3rd Quarter 2015 Customer Newsletter In This Issue: Manage Your Fleet Easier with Crown InfoLink OSHA Update CMH Services is Recognized as an Elite Dealership Community Corner: Giving Back Crown InfoLink and Forklift Fleet Management Forklift Fleet management is a concept that has been around for some time, however, with advancements in technology fleet management solutions have greatly evolved. Crown has developed a wireless fleet and operator management system known as InfoLink. This management system effectively addresses six categories that include Compliance, Impacts, Equipment, Operators, Energy, and Service. In this two part series, we will provide a brief description of these categories. Forklift Safety and Compliance In today s world, almost everything revolves around safety and compliance, especially when working in manufacturing and distribution environments. And, most certainly, forklifts and forklift safety fall under this category. Imagine if a Fleet Manager could prevent unauthorized individuals from operating your forklifts? With the InfoLink module that is mounted to the forklift, only authorized and trained operators are allowed to operate the lift. It also sends you reminders when your operators need to be recertified! This ensures that only trained personnel are operating the forklift Operator daily check lists tend to be a sticking point with a lot of companies. It is a requirement, too! A great feature of InfoLink is that all of the daily check lists are filled out and stored electronically, making it easy for a quick and easy retrieval of those files
if an audit ever occurs. This eliminates keeping track of hundreds of pages of papers and notebooks. Impacts and damages Those items end up being some of the biggest repair items during the life of lifts. InfoLink allows you to visibly manage your operators and how they are driving that equipment. The sensors mounted around the truck monitor the equipment and any high G impacts that may occur. This is a great way to see if there is a trend of damages among your operators. Also, it helps to solve the case of that mysterious crash that no one knows anything about. Anything that happens on that forklift is logged and belongs to the operator that is logged on the lift. Equipment Optimization and Allocation There is no doubt about it - material handling equipment does not come cheap. It is expensive for equipment to be sitting around not being utilized, especially new equipment. The Utilization feature through InfoLink provides real time data when the lift is on, off, moving, stationary, and even lifting and lowering. This data gives way to a potential fleet reduction or proof for a more economical solution. It could be a way for some operational cost savings. These are just a few examples that InfoLink can help with. I encourage you to go to Crown s YouTube page to watch the InfoLink video or you can learn more at www.crown.com. Contact your local sales representative if you would like to set up a webinar to learn more! Aaron Pretulak, Territory Manager Forklift Safety and OSHA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, is a small agency which falls under the United States Department of Labor. OSHA has approximately 2,200 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers employed at more than 8 million worksites around the nation.
Despite its relatively small size, as government agencies go, OSHA is increasing its impact. There was a significant increase (45%) in safety violations cited by OSHA from 2012 to 2013. Recent changes in the OSHA administrative penalty calculation system have increased penalties in a variety of ways. OSHA penalties can range from a warning for a first time other-than-serious violation and a minimum fine of $1,500 for a first time serious violation, to $70,000 for a willful or repeat violation and $500,000 for a corporate violation which results in death. Of the standards most frequently cited by OSHA in 2014, the first most frequently cited standard (fall protection), the second most frequently cited standard (hazard communication), and the fifth most frequently cited standard (powered industrial trucks) all relate, in some way, to forklift safety. An average of 13 Americans are killed on the job every single day of the year. In addition, nearly 4 million workers each year are seriously injured on the job. Here are a few tips to stay OSHA compliant and avoid both fines and accidents: Use guard rails or toe-boards to ensure that an employee cannot fall into a hole, a dangerous machine, or a piece of equipment. Use safety harnesses, nets, stair railings and hand rails where appropriate. Keep floors and work areas clean and dry. Make sure all employees who work with hazardous chemicals have labels and safety data sheets present in the workplace and that employees are trained to handle the chemicals appropriately. Make sure that no one under 18 years of age operates a forklift, and all forklift operators are trained and certified. Make sure a daily checklist is used by all forklift operators to inspect for proper operation of the forklift. Make sure that safety equipment provided (seat belt or safety harness) is used each time the equipment is operated. Finally, a culture of safety is extremely important. Managers, employees, and visitors must understand the safety requirements and that everyone is expected to take safety seriously.
Dan McCullough, Branch Manager CMH Services Recognized as Elite Dealer For 2015 Unicarriers has named Greenville a Platinum AEP branch and Columbia a Gold AEP Branch. This performance makes CMH Services an elite Unicarriers dealer. Of the 170 Unicarriers dealer branches, 10 were Platinum, 21 were Gold, 4 were Silver and 15 were Bronze. In March, CMH Services completed a rigorous process of audit and documentation. Unicarriers reviews the quality of key processes, as well as metric performance. There are eight areas that are audited. Business Planning and Management Customer Satisfaction Service Operations Management Employee Training Facilities, Tools and Publications Customer Satisfaction Factory Support Customer Service Sales Parts Operations. This recognition reflects years of hard work and improvement by every department and every employee at CMH Services. One of our values is Learning. This value is about having a continuous improvement culture - one where we are getting better all the time. These Unicarriers AEP awards are an indication of our continued improvement. Our customers are the most essential element of a continuous improvement culture. Over the years, many of our improvements have been in response to customers who are asking for products and services that allow them to better achieve their goals. So thank you for your help!
John Gorman, Chief Operating Officer Community Corner: Haven of Rest As CMH Services continues to grow, more and more the company is thinking about its impact on the South Carolina community. Recently, CMH had the opportunity to give back by partnering with Haven of Rest Ministries in Anderson, SC. Founded in 1960 by CMH President Buddy Smith s grandfather, Haven of Rest s goal is to provide displaced men the tools and ministry needed to combat homelessness. Currently, Haven of Rest is a thriving nonprofit ministering to men, women, and children, while providing emergency shelter and meals to the homeless. Haven of Rest also runs a thrift store, with profits from the thrift store funding the expenses the organization. CMH was happy to donate a truck to the thrift store to replace a well loved, but seatless lift. The staff was delighted to have a new truck to help move appliances that could be fixed and resold to fund the organization s mission. Megan Piatt, Sales Coordinator