InfoLink operator and fleet management system allows SaltWorks to monitor forklift usage and better understand how to deploy its material handling resources.
Crown’s Battery Health Monitor helps the company maintain their batteries to provide top performance and monitor the energy usage of each truck to maximize battery efficiency.
By optimizing the use of both its lift trucks and its batteries, SaltWorks believes the InfoLink system and Battery Health Monitor will help maximize the company’s return on investment.
Facilities Manager – SaltWorks
SaltWorks, located in Woodinville, WA, is the world’s largest natural sea salt manufacturer. Having grown from a small home-based business into a globally-oriented company operating out of a custom-built 130,000 square foot facility, SaltWorks imports sea salt from 25 different countries around the world and processes it into more than 110 varieties and redistributes the product globally. The vertically integrated company has developed its own proprietary processes to produce the cleanest sea salt in the world, using no chemicals or artificial coloring.
SaltWorks originally relied on a fleet of used LPG internal combustion forklifts and frequently experienced unexpected downtime due to poor reliability. When the company decided an electric fleet would be better suited to their environment, it started with used counterbalance forklifts from a variety of manufacturers. The operators preferred the Crown forklift for its maneuverability, reliability and ergonomics, leading SaltWorks to invest in a new fleet of Crown electric forklifts and pallet trucks selected for specific applications. As a new electric forklift user, the company also needed a way to ensure they would operate efficiently and maximize ROI.
SaltWorks selected the InfoLink Operator and Fleet Management System to help manage their new electric fleet. The InfoLink system captures fleet utilization data in real time, enabling the company to know exactly when and how their trucks are being used. To understand more about battery utilization, SaltWorks added the Battery Health Monitor to their InfoLink system. This tool enables management to constantly monitor the state and usage of all of the batteries in their fleet. This ensures that they properly maintain the batteries to keep them in top shape, and also enables management to monitor battery usage and move underutilized forklifts to other higher duty jobs in the warehouse.