UniCarriers will perform customisations on the assembly line

UniCarriers Americas (UCA) is increasing the number of standard options on its Platinum II, Nomad and BX Cushion series forklifts. Over 21 new options, previously only available as custom orders, will become part of UCA's inventory, resulting in lead times shortened by over five weeks.

UCA says it analysed the wide variety of environments and applications in which its trucks are utilised to determine which custom parts to offer as standard options. UCA has also enhanced its manufacturing process to add the standard options to the trucks as they come down the assembly line. This highly efficient process results in a reduction in lead times when trucks are ordered with these new standard options.

Examples of UniCarriers' new options include an Extended Debris Package, which helps offer additional protection from shrink-wrap and other common debris from warehouse environments. The Remote Jumper Cable Posts offer yet another solution to applications with severe battery drain from repeated engine start/stop cycles and high current draw from accessories allowing for charging without opening the hood.

With this program, UCA seeks to establish an efficiency benchmark for offering customised solutions and standard options.

Where custom orders were previously modified off-line, UCA now fulfills custom orders concurrently within the manufacturing process, with trucks being modified as they come down the line.

"We've listened to the needs of our customers and worked with them to develop extremely intricate customisation that is done quickly and cost-effectively," says Mark Porwit, director, corporate planning at UniCarriers Americas. "The result offers end-users extremely customisable trucks, which can now be delivered faster than ever."

UCA is currently offering more than 21 new standard options for internal combustion engine trucks, with options on electric units beginning soon.