In an effort to provide customers further flexibility and capabilities for managing their forklift fleet and operators, Crown, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, announces that its Crown InfoLink® fleet management system has moved to the Cloud to offer a flexible two-tier platform that will allow the software to be easily scaled as customer fleet management needs grow and mature.
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Crown InfoLink® is a wireless forklift fleet and operator management system that delivers actionable data to help warehouse managers maximise productivity. Hosted by Crown, InfoLink® now provides a flexible approach to fleet and operator management by offering a two-tier platform that aligns with customer needs and challenges, and provides multiple paths to forklift fleet optimisation depending upon organisational priorities and budgets.
Two entry points
The Standard plan provides an entry point for companies by offering basic fleet and operator management features, including operator authorisation for equipment use, impact detection and alerts, along with real-time equipment status.
The Advantage plan offers companies the ability to increase operator productivity, manage planned and unplanned maintenance, and optimise energy resources including battery changes and fuel usage, in addition to the basic fleet management features.
“We are seeing the forklift quickly become the most advanced piece of equipment that touches every part of the warehouse. More advanced on-board technology is improving operator productivity and enabling connectivity that helps to provide greater visibility into the warehouse environment, operator productivity and product movement,” said Jim Gaskell, Director of global Crown Insite™ products, Crown Equipment. “Crown InfoLink® helps companies use actionable information to make better business decisions and achieve a better return on investment. The new two-tier platform makes it easier for organisations to get started with fleet management. For instance, depending on a customer’s needs, they may be able to enjoy fleet management capabilities for as little as the cost of a cup of coffee per day, per forklift.”
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Crown’s InfoLink® was awarded the IFOY Award 2013 in the “Forklift Truck Solutions” category for revolutionising materials handling technology for UK office supplies wholesaler, Spicers, by reducing maintenance and repair costs by 90%.
Bobby Arman, Operations Improvement Manager at Spicers, explains: “InfoLink® allows us to monitor exactly what each truck is doing so we can manage our fleet better. The result is a significant reduction in damage to the trucks, the racking and the building itself. There have been additional financial benefits as we’ve experienced a 90% reduction in damage billing. It’s fact – Crown really has helped to reduce our operating costs.”
The IFOY jury stated: “The key factor in the jury’s decision was the strong focus on customer benefit as well as the practicability of the solution. The implementation of the Crown InfoLink® fleet management system in combination with a new, modern forklift fleet generated a significant economic gain for the customer.”
Crown InfoLink®, which is a part of the Crown Insite™ Productivity Suite, helps customers monitor and manage the efficient use of their forklift fleet and total operations by delivering actionable data through content-rich, interactive dashboards that help fleet managers focus on real opportunities and avoid wasted time deciphering mounds of data. The wireless system gives decision makers fleet-wide visibility into an array of operator and fleet information such as battery usage, impact history, truck utilisation, safety compliance, service needs and more, through a user-friendly interface.
The secure, wireless solution supports existing and future WLAN. It is compliant with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless standards and supports a variety of security encryption protocols. Crown InfoLink® offers robust security features, including username and password requirements for data access, and secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol protection. Forklift operator access is managed through keypad codes or ID cards, and managers control permission for each individual or group.
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