A Case Study in Forklift Tracking

Forklift tracking is more than finding a forklift hidden somewhere in the facility, yet that’s what comes up many times on search. Forklift tracking is much more. Let’s think about forklift tracking as a way to uncover the movements, the condition / health, and what’s going on with the forklift when left unoccupied for a period of time. Isn’t that what forklift tracking should be about? Let’s start off with a customer story.

Food Processing Company with Missing Device

One of our customers uses the SIERA.AI S2 Digital Inspection with Impact Detection in their food processing facility. They use the safety system to ensure compliance with OSHA, track repairs and maintenance and monitor impacts every day. The manager realized that one of the devices had just reported an unauthorized use attempt. This was an odd situation, so he went down to the plant floor to investigate.

The manager found that one of his forklift trucks was missing an SIERA.AI S2 device. Since the manager printed out the unauthorized report, he saw who was on the forklift when last used. He had a picture. On the SIERA.AI Dashboard, the manager saw that the device was still on and tracked the device right to the person.

And there it was. In the possession of the person who removed the device from the forklift. That’s forklift tracking.

Uncovering Forklift Movements

As you noticed, we discussed the Dashboard in the customer story. The Dashboard is the heart of where the data resides. Here, you will be able to graphically ‘see’ what’s going on in the facility. You’ll also see the data on forklift impacts. You’ll have at any given time what is a high impact, medium impact and low impact. By viewing the data over a period of time, you’ll know where weak spots reside. For instance, take a look at your medium impacts. Where do these occur within your facility? There’s a pattern that will show itself. Once you see it, you can make a change to reduce that number so it doesn’t turn into a forklift accident. That’s forklift tracking.

Is It Sick? Does it Need Some Maintenance or Repairs?

Everything gets ‘sick’ now and then. Same with a fleet of forklifts. The best way to know is to take the OSHA forklift inspection and monitor the results. The standard OSHA form asks a lot of great questions. However, with data collected, it can provide insights to staying ahead of the forklift’s health.

For instance, if you notice the answers are beginning to change on the condition of the forklift’s tires, then it’s evident that it needs a new set of tires. I know this is a simple answer. However, when it’s on paper, you have to commit all of the answers to memory. Then if/when you remember, call maintenance and ask them to check.

Now, you’ll ‘see’ all of the answers to the forklift inspections, ‘see’ the actual change in answers and get on the problem with maintenance right away so the forklift and operator doesn’t experience downtime. That’s also forklift tracking.

Unoccupied Forklift

This brings us back to the customer story. The SIERA.AI S2 Digital Checklist with Impact Monitoring immediately sent a notification to the manager of an unauthorized attempt. Well, he was an authorized forklift operator, just not authorized to remove the device.

Here are some other ways to use Forklift Access Control.
• If the forklift is left outside, kids coming by won’t be able to start the forklift.
• If the forklift is left unattended in the facility, other workers, friends or pedestrians won’t be able to start the forklift as they don’t have the proper credentials to start it.
• If for some reason, the unauthorized person DOES take a forklift driver’s badge, a picture will be taken to prove the badge and person doesn’t match.
• Finally, if the forklift does not pass inspection and the correct operator is on the forklift, the forklift truck will present a warning that in 30 seconds (or whatever setting you desire), it will turn off. Please pull over to a safe place to park the truck.
That’s forklift tracking.

Are You Ready?

Are you ready for forklift tracking? Contact us today, and we’ll give you a demo of the SIERA S2 Digital Inspection with Impact Monitoring. You’ll be able to start tracking in 30 minutes after your install it. Contact us today at sales@siera.ai and you’ll get lots of data for a very affordable price.