Time To Strategize About Shifting To Electric Forklifts

Madland Toyota-Lift offers a large selection of electric forklifts for all indoor and outdoor applications. With the California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations changing in the near future, Madland Toyota-Lift's sales team will help your company navigate through the compliance process. The proposed regulations state that internal combustion forklifts must be retired January 1, 2026, and the sale and purchase of used spark-ignited forklifts in California will also be prohibited. It is time to develop a plan to convert to a zero-emission fleet.  

Over the years, as innovation and the need-for-speed have evolved across all industries, material handling continues to be the focal point for major industries. The food industry has changed significantly, starting from the way produce is planted and harvested. That industry's systems and processes are upgraded from manual outdoor farm labor to controlled-environment farms inside a warehouse. Maintaining the freshness of produce as it is picked, sorted, cleaned, packaged and shipped is paramount to the consumers' health and safety. Whether or not our food comes from local farmers or large food ecosystems, material handling is key. 

Having the right piece of material handling equipment for the application at hand when you need it --- is essential to staying competitive in today's business environment.  

For those with warehouses and products moving in and out of their business, pallet racking is one of the best ways to maximize your space and efficiency. Pallet racking is an excellent way to keep your products and warehouse organized. There are a variety of different kinds of pallet racking systems, each suited for different products and warehouse sizes. 

As technology continues to improve, many businesses are looking to make the switch to electric forklifts and vehicles or add them to their current fleet. Electric forklifts and other electric vehicles have many advantages, which makes them an excellent fit for warehouses and businesses.  

In order to keep up with the demands of your business, an optimized and efficient warehouse is key. Utilizing your warehouse to be as efficient as possible can help your business run better and save you time and money. 

The California Air Resources Board proposed regulations on forklifts sold and operated in California. As part of CARB's goal trying to meet the state's air quality and greenhouse gas reduction goals, the use of internal combustion forklifts is proposed to be phased out for electric forklifts.

Businesses using forklifts will slowly phase out the use of internal combustion forklifts for zero emission electric forklifts.

While the proposed plan would not implement until 2026, businesses should plan accordingly. 

In many cases, a base model of some equipment or other cannot handle every single job that you'd like it to in the normal course of business. That's why manufacturers make attachments. Whether it's a vacuum cleaner that needs to clean the rugs, plus freshen up the drapes and furniture, or a forklift that has multiple functions in your operation, attachments are made for specific jobs. Whether you are in distribution, warehousing, agriculture, oil, aerospace or other applications, increasing productivity every day is what keeps a company competitive. Using the correct forklift attachments to boost capacity makes sense to the bottom line. 

As a company or business that chooses to use diesel engines, you probably already know that diesel fuel gives you a bigger bang for your buck when it comes to fuel economy. Diesel engines are also known for their impressive torque, vital for some applications. Diesel engines also do less damage to the environment than their counterpart, the gasoline-powered engine. Many material handling companies, as well as agriculture, oil and gas, and marine-based operations, turn to rugged diesel equipment for their heaviest chores.

As a material handling company or business that uses diesel power, you already know that it takes specialized training and handling to service and repair these engines. At Madland Diesel Fleet Services, we understand diesel-powered engines. We are a Capacity diesel truck dealer, and we offer diesel-trained and certified mechanics to service all diesel engines, including Cummins. We also offer parts for most diesel brands. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact in many ways on the world and the way it does business, but even before people were encouraged to do their shopping from home, consumers had already made a mark on e-commerce. Now, after more than a year of pandemic purchasing, e-commerce is up 42% compared to 2019 and American online shoppers are expected to spend $1 trillion online in 2022. For those in the material handling and distribution center space, this translates to a much higher load coming in and going out of warehouses.  

Some trends in the material handling industry seem to come and go, but one "newish" trend that has stood the test of time is using electricity to power forklifts and other material handling equipment. Although engineers started tinkering around with building an electrically-powered piece of equipment that could be described as a forklift in 1923, it was decades before electrical forklifts and other material handling equipment became truly standard in the industry. Interestingly enough, according to the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association, electric forklifts comprise the majority of new forklifts bought in the last 10 years. How's that for an upward trend? 

How to Make The Most of Today's Technology to Compete 

As most of the world slowly starts to open back up after the Covid-19 shutdown, be prepared for changes. After a year of learning how to do things differently to accommodate a pandemic, some processes may never go back to the old way. For example, the ways in which we conduct business have certainly changed, with many employees working from home and those who are coming to their place of work finding ways to socially distance. And even more importantly, for material handling and distribution center interests, more and more people are shopping online - making e-commerce a hugely expanding marketplace that calls for faster and more accurate warehouse systems to keep up. 

Due to lingering concerns about Covid-19, National Forklift Safety Day (NSFD) on June 8, 2021 will once again be a virtual event. However, there is plenty of great information being disseminated to help all players in the material handling space put safety first. In its 8th year, NFSD, sponsored by the Industrial Truck Association (ITA), continues to emphasize the importance of training, checklists and safety for everyone involved in forklift operations. At Madland Toyota-Lift, our primary focus remains on the safety of forklift operations. We want everyone to go home at the end of the shift! 

At Madland Toyota-Lift, our business decisions are driven in large part by our customer-centric goals. Our main objective is to provide top-of-the-line, hassle-free products, and services for our customer partners. As such, it only makes sense to add a diesel service and repair division to our operating model. We are happy to announce that Madland Diesel Fleet Services, a Cummins and Capacity dealer, is now open for business. 

From startups to well-established companies, equipment costs can eat up a large part of the budget. The professionals at Madland Toyota-Lift can provide direction when companies make a decision on the right forklift fit for every type of material handling endeavor. With many application uses to choose from, Toyota forklifts run the equipment gamut and decision makers will want to choose the best fit with the highest ROI when it's time to invest. From reach trucks to full-on forklifts to the pallet jack, Toyota has something for everyone.

We are all adapting to our new normal since the onset of COVID 19. With E-Commerce booming, warehouse and distribution centers are having to assess their operations and methods of handling inventory. They are having to transform their warehouse space to maximize storage and accessibility. As a result, warehouses are turning to longer and more narrow aisles, making handling material a challenge. With a number of warehouses and distribution centers opting for these narrow aisles, there is a greater need for equipment that can maneuver within these tighter spaces. Madland Toyota-Lift is ready for the challenge and understands the importance of helping you choose the proper equipment to maximize and optimize your warehouse space.

Picking the Best Forklift Fuel Type

Have you ever wondered which forklift fuel type is the most beneficial for your business operation? Electric, (LPG),or Diesel? This can become an ambitious task especially, when weighing in all the various variables needing consideration when making an informed decision in choosing the best lift truck power option for your business operation over another. So if you're in the market for a new or used forklift or you are just looking to read up on best options for down the road our forklift specialists here at Madland Toyota Lift are always here to help you make an informed decision.

To answer the question of which fuel type would be best for you, you first need to examine and define your current and future application requirements. Such as what types of working environments will your material handling equipment operate in? Will you be expanding in the near future? Are you looking to require used equipment? 

To the untrained eye, buying a used forklift may seem like an economically smart option. And for the most part, it is. But, if you don't know your stuff, buying used could end up being less cost-effective than just buying new to begin with.

But don't worry — with the right knowledge, you can still get your bang for your buck. The real risk isn't in buying used, but instead in buying uninformed. That's why we're here to help you make a used forklift purchase that you can count on. By following our guide to buying used, you can trust any purchase you make to be a good one. 

At Madland, our sales professionals are here to perform free site surveys by appointment if there is anything in question.