Raymond unveils new products aimed at end-to-end productivity improvements

The Raymond Corp. introduced three new products at ProMat, including one that brings the lift truck provider into completely new territory. The RadioShuttle, an electric-powered load-carrier system designed to maximize warehouse volume by offering ultra-high-density storage with individual storage-rack access, attracted a crowd all day long. After a lift truck operator placed pallets on the remote control units, the flat rectangular shuttles carried pallets back into the front end of the deep lane. According to Raymond, the system reduces damage to goods and the rack itself by moving pallets through storage tunnels prior to being picked. The RadioShuttle is an outgrowth of the company's strategy of providing customers with productivity solutions, not just equipment, said Vice President of Sales Gary Kirchner.

Raymond also demonstrated a new product that can only be characterized as an ingeniously simple solution to a common problem. With more warehouses and DCs switching to pallet trucks with longer forks that can carry two or three pallets simultaneously, the likelihood of an order picker's placing an item on the wrong pallet is increasing. To prevent that from happening, Raymond has introduced the Pick2Pallet LED light system. When a picker using Vocollect's voice system signals that he or she has picked an item for a particular order, the warehouse management system (WMS) directs the picker to the correct pallet by illuminating a colored LED light that is built into the forks. The bright light is instantly visible to the order picker, eliminating the possibility that the picker will put the item on the wrong pallet.

The new Model 9800 Swing-Reach truck can help users triple pallet capacity in existing square footage by reaching heights of 40 to 50 feet in very-narrow-aisle storage facilities. A lift system with regenerative lowering reduces energy use by 40 percent per lift cycle, and a unique articulated steering system increases maneuverability and frees up space for additional storage locations, the company says.