This year, more than ever, we have been reminded of the importance of material handling operations in the successful movement of products throughout the global supply chain. As the industry is increasingly strapped for labor due to increased demand, it’s imperative to create environments where operators want to work. Prioritizing employee training, and reinforcing that training with intelligent warehouse solutions, is key to creating a safe work environment employees are excited about.
Raymond is committed to helping our customers foster their culture of safety and continuous improvement through the optimization of data, people, and processes while maximizing efficiency.
Training to Achieve a Culture of Safety
Training is fundamental for achieving a safety-first culture. New advancements in education, such as e-learning and virtual reality instruction, have not only revolutionized warehouse operational efficiency, but also play a critical role in enhancing safety.
Raymond offers industry-leading solutions to help your operation achieve a more secure, productive work environment:
- The Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator, the only VR simulator on the market that can plug directly into a forklift, assists in coaching lift truck operators and helps them reach higher proficiency levels more efficiently. The simulator is a supplementary educational tool to Raymond’s Safety On The Move® operator training program, allowing future operators to simulate forklift operation in a realistic setting before they actually set foot on the warehouse floor.
- Raymond’s Safety On The Move is a comprehensive, modular online training program that introduces best practices for warehouse environments to help protect employees, equipment, and materials while complying with OSHA requirements.
- The Raymond Steps to Safety™: Pedestrian Safety training program assists in teaching pedestrians how to act responsibly where lift trucks are in operation, emphasizing the importance of operators and pedestrians working together to create a safe environment.
These comprehensive programs are often available with hybrid classroom training and e-learning options.
Intelligent Warehouse Solutions
Advanced technology solutions that connect people and equipment can guide decisions about the best process and operational improvements for your operation. Telematics solutions are a great place to start for material handling operations looking to uncover hidden issues, like warehouse congestion, that might not be apparent otherwise. For example:
- Raymond’s iWAREHOUSE® can help customers better manage any size fleet — across multiple locations — by providing real-time data on what forklift operators are doing, their productivity, and other optimization opportunities, including identifying and preventing potential issues.
- Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) monitor and identify the movements of lift trucks, personnel, and assets in the warehouse. Through accurate (+/- 3 ft) geofencing, zoning, and tracking capabilities, RTLS reinforces training and optimizes your processes. Raymond’s RTLS tool enables Raymond vehicles to be brought to a controlled stop if a zone violation is detected.
Using connected technologies like telematics and RTL to gather data is an important step in improving an operation’s efficiency.
Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Creating a culture of safety is an ongoing process. It takes commitment and continuous improvement, and a willingness to train and retrain forklift operators and pedestrians alike. Inspiring all employees to be accountable in supporting and sustaining a safety-first culture is imperative for achieving a productive work environment.
Safety On The Move®, Steps To Safety™, iWAREHOUSE®,and Raymond® are U.S. trademarks of The Raymond Corporation.
David Norton is vice president, customer solutions and support, at The Raymond Corporation.
Contributed by The Raymond Corporation
