Put A Fork In It

The logistics of lift

Not all forklifts are created equal. While it’s easy to dismiss the hard-working vehicles that make warehouses and loading docks their natural habitat as the same simple machine manufactured over and over again.

That could not be farther from the truth.

Forklifts are carefully engineered for very specific purposes and sending the wrong lift to do the wrong job makes about sense as eating steak with a spoon. For instance, some forklifts are made for outdoor use while others are engineered for labor inside a warehouse. What’s the difference? Well, let a diesel lift fill a warehouse with fumes for a couple hours. The reasoning becomes obvious. Other factors that come into play include lift loads and space – some lifts require 10-12 feet of aisle space, others require less.

There’s also the issue of cost. A cheap forklift isn’t cheap – $15,000 will get you in a base model – and it’s not impossible to break the $100,000. Beyond that, the cost of running and maintaining the equipment comes into play.

Still, when the right lift is doing the right job in the right environment, it truly becomes the lifeblood of logistics. We couldn’t imagine doing our job without them.