Wisconsin Lift Truck, a member of Wolter Group LLC, is gearing up to co-host the highly anticipated Forklift Rodeo at this year’s Midwest Food Products Association Annual Convention being held December 4th at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
However, this year’s rodeo is being brought to its competitors and attendees with a bit of a twist—the first-ever Virtual Reality Forklift Rodeo, an event that will take you into a whole new world.
The 2019 rodeo participant lineup is to include MWFPA association members from Seneca Foods, Bush Brothers, & Co., and Chippewa Valley Bean, just to name a few.
Each driver will be seated on the Really-Virtual Forklift Simulator with a headset that immerses them into the virtual warehouse landscape. Once in simulation, the rodeo contestants are challenged to complete a variety of tasks, such as picking up pallets off the floor and placing on racking and navigating obstacle cone courses. The extremely detail-orientated VR software tracks every movement the driver does or does not make, even down to them looking over their shoulders and honking the horn before reversing.
The contestants will be vying for trophies, cash prizes, and the highly coveted rodeo belt buckle to the safest operator with the best score. Spectators are invited to cheer on the drivers by viewing their progress on projection screens throughout the day, or viewing on the Really-Virtual mobile App.
The forklift simulators are being provided by the UW-Platteville Building Construction Management program, and Waste Management in partnership with Wisconsin Lift Truck.
Wisconsin Lift Truck’s Operator Training Manager and head of Virtual Reality Training Solutions, Tony Parsons, explains “My hope is that attendees will walk away with the knowledge of a new training concept for inexperienced forklift operators that helps prepare them for the real deal—actually operating the equipment safely.”
Jason Culotta, MWFPA president, adds “Forklift rodeos celebrate operator excellence, showcasing the importance of operator skills while raising awareness of forklift safety.” “The virtual reality rodeo will enable us to do this in a fun and unique way.”
Attendees of the convention are also invited to visit the Wisconsin Lift Truck booth to discuss material handling solutions, forklift safety and much more.
For more information on the Really-Virtual Forklift Simulators visit wisconsinlift.com/training
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