• How To Water, Clean & Charge Forklift Batteries
• Forklifts Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Forklift Sales Trends | Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Forklift Safety | Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Forklift Snow Plows | Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Forklift Models | Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Forklift Operator Training & Safety Tips
• Forklift Quotes
• Propane Forklifts aka LPG Forklifts
• How To Evaluate The Condition Of Any Used Forklift

A Forklift Battery Care Guide

Forklift batteries are very expensive to replace and unfortunately, many forklift batteries are replaced far too soon as a result of improper care and neglect.

To help owners and users of electric forklifts save money, Fleetman has assembled a brief guide explaining how to properly charge, clean and water forklift batteries so they can avoid these unnecessary costs in the future.

Please feel free to download this useful forklift battery care instruction sheet then laminate it and keep it close to the battery charging area so it can be referenced by anyone involved in these activities.

Over the years, Fleetman has learned that for proper forklift battery care to be routine at any business, there has to be a commitment to training and there has to be accountability. Without these two components, any well intentioned forklift battery care program will fall by the wayside.

Ideally, a small or medium size business would choose one person to be responsible for these activities. In larger companies, having only one person be responsible is likely not practical and so another system might be better. How the system of accountability is set up is largely dependent on the type of business and the culture at that business. In some cases, the right answer might be to outsource parts of this job function just to make sure it gets done. In any case, accountability and responsibility are key to making sure that forklift battery charging, watering and cleaning is being done correctly and on a routine basis. We can’t stress this point enough.

For more information on how to better care for your forklift batteries, please contact Scott McLeod, President of Fleetman Consulting Inc. by calling (604)614-3530 or via email at help@fleetmanconsulting.com.

Think Twice Before Calling Your Local Vancouver Forklift Dealer First

In the Vancouver BC marketplace, there is an endless number of forklift dealers and lift truck manufacturers to choose from and each one of them will claim they have the best forklift, with the best parts availability, the best service technicians, the best response time and so on.

With so many possible options, and limited forklift knowledge at best, many companies often have a hard time trying to make all the right choices that will help them achieve the best combination of cost control, efficiency, productivity and safety gains.

Each forklift dealer is obviously biased toward their own products and services which is completely natural. It’s what they do for a living.

Each forklift dealer has salespeople with various degrees of experience, not only with the equipment but also with how the equipment should be matched to a particular application. It’s no secret that with experience, you can expect better forklift solutions. At the same time, a lack of experience can lead to solutions that simply don’t work.

In addition, every forklift brand or dealership has its’ own strengths and weaknesses and unless forklift users know what to look for or which questions to ask, rarely will they uncover everything they need to know to make the best overall choice for their company.

Ask yourself this question; is it in the salesperson’s best interest to tell you all about their dealership’s weaknesses? The answer is no, and therein lies the conflict that exists between the dealership and their customer. In a way, both parties aren’t on the same team.

Up until four years ago, forklift users had no other option but to give it their best shot and go it alone. Back then, companies had only so much time and knowledge with which to investigate the option that was right for them. More often than many companies would care to admit, bad choices ended up costing them thousands of dollars in excess cost, wasted efficiency, productivity and more.

Today, there is another option and that option is Fleetman Consulting.

In 2008, Scott McLeod, President and Founder of Fleetman Consulting launched a new business to represent the interests of all forklift users. His goal was to make sure all forklift users that dealt with Fleetman would receive the highest return possible on their forklift equipment regardless of the size of their company, the size of their fleet, the brands they operate and so on.

Although Fleetman primarily focuses on strategic forklift fleet management including proactive forklift fleet planning, on-site forklift fleet audits and forklift procurement, they are also available to help clients with whatever forklift issues arise such as forklift maintenance cost tracking and much more.

By contacting Fleetman before contacting the dealer, Fleetman is better able to help their clients formulate a plan that will be 100% in their best interest because they know exactly how to approach each and every situation that involves forklift equipment and, they operate without bias.

Why?

It’s because Fleetman is not affiliated with any of the dealers of manufacturers that supply a variety of products and services.

In addition, Fleetman doesn’t accept commissions or kick-backs for recommending these same items.

The bottom line is that Fleetman is free to do what is best for their clients because they have the ability to source whatever their clients need from dealers all over North America.

With over 23 years of forklift industry experience, you’ll be in good hands dealing with Fleetman Consulting. They’re on your team.

For more information or to schedule a complimentary initial consultation, please contact Scott McLeod by calling (604)614-3530 or by email, help@fleetmanconsulting.com.

Use Forklift Sales Trends To Help You See The Future

Forklift sales trends, derived from forklift sales statistics, can be a leading economic indicator for many businesses because the forklift industry touches so many different types of market segments throughout North America and other parts of the world.

If you think about it, forklifts are operating in almost every type of business that exists today, with few exceptions.

For example, forklifts are used in all types of warehousing, distribution, logistics, manufacturing, building supply and stevedoring businesses, to name a few.

Under this list of only six categories you will find a long list of sub-categories such as brick and block suppliers, lumber or pulp and paper manufacturers, food manufacturers and distributors and the list goes on.

If the forklift industry is booming or collapsing, it is likely that the economy is also doing the same thing because of how many different types of businesses the forklift industry is connected to.

With the help of ITA ( The Industrial Truck Association ), I was able to acquire the United States factory shipment sales statistics from 1988 to 2010.

To view the complete chart and graph that display these statistics in their entirety, please view the following links….. Forklift Sales Statistics Chart   |   Forklift Sales Statistics Graph

To view a breakdown of the various forklift classifications to help you better understand these statistics, please follow this link…… Forklift Classifications

Unfortunately, similar statistics are not available for Canada as of yet but I would suspect the trends in the US would be similar to what we are experiencing in Canada.

Forklift Sales Trends From 1988 To 2010

• The grand total of US factory shipments in 1988 is almost exactly the same as shipments in 2010, 23 years later. Although the average shipments over this period have been higher than in 1988 and 2010, the overall trend has been very similar to that of a roller coaster, up and down with an average gradual trend toward growth up until 2008 when the market declined significantly.
• The grand total of shipments in 2009 fell just over 43% when compared to 2008. This is the largest single percentage decline in one year in over 23 years. The breakdown is as follows; Motorized Hand dropped 34.5%, Internal Combustion Engine dropped 53.7% and Electric Rider dropped 37.4%. Although the numbers bounced back the following year in 2010, they are still down significantly when compared to 2008 results. It will be interesting to see if there has been further recovery in 2011.
• Electric riders have grown from 37.6% of the rider market in 1988 to 46.3% in 2010. In contrast, the internal combustion forklift has gone from a dominating position of 62.4% in 1988 to a much less dominating position of 53.7% in 2010. Although it has taken electric rider forklifts over 23 years to gain ground, it is also interesting to note that much of this gain has happened over the last 5 years. I suspect the trend will continue as technology continues to improve ( ie fuel cells, lithium batteries etc. ), if government incentives materialize to assist companies transition to green technology and as more companies become aware of the long list of benefits associated with operating electric forklift trucks.