largest material handling companies with a reputation for award-winning product design, advanced engineering and technology, and superior after-sale service. Crown’s business philosophy utilizes vertically integrated processes to design, manufacture and distribute forward-thinking, innovative solutions that improve customers’ productivity and operating efficiency. Crown produces a broad range of forklifts as well as automation and fleet management technologies.

The company’s global headquarters is located in New Bremen, Ohio, USA, with regional headquarters in Australia, China, Germany and Singapore. Its employees number more than 16,100 worldwide. Crown operates a service and distribution network that exceeds 500 retail locations in over 80 countries. To learn more about Crown’s ideas for helping customers advance the productivity of their operations, visit crown.com.

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