Yale aims to raise customer expectations

Feb 26, 2017 Warehousing Ireland Logistics, Materials Handling, News Comments Off on Yale aims to raise customer expectations

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Committed to solving the issues that prevent customers from moving goods in the most efficient and cost-effective manner, Yale Europe Materials Handling employs a two-pronged strategy to meet the specific needs of key segments. Using both new product development and the company’s team of engineers designing solutions for specific applications or industries, Yale aims to provide a full range of differentiated product and service solutions, offering specific industry applications that consistently meet customer needs and lower total cost of ownership.

Following a number of recent product announcements, the company’s pipeline is expected to provide a continuous stream of new product innovations over the next several years. With a deep understanding of customer requirements based on industry insight as well as feedback from engineering projects, Yale and more than 150 dealers worldwide, offer a unique blend of product excellence and customer-centric service.

Ian Melhuish, VP Solutions Group, said: “We take our responsibility to our customers extremely seriously. Adapting our products to their specific needs and working in partnership to provide the optimum solution for each application enables us to drive forward our innovation continually.”

Mark Stent, Engineering Concept Centre Operations Director agrees, adding: “We seek to anticipate customer needs within our new product development engineering process through deep industry insight but direct feedback is always welcome as we aim to update our offering to suit a wide spectrum of needs. These range from technology, ergonomic or functional enhancements to full product designs based around specific application requirements and targeted business challenges.”

Delivering Technology Enhancements

With a long-standing reputation for listening to customers as well as acting on their feedback, Yale has a track record of incorporating improvements across the product range for the benefit of all customers. Recently for example, technology enhancements have included engine upgrades, fly-by-wire steering and e-braking.

In October 2015, fly-by-wire steering was introduced as standard to all of the Yale ERP 15-20VT series three-wheel electric counterbalance forklift trucks, improving energy performance by 10 per cent. With operators able to use the truck for longer periods between battery changes, this translates into improved productivity and real financial savings that go straight to the bottom line.

The introduction of e-braking to the ERP16-20VF also makes significant energy savings, with the 1.6 tonne, 4-wheel, medium wheelbase model boasting an energy consumption figure of 4.4 kWh/h, amongst the best in class.

New Product Innovation

From comfortable operator ergonomics to alternative power options, Yale offers an unrivalled commitment to innovation and quality. New product releases over recent months have included the MS10-16 pedestrian stacker, the MPT rider pallet truck and the MX counterbalanced forklift series. Each of these dependable new products draws upon learning and feedback from customer environments to offer the latest innovations in ergonomics, productivity, serviceability and low cost of ownership.

The latest pedestrian stacker introduces a number of enhanced features. Excellent through-mast visibility and precision control ensure operator confidence while robust construction and a lifting and carrying capacity of up to 1.6 tonnes offer broad usability. The stacker is ideal for businesses with smaller facilities where manoeuvring space is limited, such as storage rooms of supermarkets, small scale warehouses and cold stores operating to -30°C, industrial manufacturing, retail operations (such as DIY stores) and assembly operations.

Changing the way in which operators work, the MPT rider pallet truck, with its unique seat configuration, combines key benefits of platform and seated models. Giving operators the freedom and flexibility of standing, leaning, or the comfort of sitting for long transfers, this truck breaks new ground in material handling environments.

Service-Centric People

Backed by an extensive and long-standing global dealer network, Yale is also intent on delivering innovation as well as excellence in service. The highly skilled and responsive dealer network combined with innovative financing and service solutions mean that customers can be assured of efficient and effective support to meet their exact needs. Whether financing and maintaining trucks over an extended operating lifecycle with telematics-enabled fleet management or providing a short stop-gap solution with short-term rental offerings, the dedicated team in the Yale network continues to offer an exceptional customer experience.

Ian Melhuish concluded: “The Yale focus on “People. Products. Productivity.™” sums up the elements of business we think are most important when delivering on our promise to customers. We believe it’s truly a team effort that’s responsible for such an impressive Yale record of understanding the ever-changing needs of our customers in this very demanding industry.”

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