Archive
Top Ranked Forklift Parts – Toyota
Announcer: What are the key characteristics you look for when making any sort of purchasing decision? Is it a quality product? Will it be durable and last? Is it reliable or from a reliable brand? Is the value worth the cost? We all run through these quick calculations every day from simple commodities at the grocery store, to complex purchases such as a car or a house. Since 2009, Peerless Research Group has conducted a forklift parts study where forklift purchasers ranked forklift parts brands in a number of key metrics. Toyota’s parts have consistently ranked number one in all four major categories: quality, durability, reliability, and value.
Dave Weierke: We’ve worked with after market parts. We had some four-ways that had some ignition problems and they would be brand new parts and they would be defective. So basically in our shop all we ever use is Toyota genuine parts because we don’t want to be burned again.
Announcer: Toyota genuine parts coupled with an industry leading parts warranty, highly trained Toyota certified technicians, and flexible maintenance plans ensure your forklifts continue to produce a return on your investment.
The Toyota brand is synonymous with quality, durability, reliability, and value, in large part because of the automotive business. But these key attributes translate directly to Toyota forklift and Toyota forklift parts. Take the guessing game out of your supply chain management and streamline your purchasing decisions. Trust the history, the quality, the durability, the reliability, and the value of Toyota and Toyota genuine parts.
For more information on Toyota genuine parts, or to find a maintenance plan that is best for your operation, contact your Toyota forklift dealer.
Oct18
What to Expect When Renting Forklifts
Announcer: You’ve probably rented a car, but if the time is right for you to rent a forklift you may be wondering what to expect. Actually, renting a forklift is very similar to renting a car. A lot of the same rules apply but in a slightly different way.
First, if you’re unsure of exactly what you need, don’t worry, your local Toyota Forklift dealership will be able to help you decide which forklift is right for your application. For instance, if you will be operating primarily indoors a cushion-tire model is probably best. If you need outdoor use, a pneumatic-tire model may be the better fit.
After you’ve decided on a forklift you will need to confirm with the dealership that you have a trained operator. Safety is the most important aspect of any forklift operation. If you don’t have a trained operator, most forklift dealerships offer in-house operator safety training courses. Just like renting a car, the dealership will also make sure that they have the correct billing and delivery information, and that the billing expectations are clear. It’s important that you understand and agree to the billing expectations. In most cases, maintenance is included in a rental fee, but always check to make sure that both sides understand the maintenance liability.
As with a car, look around the forklift and be sure there isn’t any damage when you take delivery. In addition to checking for damage, check for all required safety features and be sure they’re in good working conditions.
Renting a forklift can be a great short-term or seasonal fix; just make sure you understand the rental agreement and make sure the forklift is in proper condition for the work you’re going to be doing.
Josh Smith: There are several things that a customer can expect when they’re renting a piece of equipment. One of the things that they can expect is the fact that they will be getting a late-model forklift with low hours, and the lift will be in proper operating condition.
Some of the things that the customer would be responsible for is, first of all, making sure that their employees and their operators are properly trained on the piece of equipment that they are renting.
Some other things that the customer should take into account is the fact that they need to keep up with the scheduled maintenance each day before operation of the lift; doing the walk around, making sure that the oil levels are where they need to be. Checking the battery to make sure that it’s been watered; make sure it’s been charged properly. Just some of the general maintenance day-to-day things.
On a dealership-side, our responsibilities is to make sure that if you need training that we provide your operators with the proper training that they need to operate the piece of equipment. At the same time, our responsibility’s to make sure that this lift is in good running operation. So, if a circumstance arises where the truck malfunctions, the sooner a customer calls us, the faster we can respond to get that lift up and running.
Announcer: For more information on forklift rentals contact your local Toyota Forklift dealer.
Oct18
Rent vs Buy – Toyota Forklifts
Announcer: At some point, you may find that you need another forklift and you’ll be faced with a question, “Should I rent, or should I buy?” All forklift purchasing decisions are unique, and what’s good for one business may not be best for yours. Let’s consider both options.
Say you decide to buy a Toyota forklift, one of the key benefits of buying is the forklift’s residual value, and the option to sell your forklift after it has reached its useful life at your facility. Toyota forklifts hold their value very well over time, and have some of the highest residual values in the industry. If you properly maintain your forklift, and work in a relatively clean environment, your Toyota forklifts typically hold a higher resale value than other manufacturers. Another thing to consider is that there are no restrictions about how long you can or can’t keep a forklift you own, like you will find on rental units.
While purchasing is the right move for many businesses, rental options offer another set of solutions. Are you working on a short-term project, and need to temporarily add to your fleet? Or do you have seasonal jobs that require additional forklifts?
Josh Smith: One of the benefits of renting a forklift versus leasing a forklift is the fact that it requires no capital financing. It is generally used for short-term needs. You’re not tied to a long-term lease where you have contractual obligations. As your business expands and grows, and whether it fluctuates from high volume to low volume, you’re able to get the equipment that you need and return it based off your company’s needs.
Announcer: Renting also means no added maintenance costs, as it is typically included in the standard rental fee. If you only need your forklift short-term or seasonally, renting is usually the best option. Toyota’s North American dealer network covers the United States and Canada, and can partner with you to manage and maintain the appropriate fleet levels through new purchases, leases, rentals, and used forklifts.
For more information, contact your local Toyota forklift dealer.
Oct17
Toyota Forklifts & Spectra Press / Promotions
Bill F.: Everyone needs printing, we are Spectra Press and Promotions, we are a full service printing company. We deal with a lot of paper, it seems like we get a truckload every day.
About three years ago one of my best customers said to me, “We were really mad at our fulfillment house, can you help me?” And I said, “Sure I could.” And I left that meeting thinking, “Oh my gosh where am I gonna put this stuff?” We were out of room for storage so we decided to expand the building. Paper is extremely heavy and we needed a forklift.
Steve V.: At ProLift we see ourselves as business partners and consultants. Spectra’s been a good business partner of ours for every bit of 15 years. Bill and his team supply us with a lot of our sell sheets, brochures, our business cards.
Bill F.: I became a customer, I really was in love with a Toyota Lift that ProLift was offering to maximize space in my warehouse where we’re pallet racking. For loading in certain vans and unloading off of vans.
Steve V.: Ground is expensive, but most of these buildings have 25, 30 foot higher ceilings, so there’s room to go up. And that’s where a reach truck comes in.
Bill F.: The budget didn’t call for a brand new machine for sure. But I wanted that specific machine. So I told my rep that I would wait.
Steve V.: Toyota’s are built to last and they typically have more than one life.
Bill F.: So getting a refurbished piece of machinery, I knew I was getting a practically brand-new one. And so I knew that that was gonna be something that wouldn’t slow us down. It would keep us efficient, and keep us rolling.
Steve V.: A place like Spectra’s a perfect home for a truck like that. This reconditioned truck will last them for years, and it’s a huge cost savings versus going with something brand-new. We’re not just forklift trucks, we try to partner with our customers so that we can support them with everything that they would need.
Bill F.: And I said, “Can you guys do mezzanines?” And they said, “We sure can.” And they came in right in budget, what was actually quoted the first time, and it was a no-brainer.
Thomas R.: The design of this mezzanine, we wanted to get additional space, but we didn’t want to cause any destruction to their flow of business. This has added a great deal of square footage for potential growth and adding new customers for Spectra.
Bill F.: My father always said, “If you’re not growing you’re dying.” It made me feel like we grew up a little bit and we were able to have a forklift, because that’s another component in a larger type operation, and that’s what we’re always trying to strive for.
Oct17
Toyota Forklifts & Calavo
Claudio Madrid: Calavo, we’re an avocado distributor. We’re outside of Dallas. This facility is 149,000 square feet. That includes ripe room, packing room, bagging machines. We do about 210 loads here on the average month. You know, when we do have big events like the Super Bowl, that will jump up to about 350.
Randy White: Shoppa’s is a dealer for Toyota Material Handling. I’m here to basically help them move their avocados. It’s almost like avocados are their own food group here in Texas.
Claudio Madrid: They came and saw what we needed and was able to spec out a forklift to our needs, so we don’t have to interchange forklifts for certain areas of our warehouse. In our warehouse you go anywhere from two to four height.
Randy White: They also have drive-in rack, and so we were able to have a forklift made that fits exactly in their drive-in rack, that has a lowered height, that goes in and out of their dock area, but yet it reaches the top almost 20 feet in the air.
Claudio Madrid: They made it easier for us to go in there and spec out the forklifts and be able to use every single one in every area of our facility.
Randy White: So is this gonna be full here in about a month?
Claudio Madrid: Yeah, right by Cinco de Mayo.
Randy White: Their ripening rooms require things to be done in a timely manner, so if they have a piece of equipment that’s down, we’ve gotta have a technician here very quickly to get that piece of equipment back up and running.
Claudio Madrid: They’ll come and repair it and, if they can’t, they’ll give us a rental and be able to stay onboard with all our operations here.
I have worked with other lifts. I mean, I’ve been in this industry since I was 20 years old, and, for me, Toyota’s been better, less problematic, and we don’t have much issues, you know, which is very important. You can’t have issues and do your daily operations.
Randy White: As we come up with solutions for customers, it’s really just simplifying their processes, and it makes things easier and also generally finds a cost savings as well.
Claudio Madrid: At the end of the day, that avocado’s gonna be on somebody’s table, and that’s why I think it’s very important to take it serious.
We’re loading trucks quicker, we’re receiving ’em quicker, we’re doing our production in our production area a lot smoother, and there’s basically no downtime.
Oct10
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.
Oct10
Toyota Forklifts & Ruan Transportation Management Systems
Announcer: Many third-party logistics providers select Toyota as their material handling partner due to their well known safety features and the product quality, durability, reliability, and overall value. That’s important when serving a range of clients and moving many different kinds of goods. Toyota material handling products have the power to keep products moving and provide superior uptime to continue to hit deadlines and shipment schedules.
This facility is Ontario, California, and is owned by DC Logistics, a contract logistics provider with seven distribution facilities throughout the Western United States. DC Logistic shares a client with Ruan Transportation Management Systems, a family owned, asset-based 3PL, where together they provide transportation and distribution services for new and used lead acid batteries. Doing the heavy lifting for both companies are Toyota forklifts and electric pallet jacks. In fact, Ruan recently purchased hundreds of electric pallet jacks from Toyota that were customized to include an integrated scale. These electric pallet jacks allow for accurate weight capture and will compete over 300,000 deliveries across the US annually.
In metro markets, Ruan typically uses smaller delivery trucks because few facilities they deliver to have loading docks. These trucks are easier to maneuver in metro areas and around retail buildings. The pallets of batteries are delivered using Toyota electric pallet jacks that ride along on the Ruan trucks and a battery operated lift gate.
R. Frederiksen: The nature of our deliveries require our drivers to utilize a lift gate, trailer, electric pallet jack to make deliveries into the retail or wholesale outlets.
Announcer: This delivery is being made to the automotive department of a large retail store. Upon arrival, the truck driver positions the pallet jack to pick up the load.
R. Frederiksen: The maneuverability inside the trailers is something that we hear from our drivers that are realizing that every day as something that’s better than previous pallet jack options that we’ve utilized in the past.
Announcer: The pallet jack and its load are moved to the lift gate and lowered to ground level. From there the load is simply maneuvered into the store. But the delivery job is not finished yet. Since automotive batteries are among the most recycled products in America, the driver also picks up used batteries that customers exchange when buying new batteries. These are stored in an adjacent room at this location. The pallet jack quickly retrieves the batteries.
R. Frederiksen: We also have these pallet jacks outfitted with a scale that allows us to weigh the return material. It’s certified for trade and it gives our customers, and their customers, the ability to have very accurate pickup information with regard to weight.
Announcer: The scale feature is something that Ruan worked directly with the Toyota forklift factory to add to their electric pallet jacks and helps Ruan provide a competitive advantage and added efficiency for their clients. From there the pallet jack moves the load onto the lift gate and then into the truck. The batteries will be taken back to the distribution center and then into recycling streams. Partnering with Ruan is DC Logistics, which handles the storage of new and used batteries as well as the recycling component of the reverse supply chain. DC Logistics also leverages Toyota forklifts and pallet jacks in their daily work.
Robert Pier: We’re a family owned company. We’re warehouse distribution and transportation. When we opened up the warehouse business, we tried other products but Toyota has been the best product we’ve used so far. All we have is Toyota now at every facility in California, Arizona, Nevada. Between all the facilities we have, I would say, approximately 40 Toyota forklifts and approximately 25 electric pallet jacks, and we use them daily.
Announcer: While Ruan works primarily with the Toyota factory to improve its fleet and then with many local dealers across the country for maintenance, DC Logistics works directly with its local Toyota dealer, Southwest Toyota Lift, to continually upgrade its fleet and to perform maintenance on the vehicles.
Rod Streiff: I’ve been doing business with DC Logistics for 10 years now, been great partnership for us. I met Robert five years ago and solidified our relationship and our friendship. It’s been fantastic. We’ve been there for them, and they purchase everything from us.
Announcer: Another DC Logistics facility is in City of Industry, California. This building begins work well before dawn, handling the heavy car batteries for a leading battery manufacturer. Toyota forklifts unload pallets of batteries from inbound trucks and then cross dock them to Ruan’s outbound delivery vehicles. It’s heavy work, as these pallets of batteries weigh several thousands pounds each. But these Toyota Core IC Cushion forklifts have the lifting power to easily do the job.
Robert Pier: Working with Ruan has been a pleasure. We’ve been with Ruan for nine years, and it’s a good partnership. They’re based out of our facilities. We load their trucks and it’s been a good partnership for the last nine years. Great company.
R. Frederiksen: Working with Toyota has been great thus far. As we’ve come across different things that we’ve needed to tweak with this new equipment and this specialized application. Again a new piece of equipment coming in operation, the response of their dealer networks, the response of their quality folks at corporate, has been incredible, and we’ve been able to solve issues very quickly. Not only was Toyota’s pricing competitive, but their world class manufacturing and the quality of their equipment was second to no one. So it was a great fit for us and it was something that we were happy to do.
Robert Pier: The reason we chose Toyota was the quality of the product. So it outlasts the other product, it has better weight capacity, better turning ratio, so the product overall is the best product on the market today.
Announcer: In joining together, Ruan, DC Logistics, and Toyota forklifts perform powerful work in distributing batteries.
Feb21
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is now accepting applications for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) Rebate Grants Program on a first-come, first-served basis. The Rebate Grants Program is limited to the upgrade or replacement of diesel on-road heavy duty vehicles and select non-road equipment. On-road vehicles must have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 8,500 pounds. Non-road equipment must be equipped with at least a 25 horsepower engine.
Tables with pre-approved maximum rebate grant amounts for eligible on-road and non-road replacement and repower projects are provided to applicants in the Request for Grant Applications (RFGA). The tables list the on-road vehicle weight categories and model years and the non-road equipment types, horsepower ranges, and model years eligible for funding.
Grant-funded vehicles and equipment must be operated at least 75% of their annual usage within the following eligible counties: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Caldwell, Chambers, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gregg, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Montgomery, Nueces, Orange, Parker, Rockwall, Rusk, San Patricio, Smith, Tarrant, Travis, Upshur, Victoria, Waller, Williamson, Wilson, and Wise.
A portion of the funding allocated to this program will be set aside for applications from applicants that qualify as a small business, as defined in the TERP Guidelines. Small businesses are encouraged to apply under this program.
Applications will be accepted for consideration during this grant period on a first-come, first-served basis at the front desk, Rm. 1301, 1st floor of Building F on the premises of the TCEQ, no later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on May 26, 2017.
Copies of the RFGA, rebate tables, and application forms are available on the Rebate Grants Program web page. Contact TERP Staff toll-free at 800-919-TERP (8377) with questions regarding the grant application process, and to request copies of the grant documents via USPS.
PLEASE NOTE: The Rebate Grants application forms and rebate tables have been changed from the draft versions released for 30-day review. You must use the final application forms and refer to the final rebate tables to determine the eligible funding amounts.
Jan24
Toyota Forklifts & Butternut Mountain Farm
Announcer: Few things are as natural and pure as sweet maple syrup. The heart of maple syrup production in the United States is Vermont. Butternut Mountain Farm is one of the leading providers of maple syrup in the Green Mountain state. It’s processing and distribution facility in Morrisville regularly contains about 8 million pounds of pure maple syrup. Syrup that is processed here is often used in cookies, candies, maple sugar flavorings, and of course, as pure maple syrup on pancakes and waffles.
John Kingston: A couple of facts that most people might not know about maple syrup, one: it’s a single ingredient, all natural product. The only thing in maple syrup is pure maple syrup that comes from the sap of a maple tree, either a sugar maple or a red maple typically. Most people wouldn’t know that it takes about 40 gallons of sap from a maple tree to make 1 gallon of maple syrup, so it’s a labor of love.
Announcer: Butternut Mountain Farm has its own farm of more than 1,000 acres to draw from about 17,000 tree taps, but with the volume it produces, it must allow on other regional farmers to supply it with syrup to meet demand. The farmers boil the sap into syrup before sending it to Butternut Mountain Farm in large stainless steel drums. The syrup is tested and graded based on its consistency and taste. Toyota reach trucks, equipped with these clamp attachments, are used to move the drums to storage. The trucks pick up two drums at a time and floor stack them one on top of the other. The reach trucks can easily lift the heavy drums of syrup five levels high in this cool room. An onboard camera attached to the truck assists in making sure that the placement is just right.
Rob Shatney: It’s absolutely essential. To be able to go five high you have to be able to reach out with a significant amount of weight in a very study way. The maneuverability is absolutely excellent on those reach lifts and because they’re responsive we’re able to get into really tight spots and stack drums very closely together in an attempt to maximize our storage capacity cube. The nice thing about the Toyota lifts is that, particularly with the reach lifts, we can either use them to move palletized material, we can use them to move drums, we can use them to move 4,500 pound totes. It really gives us a lot of options with a single lift.
Announcer: Next, the raw syrup is taken to production where it is batched, filtered, heated, and then bottled into various sizes. Jugs for club store sales, and smaller bottles, such as for gift packs and single serve use in restaurants. The products are packed into cases and then moved by forklift to storage in these pallet racks.
David Ellis: We’re using Toyota forklifts in all aspects of our operations now. We’ve got drive-in overhead racking that we need to get in and out, and if we can’t pull the pallets out of that racking we can’t load trucks, and then orders don’t go out the door.
Announcer: Toyota three wheel electric forklifts do most of the handling in the warehouse. The three wheel design makes it easy to maneuver loads in and out of the racking. Keeping these trucks and a handful of electric pallet jacks in good working order is the role of Northern Toyota Lift, the local Toyota industrial truck dealer that serves Vermont, Upstate New York, and other parts of New England.
David Ellis: Frankly, it came down very simply to the basics of purchasing around quality, price, and service. The Toyota quality is very well-known and we’ve certainly seen that as well. The pricing was very good and the service that we get from our local dealer at Northern Toyota Lift in Burlington has just really been excellent. We really found them to be hands-on and responsive. I think those are the two things that really distinguish them from other dealers that we talked to. They came right out, they got to know our process and what our needs are, and whenever we had a question or if there is something that needs maintenance they come right out. They’re quick, they’re knowledgeable, they get the part, and because we worked with them from the beginning they really understand what it is we’re trying to do.
Rob Shatney: The customer service that we get from our service provider, Northern Toyota, is absolutely excellent. We have several busy seasons here where downtime is really not an option for us, and having reliable equipment that can be serviced quickly by our service provider is really important for us to keep the operation going. Toyota has allowed us to really do that.
Announcer: At the end of the day, it is the design, dependability, and service that allowed Butternut Mountain Farm to find the sweet spot in its handling with Toyota forklifts.
David Ellis: It’s so simple. Just the simple fact is they are reliable. They work. For people coming in every day and they’ve got a job to do and it’s completely reliant on that forklift working, that’s what’s most important because if that forklift goes down then that person’s not available to do the work that we need them to either. They’ve got the options that we need and when combining that with the service it’s as much as we could ask for.
Jan24
Toyota Forklifts & Simplex Rentals
Announcer: For many companies, the cost to keep all of the equipment that they need to handle their busiest times of the year, just isn’t cost effective. That’s why many distributors, warehouses and retail applications rely on rental houses, like Simplex, to provide them with the additional forklifts they require to face periods where they experience heavier than normal volumes, such as during holiday shipping.
Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Simplex is one of Canada’s oldest and largest industrial rental companies, serving customers for 108 years. The company’s 40 locations throughout Quebec and eastern Ontario provide a wide range of products for rent. It’s inventory includes 50,000 small tools, from basic hand tools to cutting tools. Simplex also has 4,000 pieces of heavy equipment to rent, including aerial lifts that can reach skyward to 135 feet. It’s forklift rental fleet has 700 units to help distributors and manufacturers meet times when they need additional equipment.
In 2015, Simplex added Toyota forklifts to their rental fleet. They made the move to Toyota in part because they were experiencing lingering problems with the vehicles from another fork truck brand.
Charles Desroches: Basically, cost of maintenance on our current equipment was very high, although the equipment was fairly recent, it still cost us a lot of money to maintain and the servicing, you know the parts and the service that came with equipment was also in question. We had the opportunity to talk with one of the Toyota forklift dealership here in Quebec, and we evaluated the equipment and compared equipment with competing products. The specs and the reliability, the reputation of Toyota, played a big role in the making that decision at the end of the exercise, and we decided to give it a try because our level of confidence with the product was very high and we needed to try something different.
Announcer: Simplex began working with Toyota by placing 30 Toyota Core IC Pneumatic tire forklifts in their rental fleet. All of these are 5,000 pound capacity, counterbalance models, powered with propane and resting on solid pneumatic tires. The reaction from customers who have rented these vehicles has been very positive.
Charles Desroches: Customers actually like it. A lot of the customers are calling in and if they had experience with the Toyota forklift on the previous rent, they will actually specifically ask for another Toyota forklift, if available, which is a very good indication of how receptive the market is to the forklifts.
Announcer: Simplex has their own technicians who inspect the forklifts once they come back from being rented and to perform basic maintenance. These trucks are at one of Simplex’s Montreal locations, where 13 units of the Toyota forklift fleet are part of this location’s inventory. Technicians check fluid levels and perform regularly prescribed planned maintenance. And because of Toyota’s dependability, that’s really all that is needed.
Charles Desroches: Pure, basic maintenance, you know, just the standard maintenance procedure as spelled out in the manufacturer documentation. Although it’s only been one year, in one year we haven’t had a single warranty claim to make to our dealership, so the forklifts have been very reliable. It made a hug difference. They go out on rent, they come back, we inspect, we send them out to rent. That’s basically what we have to do with it.
Announcer: In addition to assisting with busy times, customers also rent these trucks to replace their own equipment that is down for repair and also for special projects. For example, most of these Toyota trucks recently came back from being used to help set up and tear down, the Montreal Auto Show.
Overall, Simplex provides forklifts in a wide range of capacities, from 5,000 to 36,000 pounds. Because of customer satisfaction and the dependability of these Toyota vehicles, Simplex is planning to look again to Toyota, to expand both the number and types of forklifts it adds to the fleet.
Charles Desroches: Definitely, without hesitation, we would do that. Every year Simplex is renewing its fleet and we are investing a fairly important amount of money in the equity renewal, so ultimately we will be looking at different range of capacity to fill in the needs of our fleet.
Announcer: Dependability, ease of maintenance, customer satisfaction, Toyota, simply the choice for Simplex.
Lift Truck Supply, Inc.
3305 Robertson Road
Tyler, TX 75701
T: 800.873.1828
P: 903.533.9600
F: 903.533.9927
E: info@lifttrucksupplyinc.com
Oct18