Crown Equipment, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, held a symposium at its Suzhou, China facility on May 24. Nearly 70 customers in the region discussed the challenges of modern warehousing operations and how the forklift is evolving to help organizations overcome those challenges while increasing productivity.

The symposium coincided with the recent publication of the Crown Equipment white paper on the state of forklift automation. The paper, which can be downloaded at http://www.crown.com/au/index.html, reviews the current state of the technology and outlines the considerations to be addressed prior to adoption.

Both the symposium and the forklift automation white paper showcase how Crown Equipment is working closely with warehouse managers to help them understand new technology and the role it can play in the warehouse. As technology evolves, benefits must be weighed against potential risks. For instance, the white paper notes two key challenges associated with automated forklifts today: equipment durability and distributed service responsibility. It also lists four attributes that can serve as a basis for evaluating a warehouse automation system: reliability, flexibility, scalability and safety.

A number of Crown customers were on-hand at the event to speak about their experience with the company, including Nanjing Amity Printing Co., Ltd., one of Crown’s first customers in the region.

“We have operated two Crown forklifts for the past 26 years in our Nanjing facility, both of which still function well today,” said Mr. Fang Xiao Dong, Supply Chain Manager, Nanjing Amity Printing Co., Ltd. “We have experienced little downtime with them, and when we do have service issues, Crown China is always available to provide excellent service and address any issues. We recently ordered two additional Crown forklifts for our facility.”

Along with a tour of the Crown manufacturing facility, attendees also received demonstrations of Crown forklifts in various applications. One of the featured trucks was the Crown TSP Series Turret Truck, which establishes new standards in warehouse throughput by offering faster lift speeds, more capacities and higher elevations. The turret truck features a main lift speed of 120 feet per minute, which is a 41 percent gain compared to conventional trucks. It also delivers a 25 percent advantage in travel speed, and can complete a full traverse in only five seconds and pivot a full 180 degrees in six seconds.

About Crown Equipment Corporation
Crown Equipment is one of the world’s largest material handling companies. Crown’s award-winning line of forklifts maintains a reputation for advanced product design, engineering and technology, and integrated manufacturing processes. Offering a broad range of forklifts, as well as automation and fleet management technologies, Crown seeks to provide customers with forward thinking and innovative products designed to improve performance and lower operating costs. Headquartered in New Bremen, Ohio, with regional headquarters in Australia, China, Germany and Singapore, Crown operates a global service and distribution network.