Yale Lift Truck Technologies announces that the first-of-its-kind Yale Reliant™ operator assistance system is the winner of three awards, adding to the list of accolades that recognize the solution for helping to address unique operational safety risks in warehouses and other material handling operations. The technology reinforces lift truck operating best practices and supports operator awareness to help reduce the risk of accidents and close calls like a pedestrian unexpectedly walking in front of a lift truck or an operator traveling too quickly around turns.
The technology was named one of the best-designed industrial products of the year by the GOOD DESIGN Awards, marking the 12th time the brand has been recognized by the program. For more than 70 years, the GOOD DESIGN Awards have honored the achievements of some of the best industrial designers and manufacturers in the world for their pursuit of design excellence.
The solution was also honored by the Best in Biz Awards as one of the year’s most innovative business-to-business solutions, joining previous winners from organizations such as Adobe, AT&T and Ernst and Young. The Best in Biz Awards are judged by editors and reporters from publications such as The Associated Press, Wired and The New York Times.
Yale Reliant was also named a winner in the warehouse automation category of the Top Software and Technology Solutions Award by Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics, two leading industry trade publications. The award spotlights solutions that provide automated support and efficiency to the supply chain.
Yale Reliant keeps the operator in ultimate control of the lift truck, but automatically applies interventions in response to compromised stability, when obstacles are detected in the path of travel or in close proximity, and even based on rules customers specify for certain areas of their warehouse. Adjustments, such as a reduction to travel speed or a smoothing of forklift or tilt movement, are carefully measured to avoid abrupt shifts or jerks that can upset stability. The changes remain noticeable enough for operators to feel, and the system also communicates the cause through a display screen, providing an additional layer of feedback to help reinforce proper operation established during training.
“As the persistent labor crisis has given rise to an influx of inexperienced lift truck operators and higher-than-average injury rates within warehouses, we have been laser-focused on developing and expanding access to solutions that can help operations curb safety risks and protect productivity,” said Brad Long, Brand Manager, Yale Lift Truck Technologies. “These award wins are proof of the technology’s real-world value for warehouses as they seek tools that can help them protect their employees, inventory and bottom line.”
Yale Reliant was recently made available on an additional 16 models, bringing the overall lineup to 59 lift truck models. The technology is a result of more than 40,000 hours of research and development, and has been deployed on 6,000 lift trucks in real-world operations.
