The new reach truck from Hyster has been launched at simultaneous events across Europe

 “A reach truck is the number one warehouse product at the core of most warehouse materials handling fleets” says Ralf Mock, Managing Director, EMEA for NMHG. “The latest Hyster Reach Truck model has been intelligently designed to deliver reliability, dependability and a low cost of ownership to demanding operations everywhere.”

The new Hyster Reach Truck has been designed to lift loads up to 12.5 metres and is technically advanced, featuring a new mast design and a modular operator compartment.
Two mast types are available and share innovative features. Residual capacity is maintained to greater heights thanks to the new unique patented channel mast design and visibility is improved through reduced total channel width. The overall height of the new Hyster Reach Truck can be lower for travelling under doors and onto trailers for example.

“Previously, a 2 tonne truck would be specified, not necessarily to lift 2 tonnes, but to achieve a lower weight at a higher lift height” says Robert O’Donoghue, Senior Product Strategy Leader, NMHG. “The new Hyster Reach Truck offers faster lifting and lowering speeds and improved residual capacity with reduced friction between the mast stages. Some operations may find that they can specify a smaller truck where a larger one may have been required previously.”

Offering travel speeds of up to 14 km per hour and a lift speed of 0.8 metres per second, the new Hyster Reach Truck has been successfully trialled in a number of operations, including DHL and Renault trucks.

“Extensive research, operator testing, evaluation and feedback have gone into the development of this Hyster Reach Truck, with testing carried out by over 50 real drivers, rather than 1 or 2 product managers” says Ralf Mock, NMHG Managing Director (EMEA). “We have ensured substantial customer involvement throughout the process as well as input from our network of distribution partners.”

The operator compartment is available in 4 different chassis shapes, which are standard, narrow, and two types for drive in racking. The truck’s operator compartment chassis, which were previously all one piece, are built in three parts, comprising of the base, the operator compartment and the overhead guard.

The modular design helps to reduce complexity in manufacturing and in the supply chain for replacement parts. If, for example, the overhead guard suffers any damage, that one piece can be replaced without replacing the rest of the shell. The cab’s design also lends itself to interchangeable operator compartments, so a cab can easily be converted to work in the cold store with a new guard.

Using common components across the Hyster range helps to improve the maintenance servicing of the equipment. The new Hyster reach truck provides class-leading ergonomics with unique intuitive operator features and functionality. An operator will get on and off a reach truck approximately 60 times during a 12 hour shift, according to research carried out by Hyster, so easy access and egress has been integrated into the design, with two dedicated handles and a low, wide step. Easy access and a spacious and comfortable operator compartment help the reach truck operator to work harder and faster, combating fatigue through enhanced comfort.

A large range of new components have been included on the new Hyster Reach Truck to suit the operator, including a new adjustable armrest and steering column, new motors (traction/pump/steering), new premium display and a new mini lever system which is featured on the Hyster electric counterbalance truck range. A joystick option is also available.

To help enhance speed and accuracy, an optional laser positioning system shines a beam of light onto the racking when a load is raised above free lift (around 2m). NACCO Materials Handling Group is currently the only company to offer this option in Europe. Common features used on Hyster counterbalance trucks and the Hyster reach truck will allow operators to easily transfer between different types of vehicle.

“Reliability and dependability are hallmarks delivered by all Hyster equipment. We work with our warehouse customers to help specify the correct product to meet the application requirements, and surrounding services, delivering dependability in heavy duty and intense operations” says Ralf Mock. “Through a network of distribution partners, we offer global capability, powerful service back-up, and a strong, local support infrastructure.”

Reliability is the most important truck feature for many warehouse managers according to research conducted by Hyster. But how do tough and reliable trucks have an impact on warehouse performance? “We know how drivers operate, what they are expected to do and the challenges they encounter,” says Robert O’Donoghue, Senior Product Strategy Leader, NACCO Materials Handling Group, explaining that the company has a deep understanding of all kinds of warehouse applications.

“That is why Hyster has made such a significant investment in developing some of the toughest and most reliable warehouse trucks on the market,” he says. “Our aim is to keep businesses moving.” Ongoing Hyster studies across major industries throughout the world have shown that the reliability of handling equipment is one of the major impacts on warehouse performance. Issues with reliability have a detrimental impact on costs, throughput and driver productivity.

Other factors also contribute to the ultimate goal of reducing the customer’s total cost of ownership, such as energy efficiency and truck performance. “Hyster has a full warehouse range from pallet trucks, stackers and reach trucks through to order pickers and VNA (Very Narrow Aisle trucks), as well as electric counterbalanced and compact LPG engine powered trucks. Common to all is the intelligent Hyster design bringing reliability, strength, low cost of operation and energy efficiency to every application,” he says.

For businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce their energy bills and get better shift life, the powerful Hyster JXN electric forklift range is one of the most energy efficient on the market. With pneumatic and cushion tyre variants, the tough 1.5–5 tonne capacity models excel in indoor or outdoor arduous operations. In fact, such robust design and outstanding traction was previously only expected from IC trucks.

To enhance the operator’s productivity when transporting, stacking or loading pallets, Hyster pallet and stacker trucks provide high reliability, power and precision with a low cost of operation. Pick speed and reliability are essential in picking operations, and the Hyster low level order picker with scooter like control is designed to get the best performance from individual pickers, ensuring loads are placed at the optimum height for the operation with maximum machine reliability.

To maximise space with very narrow aisles and tall racking, the Hyster VNA truck has been developed to help operators efficiently retrieve pallets in high intensity operations up to 17m. To deliver one of the quickest VNA transits in the industry, the horizontal movement intelligently combines with vertical movements, and the patented QUAD form mast design provides unmatched rigidity and torsional strength, with proven reliability.

From concept through to launch, each new Hyster product follows a carefully structured development process, including steps confirming that the product design will deliver all the intended benefits to its users. Stringent testing and life-cycle simulation assure the dependability of the truck design. Many tried and tested components are used across the product range.

Product testing is an essential part of the production process. “Through strict quality testing, we develop products that we know will deliver reliability, dependability and a low total cost of ownership” adds Robert. “To support the testing carried out during development of the product, we also follow up with customers to gather results from real life applications to give the inside story and the ‘proof’ we provide to the rest of the world.”

All Hyster manufacturing sites are ISO certified and employ world class manufacturing technology and state of the art processes. The Hyster quality process is adhered to at every manufacturing stage for every piece of equipment. Further proof of the quality processes is the number of awards the NMHG Masate Plant has received over the years. These include DFT certification for the company-wide Demand Flow Technology system, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification.

“Using 3D warehouse simulation software, we can demonstrate how our products will work in the application before they are specified or implemented,” says Robert. ”The Hyster warehouse simulator supports the decision making process by calculating throughput and allowing the customer to visualise the impact of using different layouts and truck combinations.”

Once in operation, the new Hyster Tracker, a Wireless Access Monitoring System, enables effective fleet management helping to keep tough Hyster forklift trucks running for even longer and even more productively.

www.hyster.eu

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