To keep pace with increasing order volumes and tighter operating margins, warehouses must focus on getting more from their existing resources. By aligning lift truck capabilities with operational needs, businesses can improve operator performance, accelerate order fulfilment and make better use of available space. The following three approaches highlight where targeted changes can deliver measurable efficiency gains. 1. Optimise operator performance Optimising conditions for peak labour productivity is two-fold. Environmental factors, such as inventory crowding, along with the amount of light and room to manoeuvre, can affect efficiency. Factors tied to operator comfort and energy can also heavily impact performance. Equipment must be properly outfitted to 32 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk February/March 2026 Handling & Safety Matters Focus on: Handling & Storage Growing customer expectations, rising costs and ongoing labour challenges are pushing warehouses to improve efficiency and competitiveness. This article outlines three ways operations can boost productivity, streamline workflows and increase storage capacity through technology-enabled lift truck solutions. Three ways lift trucks can boost warehouse productivity support operator performance and safe lift truck operating best practices. For instance, in tight spaces, characteristics such as a small turning radius and easy manoeuvrability are essential to maximising performance. Operator assist solutions, including lights and alarms, can also help lend lift truck operators a hand. LED lights installed at the base and forks of lift trucks can provide illumination in poorly lit environments, helping reduce the risk of damage and improve pedestrian and operator awareness. Operator assist solutions can also take the form of technology systems that provide varying levels of support, including stability control systems and even more advanced operator assistance technologies. A stability control system monitors input from the lift truck and applies automatic, real-time interventions to help support stable travel and provide operators with an immediate layer of feedback to help reinforce the safety best practices they learned in their training. In practice, the most advanced systems can enable a broad range of functionality, such as automatically slowing down the truck if the system detects a pedestrian or obstacle in the path of travel. But not all technologies are created equal. Some solutions may only provide an alert to the operator, not an automatic performance adjustment. Over the course of a shift, operator productivity can decrease by as much as 30%. Plus, labour makes up 40–60% of a warehouse’s operating costs, so maximising the return from labour investments is critical. Equipment can help fight fatigue and discomfort, empowering operators to remain focused and efficient all shift long. Look for product characteristics that promote comfort.
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