By: Elise Hardy, RVP, Material Handling Equipment Sales, Element Fleet Management
Fleet management often presents a complicated puzzle, especially when it comes to material handling equipment (MHE), such as forklifts, pallet jacks and scissor lifts. Every operating environment is different, with various equipment applications and needs.
Managing your MHE fleet and acquiring new equipment doesn’t have to be scary. You can put together the pieces of the puzzle with a few key considerations:
How will the equipment be used?
Your first step in purchasing or leasing equipment is to assess how it will be used, where it will be living, and how many assets are required to move products into the hands of your customers. Be careful not to overestimate your equipment usage. You may end up paying more than you should. The Material handling experts at Element can conduct on-site visits to gain an understanding of your operating environment and needs.
As his vehicle took a turn in “aggressive mode,” Josh Whitley’s hands hovered near the steering wheel but never touched it.
The car, an autonomous research development vehicle from AutonomouStuff, didn’t need Whitley’s help.
Earlier in the day, Whitley had driven the vehicle — a red, modified Lincoln MKZ — around a pre-defined track in Water Works Park here. Along the way, he dropped digital breadcrumbs so the vehicle could learn the path it would soon take as Whitley showed off the technology to attendees of this year’s Global Insurance Symposium.
The idea is certainly audacious: Thwart traffic in congested cities by flying over it. Quick, quiet, clean, cheap.
This concept—which requires a new type of battery-powered vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTOL)—is Silicon Valley to its core in terms of self-liberation and greater efficiency.
These electric vehicles would operate from “vertiports” situated around urban areas, predominantly atop buildings. And, at some point in the future, they would be unmanned.
Excellence in Fleet Leadership
♦ Michael Bisogno, Commonwealth of Virginia – DGS/Office of Fleet Management Services, Richmond, VA
♦ Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Fleet Management
Jeff Menheer, Takeda, Deerfield, IL
♦ Excellence in Fleet Safety - Corporate
April Yeager, Clariant, Charlotte, NC
♦ Excellence in Fleet Sustainability - Corporate
Safelite AutoGlass Fleet Department, Columbus, OH
♦ Excellence in Fleet Safety - Public
Master Sergeant Damien O. Moody, United States Air Force-96 Logistics Readiness Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, FL
♦ Outstanding Achievement in Public Fleet Management
Thuan Treon, County of Bexar Public Works Department, San Antonio, TX
♦ Excellence in Fleet Sustainability - Public
Gary Lentsch, CAFM®, Eugene Water & Electric Board, Eugene, OR
♦ NAFA Regular Member of the Year
Jim Laverty, CAFS®, Manager, Vehicle Pool, University of Alberta, Canada
♦ NAFA Associate Member of the Year
Pete Mitchell, Executive Manager, Client Relations, The CEI Group
As NAFA’s new President looks forward, he considers how much fleets may be moving away from managing assets and moving toward managing mobility.