I know customers that really like the info link from Crown. There are many things info link will do that even the best run warehouse cant do.

Promatch offers a system called G-Force Impact Monitor
I have sold and installed this system on many Cat units and it has worked perfectly
It can be adjusted and controled by the customer.

arun_p says "Human tendency is, I don't care, if it's not mine... and it is hard to change that mindset"
Edward_t says; !NO! but as long as you allow that argument, then you are the cause of that mindset.
There are very many respectful, honest and hardworking individuals on this planet. Those who are not should be taught and motivated to be, not excused as "it's hard to change". those who are honest hard working with ethical motivations should be offended at your logic, in my humble opinion.
heck, it's hard to learn to walk upright, but almost everyone who operates a forklift learned that at some point.
now as far as keeping a track on 100s of forklifts, there may well be a need to automate those functions with ever advancing technology, somewhat.
And yes, you can quantify the benefits if you meaure and put data in perspective. also 1+1=2. neither of these should be any sort of surprise.
good sales pitch though...

All,

Most of the comments are valid but in today's environment when companies have 100s to 1000s trucks, managing huge and scattered fleet is a big challenge. Human tendency is, I don't care, if it's not mine... and it is hard to change that mindset.

In addition to damage and safety checklist, utilization is not balanced and many companies have far more euipment than they need, and the reason is lack of data.

Battery management is another challenge and it has direct impact on battery life, equipment performance and productivity. And yes, you can quantify the benefits if you meaure and put data in perspective.

Companies who have taken advanatge of available data, have made improvements in their fleet management. As we tell all our customers, if you can't take ownership don't bother spending money, especially when you look at high cost products with higher ongoing costs. If you do, ACG (Access Control Group) can offer you scalable solution tailored for your needs so you don't pay for features you don't need.

Tugger, first let me say that I am not defending the sale of these types of monitors. I far and above believe in having employees who treat their employer's equipment as well as they would treat their own things, and if they don't, then either they need some "Special High Intensity Training" or to be shown the door in a manner that everyone knows they are no longer with the company with no further explanation needed or forthcoming.
IF the customer wants or doesn't want an "impact monitor" the decision should be made on reasons that are as true and accurate as possible.
All the incidents tugger suggests would all be items that a _properly_ installed and adjusted unit would be set to ignore, these scenario are the reason there are adjustments to how many Gs. not every location is going to be a smooth floor, nor should every forklift be allowed to go over the railroad tracks. These incidents are examples of an improperly installed and adjusted impact sensor, not of reasons to not purchase an impact sensor.
MY main reason not to purchase an impact sensor, if they were _proven_ to improve safety, they would be installed as standard (not an option) like operator presence and restraint systems are now.
There is no way to mechanically remove good training and management from a material handing situation.

If they dont shut down why would I not just drive away from impact area and say it just went off?

Edward t,

I disagree, the circumstances that you describe are only one of many that may invoke shutdown of the unit in the event of an impact. Consider a few of the following, 1) Unloading pallets from a powered conveyor such as in a bottling plant, operator gets it wrong , has an impact and truck cuts out with the forks in a pallet on the moving conveyor. 2) Truck goung across railway lines too fast, impact cuts the truck out, 3) Same crossing a road, hitting potholes, 4) Run down a grade and trap someone up against a wall or other obstruction....there are other forseeable scenarios. If you are happy to put people in tghese circumstances at risk, as these are"VERY suspicious" arguments, I hope you can sleep well at night!

tugger, this is a -VERY- specious argument, since the reverse is very much even more likely, that after running someone/something over the truck continues in a "runaway" condition and can not be moved away from the injured party, backwards because it is still trying to run forwards full power? It seems to me the shutdown of the unit would at the least improve safety for the first responder.

Roadtek, I dont doubt that the benefits can be high, but these devices are not necessary if you have good training and strong management. If you have to increase the aquisition cost or running cost per hour by fitting these these devices its a poor comment on the whole company workers and management alike.

On a slightly different note having impact devices configured so that the truck shuts down immediately on impact is potentially very dangerous. What if the impact was caused by an accident trapping someone? cant move the lift to get the injured person out till you find the supervisor to reset the device, that system should be made illegal.

There is a gforce something or other that will ID the operator and shut truck down on impact.but like stated if management dont care it wont work.If they do take action on findings it works.So what kind of customer is it is the factor not the device installed

I was involved with the Shockwatch years ago when they were simpler. Management posted the results in the breakroom once a week and impacts went down by a 1/3 with no reduction in productivity. BUT.... as has been pointed out, nothing works without management commitment to time,effort and continuos involvement. If you have that with good training, safety and programs what are you doing with these gadgets?

I was involved in the early stages of Crowns Info Link. It's a great system thats fully programmable to match operator and management spec's. Several highlights: You know who is operating a truck, where it is, what it's doing. You also know an operator has actually gone through the safety check list, otherwise the truck will not operate. You can set it to shut down on impact, not shut down, display a warning, or management can send live messages to the screen. You can use as much or as little of the features as needed. The cost is high, however the bennefits are real. Tugger, sorry pal, I have disaggree with you. In todays economy, you need to keep an eye on damage, productivity, and the safety of all employees. Just type in " forklift accidents" on You-tube or metcalfdotcom and have a look.

And if by now ypu hadnt got the message......they are more trouble than they are worth. When they go wrong and the truck does not work, its always the "Crown" or "Yale" that has broken down, and the Tech from "Jones Lifts" that didnt have the parts to fix it, never the monitoring system that causes the problem who get the blame!! Previous contributor got it right, If management is good and on the ball, you dont need them, if they are not they either cant afford it, OR more likely are powerless for whatever reason to use the data effectively to control damage costs, penalise operators etc.

The OSHA checklist or "Pre use check" in UK is present in systems, but it does not increase safety one bit, operators just scroll through the checks and tick them, they no more do the checks with or without the system!! Where management correctly instruct and monitor this activity, the checks are recorded in a log book, which is still faster than using the electronic system.

With a big fleet it does take significant management time to analyse the data coming back from these systems especially if they are being used for driver access and fleet management.

Operators and management need to step up to the plate and accept their responsibilities, then there will be no market for these expensive add ons.

My opinion only but, nothing can replace high quality management, operators and excellent training for all. Systems like shock watch and other truck monitoring bells and whistles are costly to purchase, install and maintain. In a well run facility they are unnecessary. In a badly run facility, blame must be assigned it would seem. The trouble is the badly run facilities, by definition, can't afford these kinds of add ons and, even if they could afford them, they wouldn't spend the money. These systems are not cheap and the justification figures presented by suppliers are dubious at best.

I had trouble at a customers site with operators damaging machines so looked into fitting shockwatches the problem was has mentioned the truck would shut down and sound the alarm until reset which was abit inconvenient really. We ended up fitting a transmon unit which monitored the truck for impact and was programmable to slow the truck down each driver had a key code so the operator was monitored and if the machine had a impact it wouldnt shut down but the operator would have to explain if he hadnt reported it at the end of his shift this was mrked down and at the end of the month if his impact % was above the target his bonus was effected with a deduction, this i can tell you certainly stopped operators
abusing the machines so if a company wants to stop company damage hit the pocket but remember to reward to keep there respect.