Are Your Forklifts Smart Enough? Why Telematics is No Longer Optional
Telematics is a type of technology that many warehouse managers use to improve everything from forklift safety to fleet efficiency. If you're still running your fleet without telematics, now is a great time to upgrade. But what is telematics? And how can it work for your facility? In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about fleet telematics systems and how they can improve your warehouse forklift safety and productivity.
What Is Telematics?
Telematics refers to the use of telecommunications to manage vehicles remotely. It combines GPS tracking, onboard diagnostics, and data collection to look at what your equipment is doing and how it's being used.
Telematics systems can collect data on forklifts to improve things like safety and maintenance. When you install telematics on forklifts, you'll be able to see which forklifts are overworked or underutilized, get alerts for dangerous driving, know when a machine is due for maintenance before it breaks down, and see where your forklifts are at any given moment. It works like a dashboard for your operations that helps keep you informed and prevent many of the most common types of forklift accidents.
How Telematics Improves Warehouse Forklift Safety
According to OSHA, forklifts are one of the biggest contributors to warehouse accidents, and forklifts cause over 34,000 serious injuries and nearly 100 fatalities every year in the U.S. alone. Even with traditional safety tools like warning lights and speed limits in your warehouse, it's often not enough to keep people safe.
With smart telematics systems in place, you can track driver behavior and intervene before something goes wrong. For example, if one of your operators is consistently speeding around corners or slamming on the brakes, the system will flag it and allow you to address the problem before it can cause harm.
Vision-Based Warehouse Forklift Safety Solutions
Telematics can be combined with vision-based forklift safety solutions. These systems use cameras and AI to see what's going on in your facility. They can detect pedestrians and recognize dangerous driving behaviors. Some systems can also issue audible warnings to the driver or alert a supervisor when there's a concern they should be aware of, while others automatically slow down forklifts when obstacles are detected. These systems can make a big difference in safety and productivity.
How Telematics Improves Costs
Telematics systems pay for themselves since they help facilities avoid some common hidden costs. This includes things like downtime from breakdowns, repairs due to missed maintenance, workers' comp claims, lawsuits, OSHA penalties, and increased insurance premiums. Telematics gives you the data to cut these costs dramatically. When you can enforce safer practices and improve forklift routes, your equipment will last longer and your people will stay safer.
Additionally, with cloud-based platforms, these systems are easier to use and more affordable than ever. They can also scale to your needs.
How Telematics Improves Forklift Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is important because downtime hurts momentum. An out-of-service forklift throws off schedules and costs you money. When your gear is reliable, however, your crew can stay focused and safe, and that makes your entire operation more productive.
With automated preventive maintenance systems that use telematics, you can track hours of operation, log equipment issues from electronic checklists, and schedule services as needed. Instead of waiting for a forklift to break down, you'll know it needs maintenance before the problem happens.
Your Competition Is Already Doing This
Industry leaders have been using fleet telematics for years to boost productivity and shrink costs. If you're still manually reviewing shift logs and walking the floor to spot inefficiencies, your competitors have likely already made decisions based on live data. They're using telematics to increase output and reduce maintenance costs, and they're also making smarter staffing decisions because they've got the numbers to back them up.
If you don't want to fall behind, now is a great time to start using fleet telematics. With these systems, you'll have access to things like performance reports and predictive maintenance alerts, which can help you cut downtime and gain a competitive edge.
How Telematics Can Improve Training and Productivity
Telematics tells you how your equipment is performing, but it can also highlight how your team is working. Using telematics, you can identify top performers and reward them, and coach underperformers with specific feedback. Additionally, facilities that use telematics reduce turnover by building a safer, more transparent workplace. This is because when your employees see that you're prioritizing forklift safety, they can see that you care about their well-being. That kind of trust boosts morale, and studies show that employee productivity tends to rise with it.
Are Smart Forklifts Worth It?
Upgrading your system isn't always easy, especially when you're used to doing things a certain way. However, we believe smart forklifts are absolutely worth it, and you can take the changes in increments as you need. Start by looking at the areas that you think could use the most improvement and assess the systems that would make the biggest difference in things like forklift safety, maintenance costs, and operator behavior. When you've narrowed down your options, talk to your team. Operators often have great insights into problem areas. Get their input on what would actually make their jobs safer and easier. From there, you can pick systems that will be able to scale with your needs.
Learn More About Fleet Telematics
And if you're interested in staying competitive and getting the most out of your equipment, now is a great time to update your systems.
Here at ELOKON, we offer a range of automated forklift safety and fleet management systems. Our products use the latest sensor technology from the automotive industry to maximize the speed and safety of your material handling operations. This includes anti-collision systems, pedestrian safety devices, fixed-position warning systems for high-traffic areas, radar-based speed control devices, and integrated fleet management systems. We also offer technical consulting services on machinery and facility safety.
Our technologies align with the cutting-edge advancements of Industry 4.0. Thousands of customers in 45 countries benefit from our solutions. If you're ready to improve workplace safety and increase material handling productivity, contact us today to learn more.