Raymond Launches iWarehouse

April 1, 2008
GREENE, N.Y.The Raymond Corp. announced the launch of its new iWarehouse fleet management solution for warehouse and distribution center managers at NA

GREENE, N.Y.—The Raymond Corp. announced the launch of its new iWarehouse fleet management solution for warehouse and distribution center managers at NA 2008, the material handling and logistics show presented by the Material Handling Industry of America in Cleveland.

The iWarehouse system draws real-time information from the operating systems of Raymond’s lift trucks, and warehouse managers can access the information via a Web portal. They can then generate reports and benchmark lift truck and operator productivity; diagnose potential lift truck issues remotely; reduce the risk of impacts; and optimize lift truck capital and maintenance costs.

The iWarehouse system is the result of a partnership between Raymond and ShockWatch, a company that specializes in usage monitoring and impact detection.

According to Raymond, the iWarehouse system connects to a lift truck vehicle manager with a single connector called the iPort. The data from lift trucks equipped with iWarehouse is not inferred from contactors and sensors but instead comes from the vehicle manager itself, said Raymond officials.

The iWarehouse system comes with a variety of modules from which users can choose. The modules allow warehouse managers to collect information about lift truck fleets and send lift trucks instructions.

For example, iAlert automatically sends alert code notifications via e-mail to a service technician to identify required maintenance or to provide an early indicator of an impending maintenance issue.

iControl configures operator profiles based on skill level to limit lift speed and acceleration, which are set automatically when the operator signs in to use the truck. The iControl module also verifies that operator licenses are current and ensures the operator is certified to operate a particular type of lift truck.

iImpact notifies warehouse and service managers if there is an impact or other event while the truck is in motion. The system can be programmed to limit travel speeds based on the level of the impact.

iVerify requires the operator to review the OSHA-mandated operator daily checklist before the lift truck will start and notifies the service manager if an item needs service. If critical items fail inspection, the lift truck will not start until service is performed, according to Raymond.

Next, iMetrics tracks lift truck usage data to determine whether the best truck was used for a specific application, total hours of operation and number of lift trucks used during a given shift.

iTrack generates reports on lift truck fleet data by truck, facility, region and company and also features online access through a Web portal. Users can track parts and labor time for each truck and generate reports, according to Raymond.