Archive
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.
Jan24
Toyota Forklifts & Reddy Ice
Announcers: Soft drinks, cereal, potato chips, pancake syrup. It’s all part of a day’s work at States Logistics. This third party distribution company operates 11 warehouses in Southern California and Arizona. This facility is in San Bernardino, California, and it is dedicated to distribution for a leading soft drink and snack food company. A relationship of 15 years and growing, thanks to States proven dependability and productivity. And partnering with States Logistics all that time, Toyota forklifts.
Ryan Donovan: In this distribution center, we’re handling a lot of their food products, food and beverage products. This is a 480,000 square foot facility, we’re running 24 hours a day, five days a week.
Announcers: States Logistics has been in this building for about three years now. Moving here allowed them to consolidate distribution for the soft drink company, and have ample room for growth. This is a high-velocity building, with most products handled as full pallet loads.
A fleet of 33 Toyota forklifts provide all of the material handling in this large building. These are Toyota’s core internal combustion, 5,000-pound capacity, counterbalanced, sit-down models, powered by propane. These IC models can operate around the clock, only needing to stop for an LP tank change.
Ryan Donovan: Yeah, we’ve been using Toyota lifts for many years. We find them to be very versatile, very little maintenance, very little problems with breakdowns and issues, comparatively priced, and our local dealer here is fantastic and gives excellent service.
Announcers: These trucks handle a wide range of products. From heavy bottles of water and athletic drinks, to lightweight cereals and breakfast bars. This portion of the distribution center is temperature controlled to keep juices and snack bars cooler. A large part of the work is loading and unloading of trailers. About 40 truckloads move through here daily. The majority of these products are taken to floor storage areas where the goods are stacked several layers high.
Many of these loads are not palletized, so a number of the forklifts are equipped with Cascade Mark 55 Push/Pull attachments, designed to handle slip sheets. Using this attachment eliminates the step of having to palletize products before storage.
Other loads that arrive on pallets find a temporary home in these racks. Five of the vehicles in the fleet have four-stage masts to reach upper levels. Toyota’s Active Mast Function Controller senses the load weight and tilt, and automatically makes adjustments to secure the load, even when the masts are at full height. This is just one of the many safety features found standard on Toyota forklifts.
Altogether, Toyota forklifts move about 4,000 loads daily in the San Bernardino facility. The quality of the machines, the timely planned maintenance, and superior ongoing service from Toyota and the local dealer, Southwest Toyota Lift, make sure that these busy trucks show up for work each and every day.
KristinWilliams: I think they’re great, and we always have somebody onsite whenever we have an issue with them. It’s really easy, I call my rep, or he calls me every morning to find out if there’s any issues.
Ryan Donovan: Very satisfied with Toyota. Both the quality of the product, and the quality of their service from the local dealership. Makes us a no-brainer choice that gotta use them.
Jan24
Toyota Forklifts & Megatrade
Announcer: Few home building materials have the durability and beauty of ceramic and porcelain tiles. Megatrade is a leading provider of these beautiful tiles. Their products are imported from some 30 different suppliers all over the world. Italy, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Brazil, and China. Megatrade actually owns two factories and a mine in Venezuela that supplies much of its products.
They are all available to be seen in the showroom at the company’s distribution center and headquarters in Doral, Florida. Megatrade is one of the top suppliers of tile throughout the southeast. In fact, if you buy tile products at a Home Depot in this part of the country, chances are good that you will be purchasing Megatrade tiles. The company only sells through distributors and leading home improvement stores.
The company’s 110,000 square foot distribution center receives the imported tiles in about 60 containers that pass to them each week through the south Florida ports of Miami and Port Everglades. They are checked and labeled as they are unloaded from the containers.
Megatrade carries over 1000 different tile products. Toyota forklifts do all the heavy lifting of these tiles with some loads weighing as much as 4000 pounds.
Ruben C: When I first came in, they had other brand of forklift. And I had the experience of dealing with Toyota before, and I asked Toyota to come in. Since then, and you’re talking about 14 years, we been strictly Toyota user. One of the reasons why we like Toyota is if you give a good maintenance, they’ll never quit on you.
Announcer: There are eight Toyota forklifts in a fleet at Megatrade. All core propane powered counterbalance models with 5000 pound lift capacities. The forklifts transport the tiles to floor storage within the warehouse, where they are stacked one on another.
The three stage masts enable the forklifts to easily reach up to 18 feet high, to the tops of the stacks. Toyota’s system of active stability, SAS, active mast control, AMC, and side shift attachments make it easy to handle, deposit, and secure the loads even at high heights.
Ruben C: When we put one pallette right on top of the other, they all have to stay aligned so that the weight is always on the pallettes and on the tile. It is very important that when we are setting up one pallette on top of the other one, they are aligned. And that’s why we use the, also the shift to one side or the other one, just to make sure all the pallettes are right on top of the merchandise. And that’s the strength of the load the tile.
Announcer: Space in the warehouse is tight. These Toyota forklifts are very maneuverable, and can easily navigate the narrow spaces and tight turns between the stacks.
Ruben C: They can turn in right on the same spot that they use. We working for eight solid hours. Without stopping, only for a break, and for lunch time. They work to maximum capacity. We are lifting two, three, 4000 pounds on pallettes. Unloading trailers. Loading trailers. Picking merchandise. Moving merchandise and stocking it into the warehouse. And they never quit, and they are constantly there, they’re very reliable.
To me, having a forklift that is down costs us money. You see the kind of volume that we have here, every time a forklift is down I have one down man also. And I cannot afford to have a down man when we have so much work.
Announcer: About 70% of the facility’s orders consist of full pallettes, with pallettes of mixed cases making up the remaining 30%. The stock is pulled for orders, and loaded onto outbound trucks. About 10 to 12 truckloads leave the facility daily. These forklifts work hard, only stopping to exchange propane tanks and for employee breaks.
They have to perform. And it is because of their dependability and the top notch service that Megatrade receives from Toyota and the local Toyota forklift dealer, Nationwide Lift Trucks, that these forklifts were chosen in the first place.
Ruben C: If you give them maintenance, it will never, never let you down. In reference to customer service, we have a schedule, regular maintenance, and they just call me every three month I says, “We going there. Which, at what time and what day you want,” and that’s the way it works with them. I have no problem.
In reference to the sale personnel, I have like a friend. They are very enthusiastic, and they have serve all my needs. That is a good partnership between them and us.
Jan24
Toyota Forklift & JIT Transportation
Announcer: Centrally located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, JIT Transportation is ideally situated to be the logistics partner of choice for many high-tech companies. On the transport side, JIT operates 120 over the road trucks and 200 trailers to move goods along West Coast highways, but it also provides warehousing and distribution services for its clients with facilities, Reno, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and this one near San Jose, California: Silicon Valley Central
David Butcher: We’re in the Silicon Valley so we’re a high-tech operation. 90% of all the business that happens here is relegated to the service area that we provide to customers such as Expeditors National, Harmonic, Roku, and various other customers in the high-tech world.
Announcer: Computer systems and other high-tech products make up a large portion of the goods that JIT handles in the San Jose operation with Toyota Forklifts and warehouse equipment. This is a large building: 600,000 square feet. Everywhere you look can be seen products that reflect the output of this region, including clean energy solar panels.
David Butcher: We handle about four different solar programs here where we’re doing direct deliveries out to either big solar farms or to direct consumers. We handle all of the panels. We also handle raw materials, so a full line of products that a solar company would need to install.
Announcer: Besides the high-tech items, clothing, shoes, and other finished goods are also distributed here for JIT’s clients. Helping to keep all of these goods on the move is a full fleet of Toyota Forklifts and Toyota warehouse products, 33 in total. Both propane and electric powered trucks lift and move these heavy crates and pounds of products throughout the building.
David Butcher: We run counterbalance trucks, propane lifts, because those are running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to manage our cross stock operation for the transportation side. Then, we run the full gamut of lifts in the distribution world.
Announcer: Three Toyota reach trucks operate in narrow aisles to put product in and out of high storage racks. Nine Toyota order pickers operate in these racks to select products needed by customers. A number of electric pallet jacks, mainly Toyota’s in-control rider, are also employed in the San Jose facility to load and unload the many trailers that arrive daily and depart from this large building.
The Toyota Forklifts and Toyota warehousing equipment product lines are relatively new to JIT transportation. Previously, JIT used a mix fleet of other brands, and as a result, they weren’t getting the performance they wanted from their equipment.
David Butcher: We were running older equipment, we were buying used equipment, we were dealing with a lot of rentals, which is also used equipment. We had a lot of downtime, a lot of problems with the lifts. We decided to make a move to go with Toyota. The bottom line is the dependability, the service, and the product speaks for itself.
Announcer: The local Toyota Forklifts dealer, Toyota Material Handling of Northern California, locally referred to as TMH, supplies JIT with their material handling equipment fleet, as well as maintains each vehicle to exacting standards.
John Sullivan: Having the right piece of equipment is extremely important to a company’s operation, for safety purposes, also for efficiency purposes. Making sure that all of the equipment is up and running at all times is extremely important. Having one unit down could severely affect the operations. Part of our role in helping JIT succeed was to lower their full maintenance cost while giving them a customizable service plan that fit their needs.
Announcer: Toyota Material Handling of Northern California also introduced JIT to opportunity charging of their electric models, which has reduced JIT’s electrical costs by 25%. Beyond that, Toyota provides JIT with the latest forklift technology at an affordable cost.
David Butcher: We’re niche. We’re a medium-sized company bidding up against some of the larger companies in this industry and Toyota’s provided us that flexibility we needed to be able to supply new equipment to our customers. The biggest thing that I think they brought to us was technology, so we can actually gauge what our drivers are doing with the lifts. We’ve had great service from Toyota. We’ve had little downtime and we feel very confident in the choice that we made with Toyota.
Jan24
Toyota Forklifts & Viking Freight
Announcer: If you live on a Caribbean island, you rely heavily on imports. You don’t have sufficient land or resources to grow or manufacture the things you use every day. That’s why there are companies like Miami-based, Viking Freight Consolidators.
Bryan Valdes: Our company’s been in existence for 35 years. We’re a consolidator of freight, shipping primarily to the Caribbean and South American markets. We receive freight for our numerous clients throughout the region from various suppliers throughout the United States and in other parts of the world. We receive, we store, we load containers for these clients. We also handle air freight shipments on a weekly basis going to different markets where we will consolidate, repack, and prepare all documentations and everything required for shipment.
We are a marine insurance broker. We insure cargo for our clients. We handle the inland freight portion of shipments for our clients from different origin points in the United States to Miami, or to Jacksonville, or to other ports in the United States, whether it be a small UPS shipment to a full container load shipment.
Announcer: Pallets of products are received and loaded into temporary storage racks or staged on the floor until they are ready to ship to markets, including Aruba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, and Bonaire. TVs, dog food, cake mix, tires, refrigerators, pool supplies, toilet paper. Just about everything needed to sustain life passes through this facility, and keeping it all on the move is the work of Toyota forklifts.
Bryan Valdes: We currently are operating three, 2.5-ton Toyota forklifts. We use them to receive freight, here behind us, in various fashions, whether it’s offloading 53-foot trucks, flat racks, or small UPS shipments, FedEx-type shipments. We use the trucks to store the freight throughout the warehouse in racks, and then we use a forklift again to load containers.
We exclusively use Toyotas, primarily for the reliability in our business. We’re a small business, and they are our most important asset of the day. Our business out here in the warehouse would not function without a reliable forklift. We work with Toyota because we know that when we need them, they’re going to turn on, they’re going to work, and it’s as simple as that.
The maintenance is reasonable. We find that with good preventive maintenance, they last for years. The downtime is very, very minimal, and that’s important when we have a limited fleet.
JC Martinez: Oh, let me tell you, these are very convenient, very simple to drive, the maneuver. I love the way the steering goes around. I mean, in tight spaces I can maneuver it around, and I get the freight out without any problems. It’s definitely comfortable. The seats are very comfortable. I’m a big guy, so that’s part of my thing is comfortability. I really enjoy driving the Toyota forklifts.
We’ve been driving forklifts, Toyota, for years. 20-something years that I’ve been here, it’s always been Toyota. We’ve never had any issues and we really … I don’t think we’ll ever change from that.
Bryan Valdes: We like the visibility that the operator feels and has with these units. We receive other units for clients who are not loyal to the Toyota brand, and obviously we have to offload them from trucks. So we get the opportunity to try other units from other competitors of Toyota, and we just find that the safety and the visual that the driver has is superior. That’s important for safety.
We try to turn them over every five years, give or take, depending on the hours, but that’s about the average over the years. What we usually do is bring them in for one last preventive maintenance stop, and then we send them to our offices overseas. We have offices in Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, and other markets. We will send them down there because we know that while we enjoy the first five years of the brand new truck, they will continue to use them for anywhere from seven to 10 more years. We find that we get a good 15 years out of them.
And down there, because of the facilities, et cetera, they’re used in a much more, let’s say, rough way because the facilities aren’t like they are here in the US. It’s important to have reliable trucks down there but not necessarily new trucks. That’s kind of been the strategy for 20 years and it’s worked really well for us.
Announcer: Toyota forklifts, helping Viking Freight Consolidators maintain the economic lifeline to the Caribbean and beyond.
Dec30
2016 brought LTS our officially, unofficial mascot – Phil the groundhog. This furry rodent with a flare for dramatic costumes, and holiday festivities has been a staple of the LTS Facebook page all year. In an ode, to all things Phil 2016 – we’ve gathered his Toyota forklift holiday experiences into one post for your viewing pleasure.
It’s been rumored that Phil may not reprise his role as the officially, unofficial mascot of Lift Truck Supply in 2017. We’ll just have to wait and see but for now we’re simply thankful for the laughs he has provided this past year.
From everyone at LTS, have a happy and safe New Year.
Phil on Groundhog’s Day.
Phil on St. Patrick’s Day.
Phil on Easter.
Phil on April Fool’s Day.
Phil on Cinco de Mayo.
Phil on Memorial Day.
Phil on Fourth of July.
Phil on Labor Day.
Phil on Halloween.
Phil on Thanksgiving.
Phil on Christmas.
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
Oct10