Looking for the best forklifts for the food manufacturing industry? Here are some of your top choices:
Learn why these are the best forklifts for the food manufacturing industry
What Are the Best Forklifts for the Food Manufacturing Industry?
Today we are going to take a look at what types of forklifts are the best for the food manufacturing industry. Facilities that handle both food and beverages for consumption have unique challenges to overcome, such as:
The necessity to have incredibly fast turnarounds to prevent food spoilage
The need for frequent wash-downs to maintain sanitary conditions for health regulations
Working in a cold storage environment to preserve your products
When choosing the best forklift for the food manufacturing industry and the one that suits your needs best, it is important to make sure that the equipment you choose will be able to withstand the above conditions.
Here are some great options and why they would make a good choice.
Why Pallet Jacks Are One of the Best Forklifts for the food manufacturing Industry
Walkie Pallet Jack
Double Pallet Jack
Stocking Shelves:
Pallet jacks are a great solution if you need to move and stack pallets of food or beverages in smaller spaces. They work particularly well in supermarkets where space is limited, especially in store aisles where shelves need to be stocked.
You don't want to be bringing a full-sized forklift onto your store floor when customers are present, but a small walkie pallet jack can handle the full weight of your skids. They are easy to handle and maneuver in tight spaces.
Fast Turnaround Times:
Dealing with perishable foodstuffs means that you need to make sure that your turnaround times are as fast as possible. Investing in a double pallet jack will enable you to handle twice as many pallets in the same amount of time thus increasing your efficiency.
Check out this pallet jack in action
Safety:
Pallet jacks are electric-powered which means that they don't give off harmful fumes which can easily contaminate food and be harmful to workers in enclosed spaces.
Deliveries:
Another great benefit of pallet jacks is that they are great for unloading and loading deliveries from a truck. Time is of the essence, especially on warm summer days, to get your food products that need refrigeration or freezing to and from delivery trucks and your refrigerated areas.
Pallet jacks can help you move your foodstuffs quickly to keep them from spoiling
Why Reach Trucks Are One of the Best Forklifts for the food manufacturing Industry
High Reaching Capabilities:
Most food manufacturing locations have limited storage space and often have shelving that is higher than traditional forklifts are able to reach.
Reach trucks are the perfect choice for these situations as they are specially designed with small spaces and high shelving in mind. A reach truck will be able to quickly access the products that you need, when you need them.
Lifting Capacities:
Reach trucks usually have lifting capacities of 2,500lbs to 5,000 lbs. This is helpful as skids of food and beverages can be very heavy so you need equipment that can lift heavy loads up to greater heights.
Roof and rack heights vary among different food manufacturing facilities. Make sure that you purchase a forklift that can reach high enough to accommodate for your highest racking.
Reach trucks can access mich higher products than an ordinary forklift
Accessibility and Speed:
If you are working in the food industry, you understand that time is money, especially as your products will often have a relatively short shelf life. Therefore, choosing material handling equipment that is going to speed up your processes is very important to the success of your business.
Investing in a reach truck is another way that you can speed up your processes. Reach trucks will give you faster access to the products and materials that you need.
Fuel Source:
Reach trucks are usually electric, which makes them the perfect choice for operating indoors and around food as they don't give off harmful fumes. If you choose one with an onboard charger, then you can also greatly reduce any downtime for recharging your battery.
Reach trucks can help you speed up your processes
Why Electric Forklifts Are One of the Best Forklifts for the food manufacturing Industry
safe Fuel Source:
As stated before, you need to be careful that you don’t produce harmful fumes around foodstuffs. In addition, if you need your forklift to work in tight spaces and indoors, then you will also need to make sure that you choose the correct fuel source.
If you choose an electric forklift instead of one that is fueled by propane or diesel, you will not have to worry about harmful emissions contaminating your food or harming your workers and customers.
Limited Space:
If you require a larger forklift for your purposes, but space is tight in your food-producing facility, you can choose a 3-wheel forklift. 3-wheel forklifts are more maneuverable and require less space to operate than 4-wheel forklifts. Due to their slender, 3-wheeled design, they have a much tighter turning radius than a traditional 4-wheel forklift.
In addition, you can choose a stand-up version that has the operator stand up instead of sitting in a cab. Doing away with seating means that the dimensions of this forklift are even smaller, making it great for fitting into tighter spaces.
Stand-up Forklift
3-Wheel Forklift
The following video will show you a demonstration of all of the great features of this 3-wheeled electric forklift by Hangcha:
3-wheel forklifts have a tighter turning radius
Why Lithium-ion Electric Forklifts Are One of the Best Forklifts for the food manufacturing Industry
Fast Turnaround Times:
As stated, it is important to make sure that the equipment you choose for your food manufacturing facility is going to give you the fastest turnaround times possible.
If you choose an electric forklift that has a lithium-ion battery, then your charging times are much faster (2 hours vs 8-10 hours for a lead acid battery) and your maintenance will be much less complicated than if you purchase a lead-acid battery electric forklift. You will also save on the space required for a forklift battery charging station.
Many of Hangcha’s lithium-ion forklifts are also equipped with on-board chargers which means that you don’t have to stop working while your forklift is charging which will greatly reduce downtimes and increase your productivity.
Li-ion batteries charge much faster than lead-acid batteries
Heavy Lifting Capabilities:
If you need more lifting capacity for your forklift, then an electric counterbalance is a great choice. You can get models that have lifting capacities ranging from 4,000 to 35,000 lbs.
However, the more lifting capacity a forklift has, the larger the forklift will be, so you should choose a model that will give you the best balance between power and size.
Food-safe Fuel Source:
In the past, in order to get a forklift with higher lifting capacities, you would need to purchase one with an internal combustion engine that would burn fossil fuels like propane or diesel.
Your only choice then for inside applications would have been a propane fuel forklift because it burns cleaner than diesel and can be used indoors as long as you have proper ventilation to counteract any emissions.
However, with the advancement of technology and the use of lithium-ion batteries, it is now possible to get electric forklifts that are safe to use inside and have the strength to handle heavier loads.
3-Wheel Li-Ion Battery Forklift
4-Wheel Li-Ion Battery Forklift
Able to withstand Constant washdowns:
If you are working in the food manufacturing industry, you know that you are required to be constantly washing down and cleaning your facilities. This means that your equipment needs to be able to withstand these very moist conditions. Not all electric forklifts are able to handle wet conditions. You’ll need to choose an electric model that can work in wet and cold conditions.
Hangcha's XC Series electric forklift, for example, uses Li-ion power and has been designed with an IPX4 water resistance rating which means it is resistant to water splashes from any direction making it suitable to use in a food manufacturing plant.
Furthermore, if you need your forklift to unload trucks outside of your facility and then bring them inside, then an electric forklift that is water-resistant would be a great choice for you as you can’t guarantee the weather outside.
choose an electric forklift that is water resistant
*Tip: cushion tires are best for tight spaces
Make sure you also choose an electric forklift that has cushion tires. Cushion tires are smaller than pneumatic tires, which means that your forklift will be lower to the ground, thus decreasing its turning radius even further. In addition, cushion tires are better suited for indoor flooring as well.
Let Wayco help you choose THE BEST Forklifts for the food manufacturing Industry
Selecting the best forklift for your particular situation isn’t easy, but the experts at Wayco can help. Whether you are in the market for a new or used forklift, contact the professionals at Wayco.
They will listen to your needs and match you up with the perfect forklift to meet those needs and your budget.
Wayco also offers the best warranties in the business for both new and used forklifts. For example, we offer:
Used Forklifts: When you purchase a quality used forklift from Wayco, you will receive a 30-day full warranty. That means that your forklift is covered, front to back, for a full 30 days after your purchase. If anything goes wrong with it, we will fix it for you, free of charge.
Komatsu BX50 Series: Komatsu's warranty includes:
2 years / Unlimited Hours Standard Warranty Coverage* and
60 Months / 8,000 Hours Power Train Coverage
10,000 Hours on Wet Brake Systems on Komatsu Units Equipped with Wet Brakes
Hangcha Lithium-Ion Forklifts: Many of Hangcha's Lithium-ion forklift batteries come with an incredible warranty that lasts 10 years or 20,000 hours. Now that's a guarantee!
With Wayco, you can purchase a forklift with confidence! Contact us today for more details about our incredible warranties.
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING…
““I have used Wayco twice, and both times I experienced excellent customer service. They had the right forklift for my needs at a reasonable price. I will be using their services in the future and recommend you do as well.””
