Toyota Named Green Supply Chain Partner for Fifth Consecutive Year

Toyota Material Handling was named to Inbound Logistics' list of 2013 Green Supply Chain Partners. The company was chosen in part for its environmentally friendly solutions, green manufacturing process and continued dedication to supply chain sustainability. This is the fifth year TMHU has been named to the list - every year since the award's inception.

"The Green Supply chain list honors companies that have made sustainability a priority, and continue to push Inbound Logistics. "Toyota, for a fifth consecutive year, was recognized for creating an organizational culture where sustainability permeates all aspects of its manufacturing processes, extending to its suppliers as well."
the needle in terms of innovation and execution," explained Felecia Stratton, editor for

"Toyota operates under a global earth charter that promotes environmental responsibility throughout our entire company," Jeff Rufener, president of TMHU said. "At every stage of the production cycle - from raw materials and parts procurement to manufacturing and recycling - Toyota minimizes the environmental impact of every product."

The Green 75 feature is designed to provide decision support for Inbound Logistics' readers who seek to do business with sustainable providers. To be eligible for the ranking, companies must provide logistics services with an emphasis on eco-friendly solutions.

Celebrating more than 45 years in business in North America, TMHU is the supplier of Toyota lift trucks, the number one selling brand since 2002. In addition to the full line of high-quality lift trucks, the company's extended industrial equipment solutions include Automated Guided Vehicles and tow tractors. Quality is the hallmark of the Toyota Production System practiced at all Toyota manufacturing facilities, including Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM), a zero-landfill facility in Columbus, Inc. TIEM, named a 2011 North American Best Plant by IndustryWeek magazine, is a member of the National Safety Council, complies with the ISO 14001 standard from the International Organization for Standardization and has produced more than 400,000 Toyota lift trucks since its opening in 1990.

For more information about the Toyota line of lift trucks, visit our website.

DC vs. AC in the Forklift World

There is a high demand today for vehicles that do not relay solely on fossil fuels. People are far more aware of the growing emission problems, and many regulations are being placed on companies to seek out more environmental friendly practices.

Emissions are not the only issue with transportation, as the cost of fuel has tripled in the last five years. One traditional alternative to fossil fuels is electricity. For many years electric forklifts were limited to transporting smaller loads and being reserved for indoor use only. There have been advancements in the last ten years that has allowed electric (AC and DC) lifts to take the place of many internal combustion powered units. A specific advancement has reviled the fact that we have been using a very inefficient process to power electric industrial equipment.

The very first system to be used to power devices was the DC (direct current) distribution system. Direct current was first developed by Thomas Edison. It was designed to supply a constant amount of voltage to a device. The system was primarily used for the purpose of lighting a light bulb, which was the major purpose of electricity at the time. DC operates very similar to a normal battery, where current is always moving in the same direction, from positive to negative. With this system there was no way of regulating how much power was used, and because of this different copper lines had to be used for devices that required more or less voltage. As you can imagine this was costly to a consumer and a universal source of power was needed.

With an AC (alternating current) distribution system, large amounts of energy can be transported over greater distances. Rather than having a constant level of electricity, AC pulses current from one direction to another. The electricity is passed through a transformer, the same as what's next to your house, which allows energy transfer to be universal. This way any amount of voltage can be transformed in to what is needed for a specific device.

Until the last decade, it was difficult to have variable motor speeds with AC motors. The electronics needed for an AC motor were too bulky and expensive for a forklift. Hauling around a transformer was not practical. Because of many technological advances these AC controllers have become for more compact, less expensive, and energy efficient. When it comes to industrial equipment, factors that are vital to electric vehicles are the maneuverability, comfort, emissions, and operating time in between shifts.

Toyota's AC system forklifts are able to run longer shifts in between charges and cut down on the size of the lift. This may be a small detail, but it has a large impact on the functionality of the lift. Another advantage of having AC powered trucks is that there is virtually no maintenance needed for the motor. DC systems have wire brushes that rotate around magnets to power the motor, which need to be monitored by maintenance and replaced semiannually. With an AC powered system there are virtually no moving parts. No moving parts leads to less heat and less erosion on the internal functions in the forklift.

An AC powered unit can not only save you money on fuel utilization, but on maintenance as well. This is because the AC motor is totally enclosed, which prevents dust and debris from entering the motor. Finally, in most cases, as AC motor produces a fraction of the heat of a DC motor. Companies who have switched from DC powered forklifts to AC power have seen up to a 20% increase in productivity in the right application. DC still remains a strong contender for many applications, but continuing evolution of AC motors has made it a winner for many in the material handling world.

As with all forklift purchases, a correct application survey from a qualified professional can help you find the best lift for your needs. Contact a Shoppa's Mid America sales representative today to get started.

Pallet Rack 101

The Benefits of Pallet Racking

When opening a new warehouse, many owners feel limited by the space they have. In a fast-paced work environment, the accessibility to product is limited greatly by the space provided. In order to open up the work space, warehouse racking is used to stack pallets of products vertically and horizontally. The many advantages pallet rack systems provide are utilization of space, safety, durability, accessibility and convenience. When considering pallet rack, it is important to know what options are available for you and what specific style of racking is best for your business. Some of the most common types of pallet rack include:

Storage Rack

The most common and versatile of rack, storage rack allows your pallets to be accessible from the front and back and can be configured in many varieties. Wire decks are typically used with this system, which help prevent the pallet from falling through the rack. Set up is quick and simple.

Flow Rack

This type of rack is used mostly with perishable or time-sensitive products. The rack lanes are slanted allowing pallets to slide forward on rollers as the front pallet is removed, making it a first-in/first-out storage system.

Drive-In Rack

Primarily used for high density storage, this system allows a forklift operator the ability to drive into the rack to lift out heavier pallets. This style of rack maximizes the warehouse space available. Similar to storage rack, drive-in rack can be configured to use a first-in/first-out or last-in/last-out storage system.

Cantilever

This type of rack is primarily used for long bundled items. This system allows there to be multiple arrangements to hold many different sized items at once. The rack system can be one-sided where it is normally positioned against a wall or double-sided as long as there is enough clearance. Cantilever is commonly used to hold lumber, plumbing supplies, pipe and steel rods.

The many options and legal restrictions that must be considered when purchasing racking can be overwhelming. Shoppa's Mid America has a team of professionals who design these systems every day and can work with you to meet your storage needs and keep the work space safe. Shoppa's offers free CAD design layouts to suit your space perfectly. Contact us today to get started with your customized layout.

Cut Your Fuel Cost with the Advance CS7000

First Hybrid Drive Combination Sweeper/Scrubber Slashes Fuel Costs

Operating solely on hydrogen, the innovative fuel cell-powered Advance CS7000 provides enhanced efficiency, productivity, reliability, simplified maintenance and 100% indoor emission-free operation, making it an ideal solution for sustainable-driven applications. Featuring dedicated sweeping and scrubbing functions, the Advance CS7000 fuel cell unit provides one-pass cleaning power for enhanced cleaning capabilities.

This innovative machine responds to the growing industrial demand for cost-effective, alternative fuel solutions and provides users with unlimited flexibility to meet their cleaning challenges. The Advance CS7000 models are ideal for industrial facilities, including warehouses, shipping and manufacturing or anywhere that presents difficult-to-manage flooring surfaces due to the size and scope of the required cleaning area.

The full line of Advance CS7000 combination sweeper/scrubbers, the all-battery powered, hybrid and now the new fuel cell-powered, are the most efficient, productive, cost-effective and sustainable industrial floor cleaners on the market for industrial use. Also, the design of the Advance CS7000 series has resulted in up to a 50% reduction in fuel costs relative to comparable models in the marketplace.

For more information about the new Advance CS7000 Hybrid Drive Sweeper/Scrubber, contact a Shoppa's Mid America sales representative today.

A Revolution in Floor Scrubbing Technology

The REV System - There's never been another scrubber like it.

The remarkable REV automatic floor scrubbers from Advance are nothing like you've ever seen before. In a single pass, our exclusive Random Orbital Scrubbing technology scrubs deeper and more uniformly, leaving your floors with a perfectly scrubbed surface with no swirl marks.

A revolution at work. The end of floor stripping as you know it.

You'll see the amazing results immediately. The REV is the first and only floor scrubber that scrubs with distinct orbital and rotational motions: high speed 1/4 inch micro scrubbing and rotational low speed macro scrubbing. This powerful, patent-pending combination delivers a uniform, non-swirled floor surface while using far less water and chemicals. In addition to being a superior daily scrubber, REV is so effective at deep scrubbing, you can remove floor finish in a single pass - with no chemicals at all - leaving floors ready for restoration.

REV: Better results. Increased productivity. Sustainable cleaning.

Now available in four models, the REV with Random Orbital Scrubbing technology provides these important benefits for facility floor maintenance.

• BETTER scrubbing with more uniform results
• MORE EFFICIENT restoring floors can now be a one-person job
• GREENER using less chemicals, water, energy and labor
• QUIETER allowing for scrubbing at any time of the day
• CLEANER scrubbing action that won't spread solution to adjacent surfaces or carpet
• MORE FLEXIBLE using water only or complete control of detergent, preventing overutilization

Download a complete brochure on the new REV System

The REV System is available on four Advance models:

FM800 REV

The most efficient scrubber for small areas and detail work.

With powerful orbital scrubbing at 1,725 1/4 inch orbits per minute, the FM800 REV tackles cleaning challenges that larger scrubbers can't reach. High durability and high-speed orbital agitation ensure aggressive scrubbing for chemical-free floor finish removal.

ADFINITY X20R REV

The most versatile, maneuverable floor scrubber.

The Adfinity X20R REV surpasses the performance of other scrubbers in its class, featuring dual-action scrubbing capabilities. Attacking dirt and floor finish from multiple angles, the Adfinity REV delivers uniform daily scrubbing performance and deep scrubbing for chemical-free finish removal in a single pass.

SC750 REV

The powerful, high-capacity workhouse for daily cleaning.

The SC750 REV combines the innovative REV technology with enhanced cleaning performance. With a 40% wider scrub path and 20% faster scrubbing capabilities than 20 inch floor scrubbers, the SC750 REV increases productivity, allowing operators to cover more floor area in less time with equal or better cleaning results.

ADVENGER REV

The highest performance, highest capacity REV scrubber.

Offering increased productivity up to 39,424 sq. ft. per hour, EcoFlex cleaning control and large capacity for up to 140 minutes of continuous scrubbing, the Advenger rider scrubber with REV technology delivers high performance scrubbing, the most flexible cleaning and the convenience and comfort of a rider.

Download a complete brochure on the new REV System

For more information on the Advance line of industrial floor cleaning equipment, contact a Shoppa's Mid America sales representative today.

Toyota and the Future of the Lift Truck Market

After the recent launch of the new 8-Series Large Capacity lift truck line, Jeff Rufener, president of Toyota Material Handling USA, sat down with Material Handling & Logistics to talk about the future of the lift truck market.

In the interview, Jeff speaks on the current challenges facing the industrial truck market as well as the opportunities ahead including advances in technology and the ever-changing energy situation in this country.

Read the full article here.

For more information about the new Toyota 8-Series Large Capacity lift truck line, contact Shoppa's Mid America today.

What Type of Forklift Tire is Right For Me?

When evaluating your need for a new or used forklift, a frequently asked questions is "what type of forklift tire is best suited for my application?" Some forklifts use only a specific tire. However, if restrictions are not an issue, it is important to know which type of forklift tire is best for your specific need. There are four basic types of forklift tires: 1) cushion, 2) pneumatic, 3) eliminator, and 4) non-marking.

Cushion Tires

Cushion tires are made by bonding rubber to a metal base band. Smaller than pneumatic, forklifts with cushion tires have a tighter turning radius typically needed for most indoor applications, especially those with narrow aisle racking. Cushion tired forklifts are designed for indoor use but can be take outside for light work where surfaces are smooth. Cushion tires are also available in polyurethane. This increases the capacity by approximately 64% while decreasing the rolling resistance to help enhance battery life and reduce fuel consumption. Traction is poor due to the smaller footprint and hardness, and offers very little suspension for the forklift.

Pneumatic Tires

Pneumatic Tires offer more flotation for a better ride and traction on most surfaces and are ideal for heavy duty outdoor applications. Most pneumatic tires have deep treads, reinforced sidewalls and strong, wear-resistant rubber. They can also be foam filled to reduce down time due to punctures. If debris is a concern, solid pneumatic tires are another option. Shaped like an air-filled tire but composed of rubber compounds, they are made to perform in the harshest environments such as recycling, scrap metal and demolition.

Eliminator Tires

The new Eliminator Tire looks and performs like a cushion tire, but is designed to replace its pneumatic shaped solid counterpart for use in abuse applications where conventional solids fall short. The Eliminator Tire offers better shock absorption, twice the carrying capacity, larger footprint to enhance traction, and comes in an aggressive traction and smooth tread design.

Non-Marking Tires

Pneumatic and cushion forklift tires are also available in a non-marking compound. This feature is critical when house cleaning is a major issues, and the floors must be kept clean. Carbon Black is replaced with Hydrated Silicas which help to prevent the tire residue from adhering to the floor surface. Non-marking tires typically have a life of approximately 25% less than its marking counterpart.

Choosing the right forklift tire will impact your productivity, safety and budget. If you have questions about forklift tire replacement, please contact a Shoppa's Mid America parts representative today!

Thank you to our friends at ProLift for this content.