Month: July 2021

Taylor Announces Relationship with Proterra

Barry Company News, Material Handling Equipment, Material Handling News , , ,

Taylor Announces Electric Vehicle Innovation Powered by the Best-in-Class Battery Technology by Proterra

Louisville, Mississippi – Taylor Machine Works, Inc. has always been at the forefront of innovation and problem solving throughout its 94 years of manufacturing. As a result of the ever-changing manufacturing environment and the influence of electric vehicle technology, Taylor felt an immense responsibility to design and manufacture zero-emission material handling equipment that would integrate seamlessly into the existing customer workflow. In 2019, Taylor first accomplished this by engineering the ZLC Series designed to load and unload shipping containers weighing up to 75,000 pounds in port environments. The battery-electric ZLC Series met the stringent zero-emissions standard without interrupting the demanding processing sequence required by the world’s busiest ports. Utilizing state-of-the-art electric motors and environmentally responsible battery packs, the ZLC Series plug-in battery electric vehicle was equipped with enough energy to smoothly transition from combustion engines to reliable electric power.

Now Taylor is venturing into a new relationship with Proterra Inc, the leading innovator in commercial vehicle electrification technology. Taylor will power the next-generation Taylor ZLC Series electric container handler with 904 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy and the ZH Series electric forklift with 225 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy using Proterra’s industry-leading battery technology. These all-electric container handlers and forklifts will support various heavy-duty applications, including container handling in port environments and other heavy-material handling industrial settings such as warehouses, plants, worksites, mine sites, steel yards, lumber yards, and others. Taylor expects to deliver the first Proterra powered Taylor vehicle to customers in 2022. Taylor and Proterra will also be working together to help ports and other customers electrify their heavy-duty, material handling machinery by delivering charging and infrastructure solutions.

Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacturing of zero-emission EV technology solutions for commercial applications. Proterra battery technology leverages industry-leading energy density and a customizable design to fit within various Taylor industrial material handling and container handling products. Taylor believes this new relationship with Proterra will be the most important next step for the Taylor product line.

“We are excited to continue the high standards of manufacturing material handling equipment with the battery-electric Gen 2-ZLC Series container handlers powered by Proterra,” commented Hal Nowell, Director of Sales for Taylor Machine Works, Inc. Matt Hiller, Director of Engineering added, “Electrification of mobile material handling equipment is an exciting and challenging effort but is also developing very quickly. Taylor is readying our customers for the new choices they have in the ways energy is used in their businesses. Taylor has always provided our customers with stable and forward-thinking technology and this continues in the EV space with our strategic Proterra partnership. Proterra offers the experience needed to stay ahead of the curve and add to the solid support which Taylor customers demand.”

Robert Taylor Sr., President and Chief Operating Officer of The Taylor Group of Companies, stated, “This new relationship with Proterra, who like Taylor is an American manufacture, is truly a milestone in Taylor manufacturing history. Our commitment to the electric market for material handling and container handling equipment will be a strategic engineering collaboration between Taylor and Proterra. We believe that Proterra’s vision for EV battery technology and their commitment to zero-emission standards align with the Taylor vision.”

“Electrifying heavy-duty equipment is a win-win for our ports and our communities. It means protecting our health and the air we breathe at the same time we meet the needs of the world’s busiest ports and other industrial settings with new technologies,” said Gareth Joyce, President of Proterra Powered & Energy. “We are excited to partner with a trusted, industry-leader like Taylor and deliver our proven EV technology to power the next generation of material handling machines.”

Our customers can depend on Taylor “Big Red” equipment. Our heavy-duty material handling and container handling equipment is more versatile, more efficient, and more able to tackle the demands of tomorrow. Our past growth is an inspiration for our future, and Taylor will continue to build with our watchwords Faith, Vision, and Work.

As supplier the authorized distributor of Taylor products, OEM parts, service and rentals to northern and southern California, we are proud to represent the Taylor line of products. Their commitment to their customers, employees and country is unparalleled in our industry.

To learn more about our Taylor line-up, please visit https://www.cal-lift.com/taylor.

Training vs. Teaching; Knowing the Differences

Barry Uncategorized

Training is imperative for not only safe operation of forklifts, container handlers and yard spotters, it improves productivity and your bottom line. We know that very experienced operators are worth their weight in gold. But how can we take a new operator and get them to that point quicker? The key lies in truly training them, not just teaching them the fundamentals then handing them the key.

Not to mention that in many cases, particularly in forklift operation, training is a requirement and failure to provide adequate training can result in costly fines as well as legal costs and civil awards if sued.

Too often we become focused on the regulation and the direct costs of non-compliance, namely fines and potential lawsuits. However, if we focus on truly making cultural changes in our organizations that revolve around a safer workplace, many other cost-savings will occur, including:

  1. Reduced worker’s compensation claims & premiums
  2. Reduced equipment and plant damage
  3. Improved maintenance conditions of equipment
  4. Improved productivity
  5. Enhanced employee morale

This is just to name a few. Too often satisfying OSHA becomes the goal and we “miss the forest for the trees.” Training is a never-ending process. Why? Because nothing is ever stagnant in a warehouse situation. There are almost daily changes involving equipment, processes, personnel, products or facilities, and the list goes on. Each change requires training or re-training to make sure each employee can become familiar and comfortable with the changes.

Re-training must take place each time “a condition in the workplace changes in a manner that could affect safe operation of the truck” , according to OSHA. To see a list of all conditions under which refresher training must occur, click HERE. This rather ambiguous definition could mean anything from a change in the products you carry (depending upon how they are handled) to changes in how you store your products. So as you can see, having a once-a-year operator training day would not even provide your company compliance with the letter of the regulation, much less keep your facility operating at an optimal level as it pertains to safety and productivity.

Let’s look at the differences in the pure definitions of teaching vs. training.

Train – To instruct as to make proficient. To guide the mental, moral, development of, etc…
Teach – To show how to do something. Instruct. To give knowledge, insight, etc…

Most traditional “training” programs are in-fact barely more than “teaching sessions.” In order to fully train, you must first start with the trainer. OSHA regulations regarding forklift operator training state: “All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence.” 

This means the person you are relying upon to meet these standards will need more than a three-day class in operator safety training. He or she will need to have significant experience with material handling equipment and all facets of operation as well as the ability to express what he or she knows in a logical manner so that the material is effectively transferred to your operators. This is very important particularly if your goal is truly training, and not simply compliance.

To learn more about how the human brain learns and how to “train” read “The Four Levels of Learning.”

The Four Levels of Learning

Barry Safety, Uncategorized , , ,

When you were learning to tie your shoes, it wasn’t a one-time demonstration by your mother. Rather it was a tedious task for both of you. Teaching and learning can be quite difficult and frustrating for the trainer and the trainee. Understanding how people learn and what it takes to become proficient at any task underscores the importance of a continual training program for your forklift operators, or for anyone that’s learning anything in your organization to help keep it running.

Unlike learning to tie your shoes, your company is a dynamic, flowing organization. Things are rarely the same next year as they are today. New equipment, new employees, new products, new fixtures, the variable set goes on and never ceases to change. Adapting to these changes means understanding how we learn and the stages of learning we all pass through before become proficient at anything. Being able to identify where each employee is in the process helps you minimize the training costs and maximize productivity. Let’s start at the first level of learning.

The Unconscious Incompetent – Before you wore shoes, you had no idea that you didn’t know how to tie them. This is the most ignorant stage of learning, but is the first. There are many things your employees don’t know, that they don’t know, but you do know. It’s important to understand this. We often assume “they know how a Clark forklift operates.” But do they? Personal interviews or questionnaires are frequently used to determine what someone knows, and doesn’t know, which leads us to the next level.

The Conscious Incompetent – “Oh, these are shoes and I see I have no idea how to secure them to my feet.” Or, you know know that you don’t know something. For example, do you employees know how dangerous a forklift can be? At level one, they likely do not. But being introduced to the dangers, or “learning” the dangers, makes them safer. At level one, you may hop right on the lift truck and drive away, not knowing how deadly of a situation you just created. However, now you are armed with knowledge and understand there is much more to learn.

The Conscious Competent – At this level, a person has learned a task or process, but is conscious of the process and has to give it thought while they are completing the task. “I’m coming up at an aisle intersection, what am I supposed to do? “….”oh, yes, hit the horn and slow down” they might be thinking. The key is, they’re thinking. Some like this level, but having to think takes time, and a fraction of a second can have dire consequences in a material handling situation. The ultimate goal through continual training and practice is to achieve the level of activity where you perform a task and give it no thought, or “The Unconscious Competent.”

The Unconscious Competent – It is at this level is where you desire to take your employees regardless of what task you’re asking them to perform. Whether it’s a process for loading or unloading a tractor trailer or how to change a forklift battery. When a person performs a task precisely without giving it thought, he or she is now at his/her most productive level and will maximize the safety of your facility. Like tying your shoes, which you don’t think about any longer, what once was a frustrating process now becomes second nature. It is at this level you are most proficient.

Getting your employees to the “Unconscious Competent” stage takes much more than a one-time classroom and hands on training situation. It’s takes a process for continually exposing your employees to information, having them practice, slowly at first. Building confidence with a supportive environment where they are not “hurried to perform” allows them to grow and learn at their own pace. Some will get there quicker than others, but the ultimate goal is to have them all performing without a lot of thought about what they are doing. This allows them to give time to think about how they can make what they’re doing….even more productive, or safer.