Ashby Lumber Video Case Study – Toyota Forklift

Toyota Forklifts & Ashby Lumber

Announcer: A heavy stock of plywood, long boards of building lumber, no problem here, as loads like these are the norm at Ashby Lumber. Ashby lumber is a family owned provider of building materials in Northern California. The company has two locations, Berkeley and this location in Concord, California.

Ashby has been in the Bay area since 1888, so they have experience meeting the material needs of both contractors, and do it yourself-ers. Concord alone stocks some 1.5 million feet of raw framing lumber.

James Wiley: We sell predominantly building materials, lumber, hardware, sidings, trims, decking, fencing, anything to build a house we sell.

Announcer: Toyota forklifts are used exclusively to do the heavy lifting at both of Ashby lumber’s locations.

James Wiley: 15 years ago we had a hodge-podge of manufacturers of forklifts, and just through multiple use, we decided that Toyota’s were the most durable. They outlasted the competitors profoundly, and after a while we decided to start moving there. Forklifts do everything from loading and unloading our vendor trucks, to loading and unloading our delivery trucks. We build things with our forks. We service our customers with our trucks and we stock materials on our racks and building sheds with the forklifts.

We have approximately 18 forks going full time, 12 hours a day pretty much.

Announcer: A variety of Toyota forklifts are on duty here. In the warehouse, this battery powered stand up reach truck moves products in and out of pallet racks. The multi stage mast provides steady lifting even at full height.

These Toyota core IC pneumatic propane powered models move smaller loads around the yard.

For the heavy lifting, Ashby relies on 10,000 LB capacity vehicles. These Toyota mid and large IC pneumatic forklifts operate efficiently on diesel fuel, minimizing the cost of fuel and maintenance. These forklifts have more than enough muscle to move these hefty building materials around the yard, lifting high to get around obstacles.

They can also easily reach to the tops of stacked lumber, and extend their forks out to load trucks. Lumber specific forks, which are thinner and wider, easily slip between material without causing damage. These powerful forklifts are designed for efficient outdoor use. They feature Toyota’s system of active stability, for optimal control under load. While the solid pneumatic tires often dual front tires offer a steady ride over uneven pavement and terrain without the risk of puncture. The ergonomic cabs provide driver comfort that last all shift long.

Alfredo Gomez: The 10,000 pounders that we use the most, it’s very powerful for the full units that we carry. We’ve had it for years now, you know like 12-15 years now that we’ve been just using Toyotas and that’s what we like.

Announcer: Toyota material handling of Northern California provides these trucks to Ashby and provides ongoing service.

James Wiley: Toyota Material Handling has done an excellent service for us. They’ve actually gotten to the point where they have one service tech that calls on us exclusively. He knows all of our forklifts, he knows our employees. He’s like a member of our team. The guys trust him, he’s there for us whenever we need him.

Were unloading and loading probably 50-75 trucks a day, and one being out is a detrimental to our business. Toyota’s eliminate that downtime, and our maintenance schedules are such that we’re never without a forklift for more than a day at the most. It really keeps production up and the guys moving lumber like they’re supposed to be. Its just made the maintenance of these forklifts awesome for Ashby.