Open classification: machinery, logistics equipment, handling machinery and storage equipment

Forklift

Forklift plays a very important role in the logistics system of enterprises and is the main force in material handling equipment. Widely used in stations, ports, airports, factories, warehouses and other departments of the national economy, it is an efficient equipment for mechanized loading and unloading, stacking and short-distance transportation. Self-propelled forklifts appeared in 1917. During World War II, forklifts were developed. China began to manufacture forklifts in the early 195s. Especially with the rapid development of China's economy, the material handling of most enterprises has been separated from the original manual handling, and replaced by forklift-based mechanized handling. Therefore, in the past few years, the demand of forklift truck market in China has increased at a double-digit rate every year.

At present, there are many forklift brands to choose from in the market, and the models are complex. In addition, the products themselves are highly technical and very professional. Therefore, the choice of models and suppliers is a common problem faced by many enterprises. This paper focuses on the car model selection, brand selection, performance evaluation criteria and other aspects.

first, vehicle type selection

the vehicle type and configuration required by the industry.

1. Vehicle classification

Forklifts can usually be divided into three categories: internal combustion forklifts, electric forklifts and storage forklifts.

(1) internal combustion forklift

internal combustion forklift is divided into ordinary internal combustion forklift, heavy forklift, container forklift and side forklift.

① Ordinary internal-combustion forklift trucks

Generally, diesel, gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas engines are used as power, with a load capacity of 1.2-8. tons and a working channel width of 3.5-5. meters. Considering the exhaust emission and noise problems, they are usually used outdoors, in workshops or other places where there are no special requirements for exhaust emission and noise. Because the fuel supply is convenient, it can realize long-term continuous operation and be competent to work in harsh environment (such as rainy days).

② Heavy-duty forklifts

are powered by diesel engines, with a carrying capacity of 1. ~ 52. tons, and are generally used for outdoor operations in docks, steel and other industries with heavy goods.

③ Container forklifts

are powered by diesel engines, with a carrying capacity of 8. ~ 45. tons, which are generally divided into empty container stacker, heavy container stacker and container front crane. It is applied to container handling, such as container yard or port terminal operation.

④ The side forklift

is powered by a diesel engine with a bearing capacity of 3. ~ 6. tons. Without turning, it has the ability to fork goods directly from the side, so it is mainly used to fork long goods, such as wooden strips and steel bars.

(2) The electric forklift

takes the motor as the power and the battery as the energy source. The bearing capacity is 1. ~ 4.8 tons, and the width of the working channel is generally 3.5 ~ 5. meters. Because of no pollution and low noise, it is widely used in working conditions with high environmental requirements, such as medicine and food industries. Because each battery usually needs to be charged after working for about 8 hours, it needs to be equipped with spare batteries for multi-shift working conditions.

(3) storage forklift

storage forklift is mainly designed for cargo handling in the warehouse. Except for a few storage forklifts (such as manual pallet forklifts), all of them are driven by electric motors, which are widely used in the storage industry because of their compact body, flexible movement, light weight and good environmental protection performance. When working in multiple shifts, the storage forklift driven by motor needs to have spare batteries.

① Electric pallet handling forklift

The carrying capacity is 1.6 ~ 3. tons, the working channel width is generally 2.3 ~ 2.8 meters, and the lifting height of the fork is generally about 21mm, which is mainly used for horizontal handling and cargo loading and unloading in warehouses. Generally, there are two operation modes: walking mode and standing driving mode, which can be selected according to the efficiency requirements.

② The electric pallet stacking forklift

has a bearing capacity of 1. ~ 1.6 tons, and the working channel width is generally 2.3 ~ 2.8 meters. Compared with the electric pallet handling forklift, it has more gantry in structure, and the lifting height of the fork is generally within 4.8 meters, which is mainly used for stacking and loading and unloading goods in warehouses.

③ Forward-moving forklift

has a bearing capacity of 1. ~ 2.5 tons, and the gantry can move forward or retract as a whole. When retracting, the working channel width is generally 2.7 ~ 3.2 meters, and the lifting height can reach about 11 meters, which is often used for stacking and picking up goods in warehouses with medium height.

④ electric picking forklift

under some working conditions (such as the distribution center of a supermarket), it is not necessary to ship the whole pallet, but to pick a variety of goods to form a pallet according to the order, which is called picking. According to the height of picking goods, electric picking forklifts can be divided into low-position picking forklifts (within 2.5 meters) and medium-high-position picking forklifts (up to 1 meters).

the bearing capacity is 2. ~ 2.5 tons (low position) and 1. ~ 1.2 tons (middle and high position with cab lifting).

⑤ A low-position driving three-way stacking forklift

Usually equipped with a three-way stacking head, the forklift can stack and pick up the goods on both sides without turning, and the passage width is 1.5 ~ 2.m, and the lifting height can reach 12m. The cab of forklift truck can't be lifted on the ground all the time. Considering the limitation of operating vision, it is mainly used for lifting height less than 6 meters.

⑥ High-position driving three-way stacking forklift

Similar to low-position driving three-way stacking forklift, high-position driving three-way stacking forklift is also equipped with a three-way stacking head, with a channel width of 1.5 ~ 2.m and a lifting height of 14.5m.. Its cab can be lifted, and the driver can clearly observe the goods at any height and can also carry out picking operations. The high-position driving three-way stacking forklift is superior to the low-position driving three-way stacking forklift in efficiency and various performances, so this model has gradually replaced the low-position driving three-way stacking forklift.

⑦ electric tractor

The tractor is driven by a motor, and its traction capacity (3. ~ 25 tons) is used to pull several cars loaded with goods behind. It is often used for the transportation of a large number of goods in workshops or between workshops, such as the transportation of warehouses to assembly lines in automobile manufacturing and baggage transportation at airports.

2. Selecting vehicle type and configuration according to working conditions

Generally, the selection of vehicle type and configuration should proceed from the following aspects:

(1) Operation function

The basic operation functions of forklift are divided into horizontal handling, stacking/picking, loading/unloading and picking. According to the operation function that the enterprise wants to achieve, it can be preliminarily determined from the models introduced above. In addition, special operation functions will affect the configuration of forklift trucks, such as carrying paper rolls, molten iron, etc., and forklift trucks need to be equipped with accessories to complete special functions.

(2) Operation requirements

The operation requirements of forklift trucks include general requirements such as pallet or cargo specifications, lifting height, working channel width, climbing degree, etc. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider the requirements of operation efficiency (different models have different efficiencies) and operation habits (such as sitting or standing).

(3) Working environment

If the goods to be transported by the enterprise or the warehouse environment requires environmental protection such as noise or exhaust emission, it should be considered when selecting the vehicle type and configuration. If it is in a cold storage or in an environment with explosion-proof requirements, the forklift configuration should also be cold storage type or explosion-proof type. Carefully inspect the places where forklift trucks need to pass during operation, and imagine possible problems, such as whether the height of the door affects forklift trucks when entering and leaving the warehouse; When entering and leaving the elevator, the influence of elevator height and load on the forklift; When working upstairs, whether the floor bearing capacity meets the corresponding requirements, and so on.

when selecting the type and determining the configuration, it is necessary to describe the working conditions in detail to the forklift supplier and conduct on-the-spot investigation to ensure that the selected forklift fully meets the needs of the enterprise. Even if the analysis of the above steps is completed, there may still be several models that can meet the above requirements at the same time. At this time, we need to pay attention to the following aspects:

① Different models have different work efficiency, so the number of forklifts and drivers required is also different, which will lead to a series of cost changes. See the discussion on cost in the performance evaluation section of this article for details.

② if the forklift truck works in the warehouse, different models need different channel widths and different lifting capacities, which will bring about changes in the layout of the warehouse, such as changes in the amount of goods stored.

③ the change of vehicle types and their numbers will have an impact on many aspects such as fleet management.

(4) Different models have different market holdings, and their after-sales support capabilities are also different. For example, low-position driving three-way stacking forklifts and high-position driving three-way stacking forklifts belong to a series of narrow-aisle forklifts, and they can both stack and pick up goods in a very narrow aisle (1.5 ~ 2.m). However, the former cab can not be lifted, so the operating vision is poor and the working efficiency is low. Because the latter can completely cover the functions of the former, and its performance is more outstanding, the market sales volume of the latter is 4-5 times higher than that of the former in Europe, and it is more than 6 times in China. Therefore, most suppliers focus on the development of high-position driving three-way stacking forklifts, while low-position driving three-way stacking forklifts are only used under the working conditions of small tonnage and low lifting height (generally within 6 meters). When the market sales volume is very small, the service ability of its after-sales service engineers, engineers' experience and spare parts inventory level will be relatively weak.

after comprehensively evaluating the impacts of the above aspects, choose the most reasonable scheme.

second, brand selection

at present, there are dozens of forklift brands in the domestic market, from domestic to imported.

Domestic brands: Heli, Hangzhou, Dalian, Giant Whale, Hunan Forklift, Tailifu, Jingjiang, Liugong, Jiali, Jingjiang Baodi, Tianjin Forklift, Luoyang Yituo, Shangli Heavy Industry, Yuchai Forklift, Hefei Banyitong, Hunan Hengli, etc.

imported brands: Linde (Germany), Hester (USA), Toyota (Japan), Eternal Power (Germany), BT (Sweden), Komatsu (Japan), TCM (Japan), Liziyou (Japan), Nissan (Japan), Hyundai (Korea) and Doosan Daewoo (Korea)

Joint venture brands: Weishihai, Ruyi and Nuoli.

initially determine several brands as the scope of consideration, and then comprehensively evaluate them. In the primary selection stage, the following aspects are generally regarded as the primary selection criteria:

1. The product quality and reputation of the brand;

2. What is the after-sales support ability of the brand, and whether there are service outlets in or near the location of the enterprise;

3. The product quality and service of the brand that the enterprise has used;

4. The selected brand should be consistent with the positioning of the enterprise.

after the primary selection, the comprehensive evaluation of each brand includes brand, product quality, price, service ability, etc.

when choosing brands, many enterprises have some misunderstandings: if all forklifts are imported brands, the quality is similar and the price should be close. In fact, this is a common-sense mistake, just like cars. There are many imported brands of cars, and the price gap between different brands is also very large, but the performance is of course different. In addition, forklift is an industrial equipment, and ensuring the normal operation of the equipment to the maximum extent is one of the goals of the enterprise, and shutdown means loss. Therefore, it is essential to choose a brand with guaranteed after-sales service. China's forklift market is very large, which attracts many foreign forklift suppliers. However, China has a vast territory, and it is difficult to establish a national professional service network without a certain period of time.

iii. performance evaluation criteria

during comprehensive evaluation, many enterprises often fail to make reasonable judgments on product quality because they don't know the professional knowledge and technology of forklifts. Generally speaking, the superior performance of high-quality forklift trucks is often reflected in many aspects such as high efficiency, low cost, high reliability, good ergonomic design and convenient service.

1. High efficiency

High efficiency not only means high speed (driving, lifting and descending speed), but also means that the time required for the operator to complete a work cycle is short, and this efficiency can be maintained all the time. Many factors can improve the efficiency:

① the speed, such as driving speed, lifting and descending speed;

② The application of ergonomics design can reduce the times of operation;

③ the accuracy of operation;

④ The application of ergonomics design can minimize fatigue;

⑤ Good vision;

2. Low cost

When an enterprise purchases and uses a forklift, the total annual cost includes:

① purchase cost;

② maintenance cost;

③ energy consumption cost;

④ labor cost;

the purchase cost will be spread evenly over the life of the forklift. Therefore, the high-priced forklift will reduce the purchase cost because of its longer life.

the actual maintenance cost is not only related to the cost of repairing parts, but also related to the failure rate or failure time. Therefore, a high-quality forklift, because of its low failure rate, its maintenance cost is also lower.

the energy consumption cost will vary with forklifts with different power systems, such as electric energy, diesel oil, liquefied petroleum gas or gasoline.

The labor cost varies with the number of drivers and their total monthly salary. The number of drivers will be reduced due to the use of efficient forklifts.

3. High safety

The safety design of the forklift should be able to fully ensure the safety of the driver, the goods and the forklift itself. High-quality forklifts often consider every detail and every possibility in safety design.

4. Ergonomics

Ergonomics is a science widely used in product design, especially in improving the operating environment, with the aim of maximizing production efficiency by reducing driver fatigue and increasing operating comfort.

In the forklift design, ergonomics is reflected in all aspects:

① Reduce the fatigue of the driver during operation: the unique design can reduce the driver's operation actions and make the operation more labor-saving;

② Comfort: Humanized design can keep the driver in a good mood and reduce operational errors;

③ Good visual field: It provides a good visual field for forklift operation, which can not only improve efficiency, but also ensure the safety of drivers.

5. Convenient maintenance

Whether the forklift is convenient for maintenance should be considered. All parts and components should be easily replaced, and the diagnosis and elimination of faults should be quick. The control systems of high-quality forklifts have been modularized, which can be directly connected with a laptop computer, and can quickly find faults or modify parameter settings (such as driving speed) by using diagnostic programs.

before buying a forklift, an enterprise should not only know the price and tonnage of the forklift, but also make a purchase decision after considering the strength, reputation, service guarantee and other factors of the forklift manufacturer in combination with the specific working conditions and development planning of the enterprise. A powerful forklift supplier can provide reliable after-sales service, and its sales staff should have professional knowledge, which can help customers complete the work of vehicle type and configuration selection.

CPCD should be a forklift model code, just like FD/FG now. the first c should be a domestic code, and the latter should mean that it is an internal combustion engine or a battery. CPCD is a general forklift. C: forklift; P: balance weight; C: diesel engine; D: tonnage. There are also side forks, whose codes are CCCD and so on, and some special forklifts have their own codes.

The key parameters are:

1. Load capacity;

2. engine brand and model;

3. Electronic control brand